CHARLOTTE — A long-time city of Charlotte employee is setting his first goal of 2026: enjoy retirement.
Willie Ratchford has spent the majority of his life working in local government, ever since he was fresh out of college.
“I actually started my career off here in this building, yes, as an intake generalist. And if you were to ask me what that is, I still have no idea, but I worked for neighborhood centers for five years,” Ratchford told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis.
After 50 years, he’s calling it a career.
“Why have you stayed?” Gillis asked him.
“Because I love my job. I often have told many of my friends that if I did not have a family to support, I would do this work for free,” Ratchford said.
The community relations director has spent much of his time having and encouraging real conversations.
“Our job is to promote community harmony,” Ratchford said.
Sometimes the conversations are challenging ones, including those about race and inclusivity.
He recalled one of the more difficult moments in his career, after the deadly police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in 2016, and the ensuing protests. He says it took real effort from across the community to move through.
“Winston Churchill says that courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, which is what this work is about. But he also says that courage is what it takes to sit down and listen to one another,” Ratchford said.
As he leaves his post, he’s still encouraging those conversations, especially when times are tense.
He emphasized the importance of education, and his deep love for Charlotte.
“We are a great community. There’s a reason that almost 100 people a week decide to move here,” Ratchford said.
And he highlighted how much it means to show kindness.
“Be kind to people. Because it always comes back,” Ratchford said.
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