Retiring Village Manager Paul Schofield Proud Of His Two Decades Of Service To The Community

Retiring Village Manager Paul Schofield is leaving Wellington this month after 19 years of service to the community, including 13 of them in the top job. He exits the post leaving behind a vibrant, well-run community with many accomplishments that the village can point to with pride.

With some 45 years in planning work, Schofield worked as planning director for the Village of Royal Palm Beach before joining Wellington staff as the planning, zoning and building director in 2001. In 2003, he was promoted to director of community services, one of three senior department heads reporting directly to Wellington’s first village manager, the late Charlie Lynn. When Lynn retired in 2008, Schofield became the interim manager before being tapped for the job permanently.

“Wellington is a really unique and wonderful community. There’s no place else like it anywhere in the world,” Schofield said. “It is a tremendous place to work.”

When asked about the village’s accomplishments during his tenure, he began by pointing to his highly qualified staff. “Wellington invests a lot in its people,” said Schofield, who also stressed the importance of the village’s elected leadership. “Currently, when you look at the composition of the council, we have a significantly younger council now than we have ever had. The council is changing, and they recognize the changing community, and Wellington really needs to continue to do the things that it does well.”

What is that? Mostly things people don’t see unless there’s a problem.

“Of the things that you look back on, some of it is really mundane. Our roads are fine, we’re not falling behind on anything, everything is well-maintained,” said Schofield, adding that the village has modern sewer plants and quality roads and excellent parks. “But that’s what we’re supposed to do, and I don’t believe you should get kudos for doing what they pay you to do.”

Fair enough, but during his tenure, Wellington has built a new municipal complex, a new community center, a new tennis center, several new parks and a number of new amenities, such as the Wellington Promenade completed last year.

“I can refer to tons and tons of specific things we have done, like building the amphitheater and rebuilding the community center and all of those things, but they’re really just the kind of things that we are supposed to do,” Schofield said. “What makes a difference to me is the fact that my elected officials and my staff care about our people and care about the communities that are out there, and they do things for the people.”

He is also proud that there are real people behind every village interaction. “When you call, you can get us on the phone, and someone will come out and do the things we’re supposed to do,” Schofield said.

While the new buildings are nice, he is just as proud of the programs that make life better for residents.

“The village has put in things like programs to help seniors, programs to help the disadvantaged, people with challenges and for children,” he said. “I’m glad we did this, and I’m most proud of them. All the other things are things that we have done that every government is supposed to do.”

While Schofield is leaving, don’t expect major changes in how the Village of Wellington operates with his top lieutenant taking over. He explained that every good manager has a succession plan in place.

“Wellington’s workforce is kind of interesting in that about 20 percent of our staff is 55 years or older, so you need to have a plan for moving forward when they retire,” Schofield said, adding that he is proud to be leaving his successor, Jim Barnes, in charge. “He has worked for me for almost 17 years. I have always hoped that when I left, he would get the job.”

When asked about his legacy, Schofield demurred.

“I think folks who worry about their legacy don’t spend enough time doing their job,” he explained. “Some of the people in my profession spend more time worrying about keeping their job than doing it. I’ve always believed that the first time I make a decision based on keeping my job, it’s time to move on.”

Still, Schofield is proud that he leaves Wellington in great financial health. “We have maintained and taken care of all our things, and we pay for the things that we need,” he said. “We have a sound financial plan to grow well into the future.”

While Wellington is on a strong track today, only continued vigilance will keep it that way. “In terms of 30-year and 50-year time frames, we have to determine how we can make sure that we are still a viable community into the future,” he said, noting that as Wellington becomes a more mature community, it will need regular revitalization.

This is particularly true since Wellington is largely a residential community.

“Some of the homes are beginning to approach 50 years old,” Schofield said. “Even more recent homes are approaching 14 or 15 years old.”

This means they will need to be renovated. Some may even need to be rebuilt. Wellington has been putting plans in place to make that process easier as time goes on.

“Homes are approaching what is a vital cycle for a community to remain sustainable,” he said. “We are in the process of rewriting a comprehensive plan so we can work on the process of remaining as good a family community as we are now, into the future.”

The same process needs to be in place for Wellington’s commercial interests, particularly as the national economy changes with a shift from traditional retail to more service-related industries.

“We are primarily a residential community, but we, as a government, can make sure that it is a comfortable and productive environment for our businesses,” Schofield said.

The updated comprehensive plan also aims to protect Wellington’s world-renowned equestrian community be successful over the next 20 to 30 years and more.

“We’re not going to be all things to all people, but we’re really a great family community with very safe neighborhoods,” Schofield said. “People care about their community.”

Schofield is very proud that Wellington is developing a central gathering place with the Wellington Town Center, bringing a deeper sense of community.

“For many years, our recreational facilities were for activities, hectic and competitive activities, but as we move forward, you’ll see emphasis on family time and activities for family participation in the community.”

While Schofield is technically “retiring,” he doesn’t see it that way.

“I might be leaving [the village], but I’m not going far,” he said. “You’ve never heard me say the word ‘retirement.’ I want to get back to being a planner. I want to get back to working on projects that have long-term value. I don’t know specifically what those are yet, but that’s what I’ll be working on.”