Dear Community Members,

It is with a grateful heart that I announce that I will be retiring from my position as City Manager effective February 28, 2023, after 33 years of continuous public service as a soldier, peace officer, and ultimately, City Manager. Being your City Manager has been an honor. I feel incredibly privileged to have been asked to serve in this role and I hope I have made a difference for this community. I believe this City has an amazing team and we have helped create a solid foundation and a clear path for the future. A lot of important work has happened. More work is needed, but this is the team that can do it.

On that note, I would like to especially thank Council and the Mayor (past and present) for their trust and partnership over the years. Both the previous Council and the current Council have been wonderful to work with. Their commitment to this community and their willingness to suffer the slings and arrows while trying to make this a better community are praiseworthy. I would like to say a special thanks to Mayor Young. Our relationship is a bit like having a partner back in my days on street patrol, as we worked so closely together. I have sincerely come to respect him as a person and want to say publicly what an excellent job he has done in building a collaborative and collegial Council that gets work done. He has a willingness to put ego aside for the best interest of the community; to collaborate, make concessions, and listen. All of the Councilmembers I have worked for, including this current Council, have been incredibly receptive to listening and learning and, most critically, are supportive of staff and the very difficult work  they do. 

I would like to thank Mayor Young, former Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, former Councilmembers Alan Schwartzman, Mark Hughes, Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and current Councilmembers Tom Campbell, Trevor Macenski, Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye for their dedication to this community. I think we’ve got a lot done, and we’ve had some great times…and some good laughs.  And I’ve learned and grown from your presence in my life. We can always disagree on politics and policy, but I know each of you cares deeply in your own way for this community. I believe this City is in good and caring hands.

To my amazing staff: You are the biggest reason why leaving is so difficult. Over the last eight years I have come to love and respect you so much. You go over the top for this community. You made it clear that our vision of ‘Excellence and Community Focus’ was the right vision for you. I have so much respect for what you do, and I know Council and the vast majority of the community have the same feelings. We have been, and I believe will continue to be, laser focused on recognizing, respecting, and caring for our staff as the most important ingredient in the mix that makes our City government great. To my leadership team, I want to say just how lucky this City is to have you. You are exceptional leaders and managers.  You make me confident in the future of this organization and the fulfillment of the goals and aspirations of the Council and our community.

I did not seek out other employment. I was more than satisfied with my position in Benicia. However, one particular company in the private sector has been seeking me out for many years. I’ve been pushing back for many years, as I’ve always felt there was more I needed to do here. I finally feel now is the time, with a solid foundation built and a great leadership team in place. In terms of the private sector, it is one of the highest-rated employers to work for. So, I have accepted a senior management position with them. This opportunity provides me with the chance to travel internationally, which is of special interest to me. In addition, it will provide me the work flexibility and pay that will be important to my family, especially with children nearing college age.

As mentioned, my decision to transition is also deeply rooted in my desire to spend more time with my family and meet new career opportunities in the private sector. If you have worked in the public sector or have had family or friends work in service to the public, especially in law enforcement, you know the toll such work takes on one’s family. This is my time to provide my family the time and opportunity they have provided me for so many years. I have such a sense of peace and confidence to leave in this moment because I so strongly believe in the leadership of our Mayor and Council and our City staff that this community, for which I care so deeply, is indeed in the best of hands. Moving forward, in the coming weeks City Council and I will work collaboratively on developing a leadership succession plan. 

As a tribute to how much I care about this community, you may still see me around as I intend to stay on as a Volunteer (unpaid) Reserve Police Officer, working occasionally to support the Police Department.  So, hopefully I will see you around town and at special events from time-to-time.

With the utmost gratitude, thank you Benicia for giving me the most amazing place to end my public sector career.

Erik Upson
City Manager

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