On Monday, city manager Wanda Page announced she is retiring from the City of Durham at the end of the year after 36 years of service.
“Now is the right moment to begin the transition of passing the torch to new leadership and allow fresh perspectives to shape the future of our beloved city,” Page said in a statement.
Page has held a multitude of roles during her tenure including audit director, assistant city manager, and deputy city manager, serving in the latter role under former city manager Tom Bonfield for 12 years. Page took over as interim city manager in 2020 following Bonfield’s departure, and was named city manager in March 2021.
Page received high praise at the time of her hiring from former mayor Steve Schewel and others in leadership who said Page had prepared for this role her entire career and was a “consummate professional with vast experience, rock-solid judgment, and a deep knowledge of local government and our community.”
Mayor Leonardo Williams shared in his admiration of the city manager following her retirement announcement.
“You’d have to be in my shoes to fully appreciate how good she is,” Williams says.
Williams joined the city council in 2021 shortly after Page took over as city manager. The two have worked on three city budgets together, along with city staff and other city council members, including this year’s roughly $660 million budget which passed on June 17 by unanimous vote.
Williams says that the city’s finances “are like the DNA in her veins” and that she has done an admirable job keeping the tax rate consistent while maintaining the city’s Triple A credit bond rating.
“I’ve seen her in action and she is literally the best there is,” Williams says.
Page announced her retirement on Monday, but Williams says he found out about the city manager’s impending retirement moments before the State of the City Address in April. He took the opportunity to bring the manager on stage during his speech as a way to highlight her long and esteemed career.
“I wanted to give her flowers even before anybody knew why,” Williams says. “And it was an emotional moment because I don’t think people will ever understand how good she really is. She is an institution within herself. I don’t know of any other city manager of this size [city] and bigger that’s served this long. People work for a long time, but she’s 36, 37 years. She’s seen it all.”
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