Rob Rowlson Announces Retirement from Town of West Hartford

Longtime Director of of Community Services Rob Rowlson made the surprise announcement Thursday that he will retire from the Town of West Hartford within the next few months.

Rowlson announced his plans to a packed house at the University of Hartford, where he was the keynote speaker at the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce's annual Economic Development Update luncheon. Rowlson has worked for the town since the mid-1990s, and has been in his current position since 2008.

"This has been 16 years of the most fun I could possibly have in my life," he said. Rowlson said he's "not going to go away completely," and jokingly proposed that he would be a maitre d' at one of the town's restaurants, a golf course attendant, or a bagger at Whole Foods. Someone in the room suggested he would make a great concierge at the new Delamar West Hartford Hotel.

Rowlson said he is a lifelong resident of West Hartford and he and his wife plan to remain here. "I'm not going to walk away from my responsibilities," he said, but it will be done on his own schedule.

"I am done with 60 hour weeks," he said.

"I made the decision when Richard Patrissi died," Rowlson told Patch after the meeting. The 64-year-old Rowlson said he just can't continue working like he has been, and the death of his good friend made him realize that he needed to take some time for himself.

A successor has not yet been identified to replace Rowlson, whose retirement will be effective the first week of July, he said. Rowlson is the fifth director to retire in West Hartford in the past year.