BROOKINGS – Jeff Weldon has been planning his retirement for a while, but with days to go, it’s starting to feel real.

After 10 1/2 years, Weldon is retiring as Brookings’ city manager. His last day on the job is June 29. A retirement party is set from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Swiftel Center and is open to the public.

Weldon said he’s been so busy finishing up things that he hadn’t realized how close the end was getting until he cleaned out his office so incoming City Manager Paul Briseno could move right into it.

“I wanted to make sure that when Paul showed up for his first day of work that he walked into his new office …. I knew how important that was,” Weldon said.

Looking ahead

Retirement itself did not sneak up on Weldon because he had a good example to follow: his father retired early.

“My dad always said that was the best thing he ever did because it allowed my parents to have a very full and very active retirement,” Weldon said. “They made the most out of their retirement, and I want to make sure that (wife) Tracie and I … do the same thing.”

A self-described “planner by nature,” Weldon knew he’d need something to do when he no longer had the challenges of running a city, so he cultivated numerous hobbies, like golfing, fishing, camping, pencil sketching, growing grapes, playing with the home craft beer set his kids got him, traveling, woodworking and learning to play harmonica.

“My father was a master woodworker. I picked up the hobby later in life. I do enjoy woodworking,” Weldon said, adding he’s made small furniture, including the bookcase and the clock that were in his city office. 

“My father gave me a mouth organ and I’ve always loved the sound of a harmonica, so I want to teach myself how to do that,” he said.

Sadly, his father will not be around to see it: he died late last year. Weldon hit another milestone in 2017: both of his children became parents. That and his own 60th birthday were contributing factors in the timing of his retirement.

“I wanted to make sure I could still do it when I was young enough and healthy enough to enjoy it,” Weldon said.

He and Tracie are building a new house near Sauk Center, Minnesota.

“I’m gonna be close to our two kids and their spouses and our two new granddaughters, and I’ll also be much closer to my mother … to help her out,” Weldon said.

The new house will not be ready until the end of July, so the Weldons still have time to do a few more things, like Downtown at Sundown and the Brookings Summer Arts Festival.

Looking back

It’s also giving Weldon a chance to look back and reflect on his 35-year career in government. He worked for 30 years in cities and five years with the Minnesota Legislature.

“The whole mantra in this career is ‘leave your community better than what you found it,’” Weldon said. “Every morning, I try to ask myself the question ‘what am I going to do today to make Brookings a little bit better than yesterday?’ … Some days, I’m more successful at answering that question than others, and that’s natural.

“Overall, I’m satisfied but I think that you cannot critically look at one’s performance or level of services and say you have absolutely no regrets,” Weldon said, citing his personality and “little things … that I could’ve handled differently.”

The city manager is the council’s chief policy adviser, and Weldon saw his job as educating the councilors and giving them information to make the best decisions. Most of the time the council followed his advice, “but I feel good that even when they didn’t, I did my job,” he said.

He wishes people understood his job a little more.

“When you think about it, running a city the size of Brookings is a multi-million-dollar public corporation and there’s a lot to that. And it’s an incredible public responsibility,” Weldon said.

He thinks it’s time for someone with a different skill set to take the reins.

“I think they’ve found that with Paul Briseno. I really, thoroughly enjoyed working with him. He’ll do a great job for the city,” Weldon said.

He has been helping Briseno get settled, meeting personnel and getting familiar with the 2019 budget, which Briseno will present to the council next month, giving him the opportunity to “put his mark on it,” Weldon said.

He hopes the city and council give Briseno opportunities the way they gave him, most notably when he was offered a chance to teach classes at South Dakota State University.

“I am so grateful to the administration at SDSU for giving me the opportunity to be an adjunct instructor,” Weldon said, adding he really enjoyed it and might continue teaching after his move. “I really have to thank the mayor and the council for giving me the flexibility to do that.”

Teaching gave him an inside view into the town and gown relationship. Those partnerships in the community marshal resources and tap talents so the people can figure out ways to overcome obstacles and keep Brookings moving forward, Weldon said.

“I have never seen a more entrepreneurial, more innovative community than Brookings, South Dakota,” Weldon said.

“I think in many ways, Brookings – and I may sound a little arrogant saying this – Brookings is the envy of so many other municipalities, not only in South Dakota, but in the Upper Midwest,” Weldon said. 

He hopes Brookings continues on a slow, sustainable path where the quality of life can be maintained. He thinks that will be accomplished by bringing more sales tax into the city, and one of the ways to do that is the Brookings Marketplace. 

“I do regret that I will not be here to help see that through,” Weldon said.

“This has been the best job I’ve ever had. That’s what kept me here 10 1/2 years,” Weldon said. “I will miss the work. I will miss this profession and I will miss the people.” 

He thinks he’s ready to move on.

“I’m excited,” Weldon said. “I’m looking forward to the future.”

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.

Register photos:

Above, Jeff Weldon has a little bit more packing to do as his last days as Brookings’ city manager wind down. Weldon was city manager in Brookings for 10 1/2 years. He announced his plans to retire in January with June 29 being his last day at work. A retirement party is set from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Swiftel Center and is open to the public.

Below: Jeff Weldon, right, goes over the Brookings city budget with Paul Briseno. Weldon is retiring as city manager and has been helping Briseno, the new city manager, take the reins.