By Adam Pagnucco.
Jeff Zyontz, who has been the acting chair of the planning board since October and was a long-time staffer at the county council and the planning department, has retired. If there are any people who know as much about Montgomery County’s zoning and planning processes as Jeff, it’s a short list. Following are the farewell remarks by a man who has served our county long and well.
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Photo credit: M-NCPPC.
I want to thank everyone for coming today. It is wonderful to see both old and new associates and friends. This is my second scheduled retirement party in the past 7 months. The first one from my Council staff job was canceled after my appointment as Chair. This is my second retirement from the Commission. I am confident this will be my last retirement celebration.
A big part of my charmed career was the opportunity to work with dedicated public servants. Some survivors from my pre 2006 career are here tonight and I really appreciate their coming. You may know the initials of projects we worked on… MPDUs, TDRs, RDTs, AGP, LATR, CLVs, ICC, SPAs, ADUs, BLTs, GIS, PFAs… I worked with the people who developed those ideas and I may have made contributions to those ideas as they developed. I did my best to listen and learn from everyone I met… but it is time for me to stop worrying about such critical issues as the setback for chicken coops from houses and to be more focused on my terrible golf game and my next tee time.
I am here today only because I was helped by others along the way. I came to the Planning Department in 1974 while I was still in graduate school. I needed assistance at every turn. I got that help… and to this day I have been getting that help from folks both here and at Council. They have dutifully corrected my spelling, simplified my grammar, made sure that my creative math added up, and talked me out of recommending bad New Jersey planning ideas. I thank them all today. I credit the positive work product of my career to collaboration.
I would like to give all staff members and elected officials the following perspective from my career.
All the problems of today are yesterday’s solutions.
With that truth, I would hope that you keep trying to solve today’s problems but have some humility in putting forward today’s solutions because your solutions will be tomorrow’s problems. Along the way, remember that your personal success is tied to the efforts of everyone who touches your proposal… and thank them for their contribution. When someone starts off a statement by saying “I think,” that person’s thinking warrants your consideration.
Jeff receives a baseball bat signed by many Park and Planning staff. Photo credit: M-NCPPC.
IN CONCLUSION… there are so many people I would like to thank. I thank the Councilmembers responsible for this last opportunity for public service. I am delighted to report that I avoided getting a well card from them that said: “The Council wishes you a speedy recovery by a vote 6 to 5.” I thank all Council staff past and present. It is a great place to work. Your encouragement got me out of retirement twice.
I want to thank my fellow Planning Board and Commission members. We occasionally disagreed with each other, but we were never disagreeable. I thank the Planning and Park Staff here at the Wheaton headquarters. You have tolerated and educated new Board members without delaying the work that needed to get done. Collectively you are a remarkable group and post covid, I hope you will have more opportunity to work in-person collectively. I thank everyone in this room for tolerating my minor contributions these past 7 months and this wonderful send-off.
Jeff laughs at a quote list assembled by Park and Planning staff. Photo credit: M-NCPPC.
I want to thank my dry cleaner. She survived 3 years without my business. She will regret my re-entry into retirement more than anyone else.
Finally, I must thank my wife, Wendy. Wendy thought I was crazy to go back to work full-time as Chair but she supported me. Wendy prepared me for the world outside our home. Often, when I was about to walk out the door to go to a public meeting, Wendy would ask me: “You are not wearing that, are you?” I don’t know how to answer that question. I do know that Wendy has only changed me for the better for the last 36 years.
Thank you all for the opportunity to serve.