New Town Manager Gets To Know Syracuse
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
But it's not a big deal to Redshaw.
"I don't know how you define (being a people person), but I enjoy working with people," Redshaw said Tuesday. "I try to keep my door open as much as I can."
His priorities for Syracuse include business retention and economic development. He said he wants to accomplish those goals by being a promoter of the community and helping the town put its best foot forward. He also said business retention is not an issue that can be taken for granted.
He said he will promote business retention by "public relations. Going out and meeting people, letting them know who (I am)."
A good relationship with the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce will also be a priority with him, he said.
He will need to learn more about Syracuse during his first few weeks in the area. He said his knowledge about the town "is fairly limited at this time. I know one of the big issues is industrial growth." He said the other at-hand issues for Syracuse that he knows of are the community center and highway projects.
"One of my goals is to make sure the town I'm working in is financially solvent," he said. Syracuse, he said, is doing fine right now in that area. "There's a good tax base to work with."
He said there's a lot of development in the area that's outside the town limits and it can be difficult to manage.
As for the Wawasee Village and the Village's comprehensive plan the chamber of commerce is working on this year, he said, he will get involved in that as much as the council allows him to. As a town manager in Colorado, he said, he was involved in a similar strategic comprehensive plan.
Redshaw is currently renting housing in Syracuse temporarily and his family plans to move to Syracuse in June. He said he wants to try to make his job long- term and wants to live as close to town as he can.
"I want to be close. I want my response time to be as short as possible," he said.
Once his family arrives, they may discover the town to be very friendly, as Redshaw said he has.
"People seem to get along here. They don't get divided as I've seen elsewhere," he said.
And the same could be said of the town council, he said.
"I think they're real level-headed," he said. "I think they are real dedicated."
Redshaw, who came to Syracuse from Iowa, began his duties May 17 and has until Sept. 1 to become a resident of Turkey Creek Township. He was chosen from among 40 applications to replace former town manager Matt Vigneault.
Vignault's last day was March 17. He was the first town manager for Syracuse and served for seven years before deciding to become the town manager for New Buffalo, Michigan.
Redshaw was the Sioux City, Iowa, town manager for five years and just recently stepped down from that position. He also served as a town manager in Grand Lake, Colorado, and in Kansas.
"In this business you tend to move around. It seems to be a volatile (occupation) at times," he said.
Redshaw received his Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of South Dakota with an emphasis in public management.
He received his bachelor's degree with a major in political science from the University of Iowa.
He's been married to his wife Jenene since 1980 and has three children. His oldest son lives in Colorado Springs and is married. His daughter is finishing high school this year and is uncertain where to attend college. His youngest son, Graham, is 10 and "he likes to fish," Redshaw said. [[In-content Ad]]
But it's not a big deal to Redshaw.
"I don't know how you define (being a people person), but I enjoy working with people," Redshaw said Tuesday. "I try to keep my door open as much as I can."
His priorities for Syracuse include business retention and economic development. He said he wants to accomplish those goals by being a promoter of the community and helping the town put its best foot forward. He also said business retention is not an issue that can be taken for granted.
He said he will promote business retention by "public relations. Going out and meeting people, letting them know who (I am)."
A good relationship with the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce will also be a priority with him, he said.
He will need to learn more about Syracuse during his first few weeks in the area. He said his knowledge about the town "is fairly limited at this time. I know one of the big issues is industrial growth." He said the other at-hand issues for Syracuse that he knows of are the community center and highway projects.
"One of my goals is to make sure the town I'm working in is financially solvent," he said. Syracuse, he said, is doing fine right now in that area. "There's a good tax base to work with."
He said there's a lot of development in the area that's outside the town limits and it can be difficult to manage.
As for the Wawasee Village and the Village's comprehensive plan the chamber of commerce is working on this year, he said, he will get involved in that as much as the council allows him to. As a town manager in Colorado, he said, he was involved in a similar strategic comprehensive plan.
Redshaw is currently renting housing in Syracuse temporarily and his family plans to move to Syracuse in June. He said he wants to try to make his job long- term and wants to live as close to town as he can.
"I want to be close. I want my response time to be as short as possible," he said.
Once his family arrives, they may discover the town to be very friendly, as Redshaw said he has.
"People seem to get along here. They don't get divided as I've seen elsewhere," he said.
And the same could be said of the town council, he said.
"I think they're real level-headed," he said. "I think they are real dedicated."
Redshaw, who came to Syracuse from Iowa, began his duties May 17 and has until Sept. 1 to become a resident of Turkey Creek Township. He was chosen from among 40 applications to replace former town manager Matt Vigneault.
Vignault's last day was March 17. He was the first town manager for Syracuse and served for seven years before deciding to become the town manager for New Buffalo, Michigan.
Redshaw was the Sioux City, Iowa, town manager for five years and just recently stepped down from that position. He also served as a town manager in Grand Lake, Colorado, and in Kansas.
"In this business you tend to move around. It seems to be a volatile (occupation) at times," he said.
Redshaw received his Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of South Dakota with an emphasis in public management.
He received his bachelor's degree with a major in political science from the University of Iowa.
He's been married to his wife Jenene since 1980 and has three children. His oldest son lives in Colorado Springs and is married. His daughter is finishing high school this year and is uncertain where to attend college. His youngest son, Graham, is 10 and "he likes to fish," Redshaw said. [[In-content Ad]]