Retiring City Admin goes from ‘a leap’ of faith appointee to City Hall figurehead over 32 years
By Eric Valentine
How does a city manage its affairs when it knows by June it will no longer have its longtime leader at the helm? With a calm and steady hand, apparently, if the city is anything like Hailey and its leader anything like Heather Dawson. Last week, the 14-year city administrator, along with Mayor Martha Burke, announced to staff and then the public that May 31 will be Dawson’s last day as a city employee, something she has been here for 32 years.
“It’s time to prioritize my family,” Dawson said. “Circumstances in my personal life have led me to this difficult decision.”
The Tao of City Hall
What won’t be difficult about Dawson’s decision is the transition to new leadership, she says. A three-month period has been planned for an orderly transition within city government. And with a sort of Zen-like mindset and grace, the martial arts black belt offered this: “The team we have in place at the City of Hailey is highly capable, creative and vibrant. Each transition affords an organization the opportunity to improve itself. This will be one of those opportunities.”
Dawson’s comment can evoke thoughts of “The Art of War” and its most famous line, “Every battle is won before it’s ever fought,” attributed to Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist and Taoist philosopher whose 6th-century B.C. teachings are widely used in business by managers today. It at least partly describes how Mayor Burke is approaching the change.
“It will be a challenge to replace Heather, who has been a gift and a strength to the city,” Mayor Burke said. “In the mandated operations of city government, with so many required nuts, bolts, and processes, she brings a deep knowledge of people, along with so much institutional knowledge. She is highly analytical and deeply intuitional both at the same time. We will miss her, but know as well as anyone that life becomes shorter each year. We wish Heather and her family our very best.”
The How of Heather
In the late 1980s, Dawson was a Blaine County jury clerk at the time current school board president Keith Roark had been elected prosecutor. Roark said he was always impressed with her skillset and when he was elected mayor of Hailey in 1990, it was Dawson he recruited for city clerk to help him steer the ship. In a media interview, Dawson had once called Roark’s appointment of her “a leap” of faith.
“The city clerk job was a leap for Heather,” Roark said Monday. “It requires a broader range of responsibilities and a greater depth of knowledge than the deputy clerk positions did at the time. Heather jumped in, learned everything she needed to know without any training and proved herself to be the city’s most valued employee in no time. Most people don’t really know or care who the city clerk is, but without a top-notch individual in that office, there is no way a part-time mayor and city council will be able to stay on top of the business of governing.”
Roark added, “Nice job, Heather. You’ve made a huge contribution to the betterment of Hailey and saved more than one mayor from disaster with your knowledge and work ethic.”
For the last 14 years, Dawson’s role has been city administrator, the highest non-elected position in city government. But if the position ever were an elected one, it’d be hard to imagine Dawson not winning in a landslide. She has the respect of longtime residents, city staff, and the business community, too.
“Heather is an unsung hero for Hailey. She mostly stayed behind the scenes serving as a driving force for our community for decades. While the mayor and city council have varied over the years, Heather has been the steady and compassionate leader at the helm for Hailey,” said Mike McKenna, the local chamber of commerce director. “She has helped guide The Chamber to create top-notch local events and an environment where local businesses and nonprofits can thrive. She has helped Hailey grow into one of the best places to live, work and play in Idaho. We’ve been lucky to have her.”
In her 32-year career with the City of Hailey, Dawson served under the leadership of eight mayors. That’s a chronic amount of change requiring someone who can roll with the punches. And Dawson did.
“Each mayor brought differing perspectives and style to city government, and with each transition it was like getting a new job, each time with a bit more experience behind me,” Dawson said. “This work’s mission has been critically fundamental, the effort fruitful and deeply rewarding. I will truly miss it.”