Boyd A. “Bo” Veal, a fixture in Signal Mountain government since 2004, has informed members of the town council that he plans to retire late this year as town manager.
Mayor Charlie Poss, noting that the town manager has been “a great leader and an even better person,” said council members received his formal resignation letter last week.
The matter probably will be discussed during the council’s meeting on Monday, he said.
“Boyd has dedicated his professional career to serving Signal Mountain as a police officer, police chief and town manager . . . His service to our town will be sorely missed, and he will be hard to replace,” Mayor Poss noted.
Other council members agreed, and at least one of them is hoping the town manager can be persuaded to change his mind and stay on for a while.
“I was surprised to receive the notice of retirement from Boyd Veal,” Council member Andrew Gardner said. “I plan to discuss this with him Monday.
“If Boyd chooses to retire, his leadership will be sorely missed . . . Selfishly, for the town and myself, I hope he chooses to continue his great work,” he said. “However, I will respect his personal decision, whatever that may be.”
Town Manager Veal – one of four children of a minor league baseball player who went on to serve as Signal’s police chief for more than 32 years – followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the town’s police department in 2004.
One year later, he was promoted to police chief.
In 2009, he was one of 30 law enforcement executives across the state to complete that year’s Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy (SECLA) at the University of Tennessee.
Over the years, as various town managers came and went, the police chief was frequently tapped to fill in as de facto interim town manager. Finally, in 2013 at the urging of then-town manager Chris Dorsey, he was named Signal’s official assistant town manager.
Early in 2014, when Mr. Dorsey was fired, town council members chose the veteran police chief to serve first as interim town manager and then, six weeks later, as the official town manager – a position he has held ever since.