Written and interviewed by St. Johns local, Kelly McCausey.
It was a pleasure meeting with our new City Manager, Chad Gamble. Chad worked for the City of Lansing for just over 25 years and there’s a story there that I found inspiring.
Starting way back as a Stormwater Engineer, rising to Assistant City Engineer, getting appointed as the Director of Public Services and ultimately being named Chief Operating Officer for the City. He worked in the Mayor’s office to oversee the day to day operations, coordinating with thirteen different departments that made up the city of Lansing. After he retired from Lansing, he spent some time working in a wonderful little community in Florida but ultimately decided he wanted to return to Michigan.
With all the evidence that he did well in his roles and rose to the highest levels – we here in St. Johns can feel confident about the skills and experience he brings. I sure do, but to be honest it isn’t the story about how everything went great for him that inspires me.
Get ready for a twist.
When I interview someone, I like to ask them about challenges they’ve overcome. When I asked Chad to tell me about something that felt significant for him, he knew exactly what he wanted to share.
The role he played as Chief Operating Officer for the City of Lansing is one of many considered an ‘at will’ position. That meant that when the Mayor changed in 2018, they were free to appoint new people into key positions to support them and Chad learned the Mayor would definitely go in a new direction. They would not keep him as COO or Director of Public Services.
With just a few years left until Chad could leave with a pension from the city, the new administration arranged for him to move to a lesser management role as the Parking Services Director. Good news in the long run, ginormous pay cut for the present day – creating a big challenge for his family.
This is where we come to the inspiring part. With everything going on and the real risks of financial downfall, does Chad crumble under the disappointment of change? Not at all. He does what so many of us have done at one time or another, he pulled himself up and got a second job to make ends meet.
Chad became a Door Dash Driver starting in October of 2019 through May of 2021. This includes the thick of so many pandemic related issues and Chad is out there working nights and weekends delivering meals to the community he’s been managing from the highest level for years. How many other men would have let pride stand in the way of taking care of their family?
I find his story so relatable and encouraging. I love getting to tell you about this. I learned that when rubber meets the road, Chad’s going to do what needs doing. His experiences in working in the service industry in those final years in Lansing was a learning experience that has impacted him greatly. He’s not ‘out of touch’ with real people’s needs as some long time civil servants can be.
There’s more I learned about Chad during our conversation. He’s a man of faith, motivated by unconditional love with an attitude of humility and a heart for service. He credits his father’s influences on him for much of his perspectives today. He modeled being active in the community while being supportive at home.
With all of the civic experience he brings, I think I’m most encouraged by what he said at the end of our interview. “I love community and I just want everyone to feel part of it.”