Milligan 'officially' retires

Doug Milligan is taking time to focus on trombones and trails.
The Portland native and Geneva transplant attended his last Geneva Town Council meeting as a member Tuesday, as his term expires with the beginning of the new year. But it’s all happened just as he planned it.
With his four-year term coming to an end, he’s taking his “official” retirement from any part-time or full-time work and will concentrate his efforts on South Adams Trails Inc. and musical performances as he and his wife move to Swiss Village Retirement Community in Berne.
His retirement comes after a lifetime of service in both Portland and Geneva, with a resume that outlines major accomplishments in both communities.
Milligan worked at Jay Garment Company for more than 30 years, making his way from a customer service representative to its president.

He went on to serve as an assistant director at Jay-Randolph Developmental Services before making the transition to a career in Geneva government.
Serving as the town’s clerk-treasurer from 2002 to 2008, he followed it with two years as town manager before being elected to town council in 2010.
“The reason I’ve been successful over the years is I’m surrounded by people that are a lot smarter than I am,” said Milligan. “I’ve worked with some very knowledgeable people. We’ve dealt with some issues as it relates to infrastructure and that kind of thing. We’ve done very well.”
Fellow councilman Dick Clutter said it’s not those around Milligan, but rather the man himself that has made such an impression.
Clutter and Milligan grew up in Portland, with connections between their families, but it wasn’t until they both moved to Geneva that they truly became friends and colleagues. And Clutter has witnessed the kind of charisma Milligan emits that attracts others to him.
“Doug is outgoing, full of pep for a 75 year old,” said Clutter. “And he is very congenial, wants to please, likes to be part of the conversation, just a wonderful personality.”
Moving to Geneva more than 20 years ago in pursuit of a log house on the lake, Milligan is the founding president of South Adams Trails, which he will continue to be invested in as it endeavors to build a trail connecting Geneva to Berne. His goal is for the path to be constructed and in use in the next few years.
And as a skilled trombone player, he has already booked gigs into the new year to keep him occupied in his retirement. Playing anything from big band music to Dixieland, he plans to stay active in performances as long as he can.
He sees his upcoming time away from any sort of career as the next big step, which he is optimistically venturing into.
“This is the first day of the rest of our lives so let’s make the most of it,” said Milligan. “I’m looking forward to our new surroundings.”
He’ll miss his time as part of Geneva’s governing body, but he believes his desire to improve the quality of life of Geneva’s residents has been accomplished.
But he will leave the councilmen with one piece of advice he’s lived by since the start.
“It’s a rule of thumb I’ve used for a long time, it’s something I’ve passed to my kids, grandkids and now great-grandkids,” said Milligan. “Be a good listener because you never learn anything while you’re talking.”