Stepping back: Glascock sets sights on future as retirement nears

The COVID-19 pandemic is a big part of the reason Columbia City Manager John Glascock decided to retire. As he worked to keep city government running while residents of Boone and surrounding counties were dying, he came to realize that "life is too short."

"I got to thinking all of the sudden, I'm not going to live forever," Glascock said in a recent interview.

Glascock's father died at 45 when Glascock was only a teenager. He didn't understand then how young that was. Glascock is now in his 60s and said the casualties of the pandemic made him realize that work is not the most important thing in his life. He wants to spend more time with his wife, Kristin Gerber, and the rest of their family.

Gerber said her husband is a reflective person. She said his understanding of life's brevity is why he puts his "heart and soul" into everything he does. Even in the face of the pandemic, she said, he got up every day for work and gave it his all.

Glascock announced last Thursday that he would retire effective Jan. 14, ending a 38-year career in public service during which he has evolved from a highway engineer into a top-level administrator. Colleagues give him credit for diversifying leadership in city government, and he says he's learned how important building relationships is to success in life. That's something his successor will need to do, he said, and he's hopeful about Columbia's future.
Ready to roll

Retirement will give Glascock the opportunity to see his three children and two grandchildren more often. His son lives in Austin, Texas, his older daughter lives in St. Louis and his youngest daughter is studying engineering at MU. He said retirement will let him pay back his wife for all she has done.

Glascock and Gerber met while working at the Missouri Department of Transportation. They moved to Columbia shortly after getting married, and he started working for Columbia's Public Works Department. As he started moving up the chain in city government, Gerber stepped back from her career as MoDOT's community relations manager. She stayed home with their youngest daughter and took on some of the housework, like mowing the lawn, that Glascock normally did.

"Marriage is a partnership, and John is the very best partner I could walk through this world with," Gerber said.

Gerber is 10 years younger than Glascock, and he wants to make the most of their time. The two own a fifth wheel Grand Design RV and a truck to pull it. They're planning to take it across Nebraska.

Why Nebraska? Glascock chuckled. It's just that they've never been there before, and he enjoys Western attractions.

Nebraska won out over Michigan in part because the latter has high numbers of COVID-19 cases. Glascock and Gerber have taken the fifth wheel on shorter camping trips to Mark Twain Lake and the Lake of the Ozarks, but never on a long out-of-state trip.

Glascock has always enjoyed camping. He recalled a trip to Yellowstone National Park where he enjoyed being completely off the grid with no cell service.

"I remember coming out of the park, and so many things had happened," he said. "I think Michael Jackson had died."

Gerber said she's excited about spending more time with her husband. He isn't a person who sits still very long, and she expects he'll get back to some of his hobbies.

"I just want to see him happy," Gerber said.
From engineer to city manager

Glascock's journey as a public servant began as a MoDOT engineer. Glascock said public service was something he grew up around in southern Boone County. He had uncles who worked as Boone County clerk, as a state senator and in the military. He said public service "just stuck."

Despite being a "nuts-and-bolts guy," Glascock said the transition from engineer to city manager wasn't challenging. He had experience with managing people and budgets and got a good dose of that as Public Works director, but he'd never managed the city's entire staff and general fund. Hiring people such as Finance Director Matthew Lue and Deputy City Manager De'Carlon Seewood who have knowledge and experience he doesn't has been a big help.

Seewood was the city manager in Ferguson before he came to Columbia. He said he's enjoyed working with Glascock.

"John says he's not a city manager by trade, but I think he's done a great job," Seewood said.

He said Glascock has an engineer's perspective and is able to take a step back to look at the big picture.

The pandemic presented one of the biggest challenges of Glascock's career. He spent a lot of time with Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Director Stephanie Browning deciding what restrictions to put in place. They knew Columbia couldn't fully shut-down or remain fully open. No matter what they did, there were going to be people who did not agree.

Glascock said Browning and her staff even received threats because of the orders they issued.

On the other hand, there were aspects of his job that he especially enjoyed.

"I prided myself on being someone that people could bring projects to get completed," Glascock said. "I get it done."

Glascock cited the new city hall building constructed in 2008, the new airport terminal under construction and the roundabout at Creasy Springs and Business Loop 70 as the projects he's most proud of.

He said the roundabout was one of the first ones MoDOT built. It bore his engineer seal until it was redone.
Building relationships

Glascock thinks relationships are among the most vital aspects of being a successful city manager. He has befriended and worked with leaders such as Gary Ward, vice chancellor of operations and chief operating officer at MU; Matt McCormick, president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce; and Peter Stiepleman, the retiring superintendent of Columbia Public Schools. He said meeting up to chat or bounce ideas off of each other had been beneficial.

He said Ward helped him deal with the change when he became city manager, and he often spoke with McCormick when he needed insight into a development project. Stiepleman, he said, helped him work through the decision to retire.

The relationship that Glascock said surprised him was the one he has with the Columbia City Council. During his time as the public works director, he said the council often disagreed with him. He was hesitant about the city manager job at first because he worried those disagreements would continue.

Instead, Glascock said, he and the council have worked well together. They might disagree on issues, but he said they talk through them like professionals and find solutions.

He is particularly proud of the sense of trust and transparency he's established with the council. He said his predecessors — Mike Matthes, Bill Watkins and Ray Beck — had an "arms-length" approach. Council members typically didn't talk with staff without the city manager in the room.

Glascock said that especially after Matthes's resignation, the City Council wanted to become more hands-on. He started encouraging his staff and the council to talk about things without him in the room. His absence, he said, allows his staff to say things they might not if he were there. That boosts trust.

Watkins said he was OK with council members talking to department heads, but he wanted to know those talks were happening and what they were about. He didn't want the council talking to staff below department heads.

Glascock differs. He says allowing the council to talk to staff at all levels helps with succession of leadership, something on his mind with his coming retirement. He said when he became Public Works director, he had no idea how to talk to the council.

He also thinks it helps inform the council. He used Lue as an example. As the director of an entire department, he can't know everything. By allowing Lue's specialists and staff to talk to the council, Glascock said more information gets shared.

The council's desire to be more involved is not a bad thing, Glascock said. Council members such as Pat Fowler of the First Ward and Ian Thomas of the Fourth Ward ask a lot of questions at meetings, which sometimes can stretch until 1 a.m., but Glascock doesn't blame them for wanting more details. After all, they have to live with the decisions they make.

Glascock also benefits from their involvement. He doesn't enjoy public speaking for example, so he's happy that Mayor Brian Treece embraces those opportunities while he focuses on one-on-one talks.
The future

Glascock had one primary piece of advice for whoever succeeds him.

"Having relationships like I did is essential," Glascock said.

Watkins said Glascock came into his role during a tough time and began repairing relationships that were in disarray. Glascock knew a lot about city operations when he took the top job, Watkins said, and it will be difficult for the next city manager without that institutional knowledge.

"He's going to be really hard to replace," Watkins said.

Seewood said when he looks at Columbia and where it's headed, he thinks Glascock was the "right leader at the right time."

The next city manager also needs to be prepared to deal with feedback from Columbia residents and the surrounding areas. Glascock said, because Columbia's policies affect people from elsewhere who come to town for work, business or entertainment.

Glacock said that Columbia needs to keep growing and that it will because MU constantly brings in new people and opportunities.

"As long as we have MU here, I don't think our growth is going to stop."

Standing in his office decorated with a buffalo statue and painting, MU regalia, awards and memorabilia from his work and the key to the city, Glascock smiled and looked out what he calls his "IMAX" window.

The panoramic view stretches east along Broadway, from the "Keys to the City" sculpture in front of city hall and Boone County National Bank across the street to storefronts, restaurants and apartment buildings blocks away. The Tiger Hotel towers over downtown in the background.

Glascock gets to his office around 6 a.m. every day, and said he loves watching the city before its truly awake.

"Sitting there, with the sun rising over the city and shining through the window, it's the best part of the job."