Congratulations on the official retirement of one of WCMA's 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award winners! Larry's contributions to his community and the profession were highlighted by his nominees and honored at the 2024 Annual Summer Conference. Enjoy retirement Larry Delo!
Today (March 20, 2025), we celebrate and extend our deepest gratitude to Larry Delo, who is retiring after 22 years of dedicated service as our City Administrator/Manager. His leadership, vision, and unwavering commitment have shaped our community in countless ways, leaving a lasting impact on our City, our residents, and our future. Since 2003, Delo has been a driving force behind De Pere’s growth and transformation. Under his leadership, our downtown has been revitalized, our public arts and cultural initiatives have expanded, and our economic landscape has flourished, attracting new businesses and strengthening corporate and manufacturing presence. His strategic vision and commitment to sound financial policies have positioned our city for long-term success. But Delo’s impact goes far beyond policy and numbers—it is most deeply felt in the people he has worked alongside each day. His mentorship, humor, and team-oriented leadership have fostered a workplace culture where employees feel valued, empowered, and encouraged to innovate. Our mayors and alderpersons over the past two decades have also relied on his guidance and insight to help navigate key decisions and move De Pere forward in positive directions. In the end, his contributions are far too many to mention, but Larry has faithfully championed important initiatives in sustainability, public safety, recreation, infrastructure, and beautification in De Pere, all while advocating for regional partnerships and legislative policies that strengthened municipal governance across the state. His nearly three-decade career in public service has been defined by a deep belief in continuous learning, collaboration, and positive change—qualities that earned him the Wisconsin City/County Management Association Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2024. Above all, Delo has exemplified what our community strives to be—forward-thinking, down to earth, genuine, and, perhaps most notably, rooted in strong values. His leadership has propelled De Pere ever-forward in exciting new directions, and while today marks the end of this remarkable chapter, his influence and legacy will echo throughout our city for years to come. Larry, from all of us in the City of De Pere—thank you. We wish you all the best as you embark on this much-deserved retirement and the next adventure ahead!
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