Linden City Manager announces leave

Linden City Manager/EDC Director announced to the Linden Lions Club Thursday that he would soon be leaving his position. For Lee Elliott and Linden, it has come full circle. What began three years ago with a joke about the conditions of the roads when he accepted the city’s offer for the town leadership job now comes with a reminder of how far things have come. Elliotts background was that he had been a city manager in five states around the country. He would seek interim assignments, sometimes even troublesome ones, as a way of gaining practical experience for his undergraduate history and graduate economics degrees from the University of Central Arkansas. Elliott learned the Linden people wanted their streets fixed, almost above all else. So when he came to talk to the Lions that noon Thursday of September 2021, he started with a big smile and joke. “My father always used to tell me to be 15 minutes ahead of time,” he began. “And I know I’m late today. You see, I fell in one of those street potholes.” Everyone laughed at the time. After the lighthearted quip, Elliott went on to accept the street improvement challenge. Now three years later, last Thursday, he spoke again to the Lions at noon. Several in the room knew that he would be concluding his service to Linden. “Three years ago, I told you a joke. I want to do it again,” Lee said with a smile. “I was late this day. I got stopped by Police Chief David Dulude for going too fast on one of our new roads.”

Before the speaker-friendly group, then Elliott gave a list of what had been accomplished in those years, most notably the street improvements.

Linden embarked on a $6 million street repair bond issue for new streets. The Linden’s city council voted positively on the bond issue and tax increase on May 19 night in 2022. City council members voted unanimously to pass the issue. Already, School Lane, Banger and Kaufman streets near the new elementary school have been resurfaced, along with other roads in the community. The project is now about halfway through.

Then, Elliott went on to tell the Lions more of what other things had been accomplished. This time, however, he had changed the narrative.

“We did this. You did this” the short-term city manager told the group, pointing to Lion members. “Not me. ‘We.’ Without ‘we’, there is no getting it done.”

Elliott then opened a sheet of papers and began an explanation of other city accomplishments. He said these were examples of the town’s achievements, of its improved base of services for its citizens.

At the conclusion of the program, Lions stood to applaud the remarks they’d heard, and a job. Elliott, for his part, later noted his coming employment considerations were impacted in large measure by noting his wife Rebecca had accepted a job as financial director for the city of Nacogdoches. Elliott said serving Linden had been one of his best experiences.

Editor’s Note: In the August 21 edition of the Journal-Sun, we will present a longer and more detailed report of Linden’s three years of accomplishments under City Manager Elliott’s guidance. Elliott said he will work closely with the community to prepare for its new leadership.