BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Beckley City Council on Tuesday voted to approve the appointment of Michael Resare as City Manager.
Resare comes to Beckley out of Wilcox, Arizona and will be bringing a wealth of experience to the role of City Manager. Notably, the appointment marks the very first instance of a fully appointed City Manager following the transition of the city from a Strong Mayor form of government.
LOOTPRESS reached out to Resare on Wednesday to discuss issues impacting the city and his feelings coming into this new role. That discussion can be seen below.
Cameron Gunnoe of LOOTPRESS here on the line with Michael Resare, who will be coming in from Arizona to serve as the city of Beckley’s very first city manager. Michael, how are you doing today?
MR: I’m busy! A lot going on here in Wilcox. Juggling that as well as all the new changes now that are going to be happening with the transition of moving over there. I’m getting excited for that and the joys of traveling. Taking my whole family over there cross-country is a little stressful, but other than that, good!
Sure! Coming in from Arizona, have you visited West Virginia previously or will this be your first foray out here?
MR: No, I was in the military for a bit. I did some training there in Fort Belvoir for about half a year. That was my first foray into Virginia and that neck of the area. It was more Virginia. But I do prefer four seasons, so that’s also one of the incentives for me to get out of Arizona. I am an avid snowboarder, so I haven’t been able to snowboard for like seven years here in Arizona.
You’ll love Winterplace; right here near Beckley.
I know! That was part of my incentive to come up there, because it’s basically like a Colorado of the East. You’ve got the snowboarding and the white water rafting and all the activities, plus the green.
For sure, you get a little bit of each of each season. Congratulations on your selection as city manager, by the way! What are your thoughts as you move into this new chapter?
MR: Thank you, I’m really excited! This is exactly what I was wanting. Beckley seemed like a beautiful place to come and spend the next couple years of my life and help out there.
Council made the announcement last night, they were discussing it briefly. They seem very excited, very enthusiastic that you’re coming on board. What sorts of things have you been able to talk with Council about thus far?
MR: No, I’ve only met with them for my interview for an hour, then a little phone call last night. But we did talk about some of their concerns about revitalizing downtown; definitely the homeless issues that are facing the city that I definitely am concerned about too and would definitely be able to be an asset to help them out with that. And then the transitioning between a Strong Mayor form of government to the City Manager form of government; and then bringing the cohesiveness between the different departments.
Yes, we’re very much in a sort of transitionary period out here in Beckley. So that’ll be interesting to see the new variable in that and just how it affects everything. I think everybody is a little anxious, but also excited to see what the future looks like.
MR: Yes. So my experience as an attorney, critical thinking skill sets and logical analysis, and my writing abilities; I have a joint Master of Public Administration degree and have been the Deputy City Manager for City of Wilcox here for about a year and a half now. So I bring that skill set and ability. I’ve also worked with Provo, the city over there. So definitely having the knowledge of different governments and municipalities themselves, I bring that aspect and I’m excited to help input some different ideas and fresh perspectives over there for the City of Beckley.
I love it! You basically answered my next question already, which is, ‘what do you think your experience as Deputy City Manager for Wilcox brings to this role?
MR: I’m definitely fully qualified.
That’s what they were saying last night. Councilman Reedy was [saying] you were probably the most qualified candidate and very much have a sense for how these things work. So that’s going to be great for the city.
Any final thoughts as you prepare to transition into the new role? Anything you would want area residents to maybe know about you that you haven’t touched on?
MR: No, we’re excited. My family is excited. My wife and I have a little boy at 2-and-a-half-year-old and a new kid on the way due in April.
Congratulations!
Thank you! We’re all super excited to come there and make Beckley our home and help make it really a family area that’s more friendly to families and parks, and really try to boost recreation and growth for the area.
Thanks so much for taking the time, I will let you get back to it. But we’re very excited to have you guys out here. I hope everything goes well with the move and the transition.
MR: Thank you, I appreciate that!
Michael Resare’s City Manager term is expected to officially begin on December 1, 2024.
