By Mary Hladky
With looming retirements, Boca Raton is on the verge of a wholesale change in its top leadership.
Deputy City Manager Mike Woika will end his 22-year career with the city this summer. Deputy City Manager George Brown, a 45-year city emp
By Mary Hladky
Boca Raton City Manager Leif Ahnell plans to stay in his job until 2024.
Ahnell, who has held the city’s top position for 22 years after joining the city staff nine years earlier, had been expected to retire in 2022. But the City Counci
Police Chief Hal Hutchins plans to retire in 2022, and Lt. Richard Jones will take over. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Dan Moffett
Ocean Ridge commissioners have endorsed a succession plan that calls for police Lt. Richard Jones to take over as c
Shaw with board President Gary Peters in 2006. Photo provided
Eric Shaw, Boca Helping Hands’ longest-serving board member, stepped down after 18 years of service, 14 as vice president. Shaw, described by staffers as ‘the perfect gentleman,’ personifi
By Mary Hladky
Police Chief Dan Alexander is retiring effective Dec. 1 from the department he has led for the past 13 years and will move into the newly created position of director of school police for the Palm Beach County school district.Alexander
By Dan Moffett
South Palm Beach Police Chief Carl Webb has decided to retire from his position effective immediately, ending a 30-year career with the town.
Webb, 64, went on a medical leave of absence in January, and officials said he chose to tak
William Thrasher and his wife, Phyllis, laugh at the oversized key Gulf Stream police presented him
at his retirement party. The Thrashers bought a Winnebago to tour parks across the country and lost the keys.
Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Steve Pl
By Dan Moffett
Town Attorney Ken Spillias retired in March after 17 years on the job in Ocean Ridge and 41 years practicing law.
“I’ve seen good government and I’ve seen very bad government,” Spillias told the commission. “I want you to know t
First Officer Elizabeth Ackerly poses for a photograph in the jet engine of her American Airlines 767. Ackerly retired after 28 years with the airline. Her final flight from Paris arrived in Miami, where she was greeted by colleagues, friends an
Joe Gillie, outgoing president of Old School Square in Delray,
poses with a mannequin wearing a dress by Delray Beach designer Amanda Perna.
Perna, 28, returned to Season 14 of Project Runway.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Kay Brady, Joe Gillie and S
By Thom Smith
After 15 years, Ervin Duggan has said farewell to Palm Beach and to his legacy, the Society of the Four Arts. His successor, David W. Breneman, a professor in economics of education and public policy at the University of Virginia, has bi
By Dan Moffett
Louis De Stefano would rather not say he is resigning his seat on the Manalapan Town Commission.
“Just say I’m retiring,” he said. “I prefer that.”
The town’s vice mayor made the surprise announcement at the commission’s O
More than 100 Briny Breezes residents waited their turn to congratulate Ed Gass,
who retired after more than 10 years of working in maintenance.
When resident Thelma Gannon commented,
“You’re the best gardener Briny has ever had,” he replied,
“Well,
Senior cast member Andy Yao (left) shares a heartfelt story about how Theater Director Teresa Vignau (center) impacted his life in a positive way as senior castmates Alyssa Moeller and Caitrin Assaf and junior castmate Caroline Manera try to hold bac
Donna Clarke (left) is taking over the helm of the Briny Breezes library from Lu McInnes. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Ron Hayes
Lu McInnes has closed the book on more than two decades as Briny Breezes’ town librarian.
And Donna Clarke is check
South Palm Beach Police Chief Roger Crane plans to retire after 28 years on the job.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Tim O’Meilia
After nearly two decades as police chief of the so-called condominium canyon of South Palm Beach, Roger Crane will
By Tim O’Meilia
South Palm Beach Town Clerk Janet Whipple didn’t want the blubbering or the farewell hugging. She didn’t want her resignation letter distributed before the Sept. 24 Town Council meeting. But Town Manager Rex Taylor insisted the
After 22 years, David Harden is stepping down as Delray Beach city manager. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Margie Plunkett
Twenty-two years ago, before Delray Beach’s vibrant downtown emerged, the city was suffering from a civic inferiority comp
Dorothy Wilson (left) served the residents of Briny Breezes in the office of Briny Breezes, Inc. for more than 30 years. During her retirement party, one of her gifts was a hand-carved golf cart given to her by Ira and Joanne Friedman (right). More
Chief Clay Walker
Age: 56
Served as police chief since 1999
Life before Manalapan: 21 years with North Palm Beach Police Department
Biggest accomplishments: Improving Manalapan Police’s use of technology, including automated record-keeping, l
