County Manager Harry Burgess is retiring May 28 after 10 years of Service. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos Daily Post
Harry Burgess’ time as Los Alamos County Manager is coming to an end. After 10 years leading the County, Burgess will retire May 28. He announced his retirement earlier this month.
Burgess’ time working in the County has been anything but dull. During his tenure, the County has responded to record-breaking wildfires, floods and snowstorms, and that was all before the pandemic hit.
Despite these and other challenges, Burgess said he feels working with Los Alamos County Council, County staff and the community has been a successful partnership.
“I would just like to express my appreciation for the council, the community and the staff for making my time here so successful and allowing me to serve them for the last 10 years,” he said.
Several County representatives shared their appreciation for Burgess.
“I have enjoyed working with Mr. Burgess while on Council,” Council Chair Randall Rtyi said. “One of the things I appreciate the most is how available Harry has been to meet and discuss projects or approaches. I have seen this level of engagement since 2016 when he agreed to meet with a small group of us related to a County matter. Los Alamos County has certainly benefited from Harry’s experience and expertise, but we have also benefited through his high level of engagement.”
“I have enjoyed working with Harry during his past years with Los Alamos County,” County Public Information Officer Julie Habiger said. “We have worked together on several outreach initiatives and other Council-related projects and he has consistently been an advocate for keeping the community informed and engaged. He has always been supportive of my office and willing to listen and consider ideas or suggestions on how we can improve. I will miss him when he leaves his role as County Manager in May but wish him all the best in a well-earned retirement from public service.”
“I have really enjoyed working with Harry,” Deputy County Manager Steve Lynne said. “His depth of knowledge and background made him a perfect fit coming in and have continued throughout his tenure to serve the County extremely well. His intelligence and humor have made it very easy to work with him. He has been a thoughtful and very effective leader and has helped guide us to accomplish so much this past decade. I personally have appreciated his mentorship, the opportunities he has afforded me, and the excellent example he has shown being a great County Manager.”
Before coming to Los Alamos County, Burgess worked as the city administrator for six years In Carlsbad. Before that he served as the Grant County Manager for four years and prior to going to Grant County Burgess worked as the Administrative Services Director for Eddy County.
He said the County manager position in Los Alamos was attractive because “at the time it was a job advancement, and it was an opportunity for me to do more in my position … plus it was still in New Mexico where I was trying to stay. Most importantly the position offered the various things you can do here from the schools to the outdoors, which was what made us decide to move.”
Burgess said he felt a lot was accomplished during his tenure.
For instance, Burgess said when he initially started work at the County there were many individuals who were serving in acting roles; however, “we were able to bring stability to the organization as well as put together a managerial staff that have both performed very positively and for the most part have stayed with me here.”
Another major success was securing gross receipt taxes from the County’s largest employer, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“One big accomplishment was securing our gross receipts tax, which required a couple years’ effort and many other participants to make it happen but as a group we were able to get that through the state legislative process … which allowed us to continue to provide top level services to the community,” Burgess said.
Many capital improvement projects were completed during Burgess’ time here, too. He recalled that ground was just broken on the new municipal building when he was hired but following that, “tens of millions of dollars” were invested in buildings including recreational facilities for the community’s use.
Additionally, Burgess said he feels his experience in emergency and fire management contributed to helping the County emerge from the 2011 Las Conchas Fire and address local fire mitigation and other recovery issues, “which allowed us at the time to return to normalcy”
Burgess said his staff delivers the right level of services, which the community appreciates, and this is a real “feather in the cap”.
He also said that he is proud to have successfully ushered in a new Smith’s store after a series of failed tries. Additionally, Burgess said he is happy to report that the new store attracts people from off the hill to come to Los Alamos and shop, partially addressing concerns regarding the local economy’s leakage rate.
The County also was adept at responding to the changes in management at Los Alamos National Laboratory and at the Environmental Management Office, he said
The housing situation in Los Alamos is another success story. Burgess said the local housing market evolved from having very little interest to getting phone calls almost daily, he said, adding that there are now seven to eight housing projects in various stages of development within the community.
“I think it will have lasting effects on the community,” Burgess said.
Another factor that will have long-term effects on Los Alamos is the change in demographics. Burgess said getting more people who are young and families in town caused the County to change the types of services it provides.
The Los Alamos Public Schools has been great in attracting and retaining newcomers, he said, adding that the partnership between the County and the public schools has been beneficial.
Burgess said he has a lot of significant memories working in Los Alamos. He said he will not be forgetting anytime soon the two-foot-a-day snowstorm that pummeled the County in 2019 or the discovery of plutonium on County-owned land off DP Road in 2020. He added that every major construction project comes with a multitude of issues and working through those issues and challenges has certainly left a lasting impression.
On the flip side, Burgess said he was excited to travel to Sarov, Russia as part of the Sister Cities Exchange and he really appreciates the level of participation citizens are willing to give to County boards and commissions and the County Council.
He also will remember the accolades the County has earned; for instance, the Government Finance Officer Association’s budget preparation award and audit document awards have been given to the County for more than 28 years.
“I was proud to continue that tradition during the time I was there,” Burgess said.
Working in Los Alamos is pretty unique, he said, as it has given him opportunities to work at the national level.
“I think the community has afforded me all sorts of opportunities – to be able to participate in national level issues while providing local government services has been intriguing … there is a component that requires communication with the federal level … and meeting those folk over time (but I also enjoyed) establishing relationships with individuals in the community,” Burgess said.
He joked, “I won’t miss late night council meetings (but) I certainly appreciated the fact that the community is so involved … and the breadth of things that this community is involved with – it has been a very active role and I have no doubt once I de-compress … I will miss the activity and adrenaline of being involved in those things.”
The amenities provided in Los Alamos are great, too. Burgess said it is a real perk to have trails right outside your door and to be 15-minutes away from ski runs.
With Burgess’ retirement, the County is beginning discussions on how to fill the County Manager position.
While Burgess said he will share his expertise when appropriate, he does not want to pick his replacement. He does offer some advice to whomever gets the job.
“Definitely get your sleep before you come,” Burgess said. “My advice would be to be prepared to have an engaged population who are going to anticipate responsive answers when they have questions and may challenge you on certain assumptions – that is definitely a factor that I would associate with this community more than others … they are going to have be fully engaged and have stamina.”
As for Burgess, he and his wife Jackie plan to stay in New Mexico. Burgess said they bought property in Taos County and have been working on remodeling it for retirement. Additionally, they hope to hit the road in their RV and travel the country.