Good grief, for this blogger not to check the obvious. The Walpole Times, www.walpoletimes.com.

Yes the Walpole Times has a story “Town Planner Ryan Leaves” by Tom Glynn, July 28, 2006.

Go check the whole thing out yourself at www.walpoletimes.com, but here are a few highlights.

“Town Planner Christopher Ryan has resigned after two years in the post to take a position teaching city planning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Ryan, who is working on a doctorate, said he’s long wanted to teach at the college level. With a bachelor’s degree from Miami of Ohio, he has a master’s from Georgia Tech.

He applied for the WPI post earlier this year at a time when there was uncertainty over whether the Walpole town planner position would exist after July 1.

The uncertainty arose when Town Administrator Michael Boynton proposed an article for the spring Town Meeting that would have combined the planner post with that of the town’s economic development director to create a new department.”

“In an interview, Ryan said he tried unsuccessfully to work out a schedule that would allow him to teach at WPI but continue to do planning for Walpole.

With his last day tomorrow, he is leaving just as the planning board is preparing to seek a consultant to overhaul the town’s zoning bylaw.”

Mary Eaton
Newburyport