Salisbury City Council and staff gave Dave Treme a fitting retirement sendoff at City Hall Thursday afternoon. After 25 years as city manager, Treme said it was time to go.
In true Treme style, the reception was a prayerful event, with his pastor from Rowan Christian Assembly giving the closing prayer. Before that, Treme did a good deal of praying. For all his years with the city, Treme said, he’s been allowed to share his faith openly. “No one’s told me to quit.”
That’s true, and it’s one of the unusual things about David Treme. He has led Salisbury through countless projects, planning sessions, controversies and improvements, all while publicly praying for the city’s success. He did the same as he led the United Way. An elected leader probably could not win acceptance with that approach, though Rowan County Commissioner Jim Sides comes close. It’s part of who they are. Most people are private about their faith and separate it from their business dealings. A few like Treme and Sides are wide open.
Whether you give the credit to God or Treme, there’s no denying the city has seen considerable improvements under his watch. He brought a new style of goal-setting to city government and was a master of sticking to the plan. City Councilman Pete Kennedy spoke the truth when he said “Dave gave us the vision” of what Salisbury could be. Council members come and go, but Treme has been a constant force, often appearing to lead the very people elected to lead. He was in control. “There’s wisdom in the counsel of many,” he is prone to say — a tendency Councilman Paul Woodson summed up by calling Treme “one of the best politicians to be a non-politician I’ve ever met.”
Under Treme’s leadership, Salisbury has consistently aimed for excellence, from new city buildings to the most recent customer service initiative. City managers don’t please all the people all the time, of course, and no amount of counsel could make the proposed annexation of land on N.C. 150 fly. That, unfortunately, made the city some lasting enemies.
The Treme legacy that’s front and center now is the city’s Fibrant broadband service — a project planned during good times and carried out in the shadow of the Great Recession. No one will accuse Treme of coasting his way to retirement, but he did “exit left” before he could declare this part of the job a complete success. That will take a few years.
Treme brought a new way of doing business to city government 25 years ago, and it’s time for someone else to do the same. Whether that’s interim manager Doug Paris or someone else, you can bet Dave Treme will be praying for him.