By Graysen Doran
Noah Simon, Lexington’s city manager, is leaving next month to become assistant town manager of Westlake, Texas, an affluent suburb of Fort Worth.
According to Simon’s LinkedIn profile, this is not his first stint in Texas local government. He served as the director of community development for the city of Forney from 2008 to 2011.
He said his wife has family in the Dallas area.
“This is an opportunity for my wife to go back home,” he said, “[and] for my daughter to be raised closer to her grandparents.”
He previously worked in local government not only in Virginia, but also in Maryland, Minnesota and Georgia.
The Kentucky native became Lexington’s city manager in September 2014.
Simon said he is proud of the relationship he helped improve between the city and its schools.
“I’ve been working with the current superintendent on some technology and coding initiatives,” he said. “I hope those types of things continue.”
His successor will face the challenge of increasing the city’s tax base without raising the current tax rate, he said. Another challenge will be completion of road, sewer and water projects.
Mayor Frank Friedman praised Simon’s work.
“His work to make government more responsive and efficient aided in our ability to utilize federal, state, and local resources to improve the quality of life for our residents, make technological advancements, and put millions of dollars into roadway improvements and other projects,” he said.