‘Steadfast leadership’: Wheaton city manager reflects on career

Distilling Mike Dzugan’s career into a few top accomplishments isn’t an easy thing to do.

Dzugan has spent more than three decades in Wheaton government, first as the assistant city manager and then as city manager.

Over the years, he oversaw some major construction. More recently, the city wrapped up a $35 million downtown streetscape project that also replaced infrastructure, reconfigured parking and created new gathering spaces, including the French market pavilion.

Dzugan said there were “just so many, so many projects that I worked on that I think will have long-term benefits to the residents.”

The city recently announced his plans to retire as its chief executive officer and administrative head. Few have held the office.

“We’ve only had two managers in the last, what, almost 50 years … That’s pretty incredible,” Dzugan said.

He served as the assistant city manager for a quarter century before succeeding Don Rose as city manager in 2016 and steering the city through the pandemic.

“Mike has been a tremendous asset to this community, providing forward-thinking and steadfast leadership through some of the most turbulent times our nation has experienced in decades,” Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess said in a statement. “He has worked diligently with the City Council to identify and prioritize strategic goals and keep our community in outstanding financial shape — even when faced with worldwide economic uncertainty.”

Dzugan, 66, is also a longtime resident. He and his wife, Peggy, raised their family in Wheaton.

“I always tell people, we raised three children in this community, and I do mean by the community — the school district, park district, faith community. All of that was very, very important as we raised our children,” he said.

Dzugan is expected to retire from the city in mid-2025. The city has started soliciting applicants for the position. The International City/County Management Association also has posted the job opening.

Dzugan said he will “kind of assume the assistant role and act as a liaison and help with the transition until the new manager hires the assistant manager.”

Ask him about his leadership style, and Dzugan talks about collaboration.

“I love working with our department heads and the city council, trying to understand the policies that they set forth,” he said, “and then me going back to our department heads and sitting down with them and our staffs and trying to figure out, OK, how do we best achieve what the council wants us to get to?”

What will Dzugan miss the most? He knows it sounds cliché, but it’s the people he works with, the residents.

“I enjoy talking to residents, so I’ll miss that, and to some degree, miss the information,” he said. “You’re city manager. You are somewhat the center of information for what is going on in the city.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240926/news/steadfast-leadership-wheaton-city-manager-reflects-on-career/