Watkins begins bidding farewell as he retires from Bloomfield administration

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield Township administrator Matthew Watkins is retiring at the end of the month, ending a five-and-a-half-year career in Bloomfield and a 40-year career in public service. The Bloomfield Township Council approved Watkins’ retirement in a resolution at the Feb. 8 meeting, and Watkins announced it himself in a letter to the community on March 2.

“I want to thank my fellow residents of this wonderful community,” Watkins, who also lives in Bloomfield, wrote in the letter. “I am amazed at the diversity, enthusiasm and drive to make this community a better place to live. The support that all of you have given me over the years drove me to work as hard as I could, bringing all of my experience and knowledge to make Bloomfield’s government run more efficiently and effectively. Nothing I accomplished would have been possible without all of this support and cooperation.”

Watkins has worked in town administration in a few different states, but mostly in New Jersey. Before Bloomfield, he was the administrator in West New York. He has also worked in Clifton, South Brunswick, Barnegat and Delran. He worked for the state as the director of local government services as well.

At the Feb. 8 meeting, Councilwoman Wartyna Davis joked that she was tempted to vote no, just to keep Watkins around. But Watkins is ready for retirement and is glad that he is able to end his career in Bloomfield.

“I want to thank the mayor and the council for over five years of a wonderful, wonderful relationship,” Watkins said at the time. “I still have some time, but it’s been phenomenal.”

In the letter, Watkins highlighted the positives of working in public service.

“As I end my years of public service, I take this opportunity to encourage all of you, especially the youth of our community, to consider a career in public service,” he said. “I have been saddened by negative labels that have been placed upon public workers — especially over the past 10 years. Public service is a vocation and honor given to the few who have the courage to stand up in the face of unmerited criticism in order to service the greater good of their community. So few enter this honorable profession; I pray that changes.”

Watkins’ last day is March 31. There has been no announcement about who will replace him.

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