Outgoing city manager honored in Steamboat Springs

John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today
The city of Steamboat Springs proclaimed Tuesday, Jan. 21 “Gary Suiter Day” to honor the outgoing city manager.
“You have made a mark on this community, and we certainly appreciate everything that you have done and the breadth and depth of the knowledge and the expertise, and you have served a lot of the people in this room in a lot of different ways,” said City Council President Gail Garey.
“We certainly appreciate you and thank you, and this is just a small testament to the lives that you have touched and all that you have done,” she added.
Suiter, who announced his retirement last fall, addressed the crowd Tuesday evening at what was the last council meeting of his Steamboat tenure.
“To the city council members, past and present … your support has been unbelievable through my tenure here and very, very important to our collaborative success,” said Suiter.
“Secondly, I want to acknowledge the amazing staff that we have here … I can’t describe enough how proud I am of the staff that we have here. They are talented, they are dedicated, they are committed, and they are smart and bring great ideas to the table.”
“Last, but not least, the citizens … The citizens here are dedicated, they care, they are involved, we hear from them, quite a bit, right? And that is what makes a successful community,” added Suiter. “Those are three pillars of a successful community, you have got to have great leadership at the council dais behind me, you have got to have solid staff members that are committed to civics and civil service, and you have got to have a community that cares, and I think that really defines Steamboat Springs.”
Suiter became city manager in June 2016 after serving in the interim role for eight months. When he accepted the permanent position, he committed to serving the city for four years. He wound up serving eight. His remarks of gratitude Tuesday came before a parade of public comments delivered by community members, former and current council members and city staff, all of whom expressed their gratitude for his leadership and service to the city.
“Gary, I will never forget when you led our first retreat as a council, you said something very important that touched my heart and I will always remember,” said former council member Kathi Meyer. “You said that your job was to make us successful … so, with great humility and love, from us to you — thank you, we are going to miss you.”
Kim Weber, the city’s finance director, spoke on behalf of city staff and thanked Suiter for his guidance in helping the city navigate times where leadership turnover persisted.
“Gary has given me a lot of advice on how to get through that revolving door, and it’s just keep your head down and do your job, which we do, but the best part about Gary, in my opinion, is his motto, ‘Manage down, up and out.’ Meaning the staff, the council and the citizens. We have had city managers before that have done one or the other pretty well,” said Weber. “Gary, you mastered them all. You make every city employee feel valued, you make every single citizen feel valued, you make every member of council feel valued, and that is what makes you such a great guy, so thank you.”
Deputy City Manager Tom Leeson is set to take over for Suiter and serve as city manager on an interim basis as the city proceeds with reviewing applications submitted for the role.
Council members will review candidate recommendations during an executive session at their Feb. 4 meeting.
Trevor Ballantyne is the editor for the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4254 or email him at tballantyne@SteamboatPilot.com.

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