Chapel Hill Town Manager Chris Blue is set to retire from town service in the next year — this time for good.

Blue, a Chapel Hill native and the former longtime police chief, shared his decision in a closed session with the town council on Wednesday ahead of its regular business meeting. The decision comes after two years in the role, which he delayed a previously-announced retirement to step into in 2023.

“I shared with [the council members] my deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve my hometown in this role,” Blue said in a town release, “and my sincere love for this community, this organization, and most of all, the people who I have had the privilege of working with through my years of service.”

Initially tabbed to be the interim town manager, Blue was appointed the permanent role in July 2023 after a national search. With his career in town government beginning in 1997 as a patrol officer, he will leave with more than 27 years of service in the Chapel Hill government.

Blue’s tenure as town manager came at a turbulent time, with the prior manager Maurice Jones resigning after four years on the job. Blue was left to oversee the selection of a permanent planning director and a parks and recreation director, as well as the town’s transition to a five-year budget planning model and the earliest implementation of its Complete Community Framework. Blue’s two years at the helm of Chapel Hill’s staff have also seen the completion of the town’s $51 million parking deck on East Rosemary Street after nearly three years of construction and the lengthy Estes Drive Connectivity Project.

“I inherited an organization full of great people and a uniquely strong workplace culture,” he concluded in the release. “It has been my honor to serve as manager for two years and I know that the next Town Manager will build upon the excellent work of our Town team.”

In Wednesday’s announcement, Blue said he is holding off on deciding an exact retirement date until working with the town council and Chapel Hill staff to ensure a smooth transition to its next town manager.

Featured photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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