Finnie leaves manager post

Four days after City Manager Tom Finnie announced his intention to retire this spring, City Council voted in closed session Oct. 3 to promote Deputy City Manager Bob Cumley to the post.

Finnie, 64, announced his resignation in a Sept. 29 letter to Mayor Tom Carlson and City Council. His last day on the job will be April 24. He’s been Springfield’s city manager for 15 years.

Council must next approve a contract agreement that would make Cumley city manager on Finnie’s last day and finalize salary and other details. Finnie’s current salary is $153,752, but Cumley won’t necessarily be brought to that level, according to Public Information Director Louise Whall. Cumley’s current salary is $133,851.

Finnie called his 62-year-old successor, handpicked by Mayor Tom Carlson and City Council, “an exceptionally good decision.”

“I have nothing but the highest regard for Bob (Cumley). He’s a terrific manager and a terrific human being,” Finnie said.

Finnie and Cumley have worked together since Finnie became Springfield city manager in 1990.

Finnie has served the administrations of three cities in his career; he moved to Springfield in 1990 after working in Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.

In his letter, Finnie said the time is right to step down.

“I made a promise to myself and my family several years ago to retire while I, and hopefully the community, feel good about my performance,” he said. “I am really enjoying my work now more than ever, and it’s hard to think about not doing this for a few more years.”

But Finnie said he’s fulfilling the promise he made to his wife, Kay, and their family.

Cumley said Carlson had already alerted him to Finnie’s decision.

“The mayor talked to me a while back, just to see if I would be interested in staying on; he knew that I was planning retirement sometime in 2006,” Cumley said. “I was just going to do something else. He asked me if I’d be willing to discuss the possibility of staying on a little longer, and I said yes.”

Cumley added that, with the announcement of his hiring, his retirement plans are off.

As for his boss, Cumley said the city couldn’t have asked for a better manager.

“He’s done a fantastic job with the city – he not only was able to create a vision for this community, he has the leadership ability to bring that vision to reality, and that’s what he’s consistently done in his 15 years here,” Cumley said. “And on a personal note, he’s been an excellent boss.”

Also on the agenda

After a long wait, the Springfield Art Museum may be getting some much-needed extra space.

Council heard a proposal to build a new wing at the museum, which was last updated in 1994 with the completion of the Jeannette L. Musgrave Wing.

The proposed new addition, carrying an estimated price tag of about $2 million, would be paid for with collected donations and money held back from the museum’s budget over the last several years, according to Museum Director Jerry Berger.

“We received a bequest which gave us the adequate funds to do this,” he said. “It’s something that’s actually been on the books with the city and the capital improvements program since 1992, but it’s been rolled over for a number of years as we garnered funds.”

Berger, who’s been director of the museum since June 1988, said the addition would include four new galleries, a new library, a new gift shop and an entrance area.

At the meeting, Finnie added that the money also would fund general improvements. Those improvements would allow the museum to receive national accreditation, enabling it to host more traveling exhibits.

While the funds for the wing are coming from donations, City Council still has to approve a change to the museum’s budget. The council votes on the proposal Oct. 17.