By Michael Laris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Arlington County Manager Ron Carlee had his eye on the 30-year mark. But he said an opportunity to take the best ideas from Arlington and elsewhere to local governments around the country was just too sweet to pass by.

Carlee announced Monday that he will step down at the end of October, 29 years after joining the county workforce as a budget analyst. He will take on global warming, emergency management and other projects at the Washington-based International City/County Management Association, where he will be executive in residence and director of strategic domestic initiatives.

"This gives me a chance to take what I've learned here and basically take it national," Carlee said.

On emissions, his goal is for localities to set the international standard. As part of Arlington's program to shrink its carbon footprint, the county has put departments on the spot with report cards tracking gas and electricity use building by building.

"We're putting it right out there. We're being very transparent about it. It's not going to be easy," Carlee said. "But unless we start doing it at the local level, then we're not going to achieve our emissions reductions globally."

Carlee, 55, who was named to the post in 2001, said he's had the best county management job in America. But there's one thing he won't miss: the board meetings Arlington holds on New Year's Day.

"They are interesting, but I'll be happy to watch it on TV in my pajamas next year," he said. "I'll send them e-mails telling them how good my cappuccino is."