While I typically try to be timely in the writing of this column, there are times where that does not work out as well as I’d like. Such is the case with this, a column of appreciation to my friend Mark Winstanley.

Mark concluded 37 years of service to the city of Seaside at the end of June and more than 20 years as the city manager. In fact, Mark became the city manager the year that I graduated high school, a fact I’ve reminded him of a few times in our conversations over the years.

It’s incredibly difficult serving in a role like Mark has for that span of time and frankly, it’s unprecedented. It’s a testament to Mark’s flexibility, communication and leadership that he’s been able to hold that role for so long, working with numerous elected officials, leading a dynamic and growing city and responding to significant changes that have occurred over that time.

While Mark is well known in our community, I want to share some of the great experiences and lessons that I’ve learned from him as we worked fairly close together in our roles.

Mark has always been able to navigate the fine skill of learning what to say and when to say it. That can be incredibly challenging.

People in that type of role cannot always speak their mind in every situation. They have to be mindful of the dynamic and the weight of their voice. Despite that challenge, Mark was always incredibly honest and while I didn’t always agree with his conclusions or perspective, I knew he was telling the truth and I could count on his word.

Mark has offered me support numerous times, going back to when I was first hired by the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District in 2015. He’s been there as a resource for me to ask him questions and I know he’s provided the same mentorship to many of his staff and other folks in our community.

If you’ve ever been around Mark, you know that he truly cares about the city and the people of Seaside. I recall many experiences of walking with him to a meeting, or walking behind him and seeing him pick up every piece of litter he saw. He had a desire to keep the city immaculate and his approach to that sets an example to me and anyone else that may have seen him.

People often tease Mark about his apparent simplicity: he had a flip phone until recently, always gets the cheeseburger at lunch and generally lives in a very uncomplicated fashion. He’s been seeing the same barber since he was an undergraduate in Corvallis and most of his wardrobe is a rotation of starchy and light business professional shirts and khakis.

But what people may not see is that Mark is a chameleon of sorts. He has the unique ability to transform and adapt to the conversation and perspectives of the current and previous iterations of the City Council.

Those conversations occur regularly and with precision: the council meets individually with the city manager to work through the issues and questions that are on the forefront in our community. Mark then translates the collective voice of the council to the staff and of course, to the many constituents that he interacts with regularly.

Despite what you may have seen or believe, I’ve appreciated Mark’s sense of humor and general good-naturedness. He loves to laugh and finds humor in all sorts of situations that would generally get the best of people. For instance, Mark continues to support his beloved Oregon State Beavers football team even though they’ve lost eight straight games to the Washington State Cougars.

What I’ll likely miss the most about Mark is the way he treated me during his time as a city manager: he looked at me as a peer, a colleague. He was available to listen if I had issues of my own and we worked together on issues that affected SEPRD and the city. That type of respect isn’t common, as much as it should be.

The city will miss him greatly and while they’re in good hands, I wish Mark the best in his future plans for travel, family, OSU athletics and hopefully some much-deserved relaxation.