In a move one resident described as “a shocker,” Lancaster Township approved the resignation of township manager C. Michael Foote on Monday, Aug. 22, marking an end to his nearly two years with the municipality.

“It really was kind of a shocker when they announced that he resigned and accepted his resignation,” resident Steve Paskowski said Tuesday.

Supervisors announced his resignation at the beginning of the meeting Monday, adding its approval to the agenda before public comment.

Chairman Greg Kessler said that Foote is looking to “explore other options.”

And while Foote was absent from Monday’s meeting, he confirmed Tuesday that he had decided to pursue his “career goals with another municipality.”

“There’s been a lot of discussion, and I’ve been pursuing my career opportunities in various locations,” Foote said.

The Fremont County Crusader — a Colorado-based publication — reported Foote as an applicant for city manager of Florence, Col., in the spring.

“He was super kind, super intelligent and very compassionate,” said Cortlyne Huppe, Florence city clerk. “We enjoyed him while he was here.”

Huppe said that while Foote was selected as one of the finalists for the position, the position was awarded to Amy Nasta of Gardner, Kan., in May.

“Ultimately, she received the highest score out of the three applicants,” Huppe said. “But he was the second-highest.”

While Foote did not comment on which municipality he would be moving to, solicitor John Bench said Foote had submitted an informal resignation Saturday before tendering a formal resignation Monday.

As of Tuesday, Foote has no determined end date with the township while it works to develop a “transition period.”

Supervisors also approved advertising a vacancy for the position, a role Kessler said would be difficult to fill.

“I have not had a chance to formally, in detail, discuss it with any members of the board,” he said. “I do have a meeting scheduled for (Wednesday, Aug. 23) to do that very thing.”

Foote joined the township Sept. 20, 2021, amid the pandemic and staffing turnovers in the municipality.

He said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the community over the last two years and has “learned a tremendous amount.”

“It was my first experience managing a township, so now I’ve managed a borough and a township,” he said. “It’s been a great experience for me, and I wish the community well.”

Before coming to Lancaster Township, Foote also served as borough manager for Indiana in Indiana County and was a division manager in the city of Reading, Berks County.

Growing up on Long Island in New York, Foote had lived, worked and studied throughout the country before finding himself in Western Pennsylvania.

“I got my undergraduate in Florida, and then right out of college I worked in the oil service industry,” he said. “I was an engineer for a company that’s in western Wyoming for a period of time and then went back to Florida.”

Foote then went on to receive his first master’s degree in psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Col.

“I started my government career with the city of Gillette, Wyo., and they had a tuition reimbursement program with the city,” he said. “I took advantage of that and got my second master’s degree at the University of Wyoming, and I really enjoyed it. It was a great program.”

His second master’s degree, in public administration, served him well in his 14 years of public service.

Foote additionally thanked the Pennsylvania Municipal League and the Association for Pennsylvania Municipal Managers for their support over the years.

“They’ve just been great resources and great support as I’ve progressed through my career here in the state of Pennsylvania,” he said. “They’ve been really helpful and a wonderful group of folks to be surrounded by.”

His hope was that he has left behind something positive in all of the communities he has worked in over the years.

“Some of the work that I’ve been able to do, I just hope that I left that one little thing for the benefit of the communities that I’ve been in,” Foote said.

For Lancaster Township, his hope was no different.

“I think, with Lancaster, a big piece of what we’ve been able to get done is getting the township headed in a direction facing the future, and getting it prepared to face that road,” Foote said.