Early in his career, Ed Thatcher's boss warned him about launching into the realm of city management.
“He told me, ‘You'll burn out in ten to twelve years and go do something different,'” he says. “But I have never felt that way. I love what I do.”
Because of his determination and longevity in the field of city management, Thatcher, a 1979 BYU MPA graduate, beat the odds and was honored last fall by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for serving thirty years in city management. Thatcher has clocked all of those years in city management positions throughout Texas.
Thatcher started out in Abilene, Texas, and climbed the ranks from being an administrative assistant to assistant to the city manager, which catapulted him to city manager of Navasota, Texas, three years later. The new assignment had its own set of challenges that would test Thatcher.
When he got to Navasota in 1982, he found a town that continued racial segregation on public land, where black and white cemeteries became the centerpiece of Thatcher's first major battle. While the white cemetery was beautifully maintained with mature pecan and oak trees, the black cemetery was run down and had one part-time employee.
Thatcher proposed the fence between the two cemeteries be taken down. When others strongly opposed this idea, he made sure public funds went to maintain both cemeteries equally. He initially received a lot of heat from the community, but he continued his desegregation plan. Then, months later, a miracle occurred.
“A tornado came through the town,” Thatcher says. “Pecan and oak trees fell over the fence, and we didn't have money to fix it. We were able to take the fence out.”
Thatcher is no stranger to repairing cities. He worked for Rosenberg, Texas, as its first city manager, and he helped restore a balanced budget and implemented a strong city government. Thatcher has been city manager of Heath, Texas, since 2005.
Thatcher's first boss who gave him the memorable warning about burnout is now working in California—not as a city manager. But Thatcher, whose love for the people and his job propel him, has no plans to leave. When he shares stories from his previous jobs, Thatcher seems more like a grandfather relaying tales of the good old days than a person climbing the governmental ladder.
“Everything we do in city management has a purpose, and it's so much fun,” he says. “I still love the work.”
