“I don’t know if there will ever be a perfect time to retire, however, at this point in my life I want to spend more time with family and do the traveling my wife and I have been putting off. The city manager position is a demanding one, and it is difficult to balance life and work evenly,” Carpenter said.
He added he and his wife, Lisa, have recently become grandparents and he wants to ensure he is involved with his granddaughter’s life.
Riverside mayor Pete Williams thanked Carpenter for his service to the city as both the fire chief and the city manager.
“In my short 15 months as mayor, Mark has been a consummate professional and deeply dedicated public servant,” Williams said. “I will miss his optimistic demeanor and collaborative management style.”
Williams said Carpenter’s leadership was displayed during the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes and many of the challenges faced by the city in 2020. But he said Carpenter’s leadership went beyond.
“He was also often found on weekends quietly working on community clean-ups, neighborhood service projects, and church-led home improvements for our citizens; we are a better city because of it,” Williams said.
Riverside City Council will have an executive session during a special meeting on March 25 to determine how to proceed on filling the city manager position when it becomes vacant, the city said.
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