After more than a decade, Walden Lake On-Site Manager Tom Daramus is resigning from his post, effective January.
Daramus submitted his resignation Dec. 2, to the Walden Lake Community Association.
“I have given this a lot of consideration and there are several reasons, both personal and professional that make this the right decision for me at this time,” Daramus said in a letter to the board. “The last 12 years have been, for the most part, a very good run for me, and, I hope, for the association and the community. I’ve met a lot of great people, and Mike and I thank you for the opportunity to be such an integral part of the community.”
Daramus has worked as the manager for 12 years. Throughout his time at Walden Lake, he has become a familiar face in the neighborhood.
“He’s a friend to the community, and I think he will remain a friend to the community,” WLCA President Jan Griffin said.
There’s no doubt Daramus will remain a fixture. In his letter, he said he has no immediate plans to move out of Walden Lake, where he resides with his wife, Mike. However, more trips may be in their future. He mentioned traveling.
But, Daramus will not be retiring. Although he didn’t disclose his professional goals, he said he will no longer be working in the property-management business.
His last day will be Jan. 3, 2014.
“I plan to use next month to finish up some projects and, hopefully, make for a smoother transition,” Daramus said.
Daramus is an employee of Associa, an association management company that serves all types of communities, from condos to master-planned neighborhoods. Because he is employed by Associa, his replacement will be hired by the company and not the board.
Griffin hopes the board will have some input over a potential candidate, although she’s not sure how much.
“If you have a working relationship with someone, you need to have some input,” she said.
Andrew Fortin, senior vice president of external affairs at Associa, said hiring protocols vary by branch but the board won’t be completely left out of the decision-making process.
“I think that what they would do is sit down with the board and find out what strengths the last employee had,” Fortin said. “Especially if they were well-liked. They were like the face of the community. We would want to get someone who is a good fit with the community’s culture.”
By all accounts, Daramus did his job well.
“He’s been an excellent employee,” Griffin said. “We’ll miss him tremendously.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.