A FOND FAREWELL: Community, colleagues reflect on 7 1/2 years of 'Gregisms,' good times (PHOTOS)

City Manager Greg Kisela’s going away lunch was full of laughs, hugs and tears Friday, as friends, colleagues and city leaders gathered to wish him farewell.

“It’s a sad day, but we are happy for his accomplishments and the things that he has done,” Mayor Sam Seevers told the 100-plus people that gathered in the City Hall Annex. “We want to send him off with the best, heartfelt thanks for what he has done in the city of Destin — he’s the best city manager of Destin.”

To see more photos from the going away celebration, click here.

With some of his closest friends in attendance, it was only a matter of time before the gathering turned into more of a “Roast” than a farewell, with everyone sharing some of their favorite memories and encounters with the outgoing city manager.

After seven-and-a-half years as Destin’s city manager, Kisela accepted the county administrator’s position in neighboring Walton County in May and officially begins his new job in DeFuniak Springs June 21.

Former Mayor Craig Barker was only in office for a few months when the city was tasked with hiring a new city manager, but he vividly remembers the encounter.

“You know Greg, he kind of has that nasally voice and that kind of irritating sense of humor, so he didn’t really make my top five,” he said.

Barker also said that he remembered meeting Kisela for the first time and being welcomed with a  “wet, limp” handshake. It was during a luncheon with the potential candidates that Barker said he met Lucy, Kisela’s wife, and realized there must have been something more to the man if he was able to have a woman like Lucy.

Thanks to Lucy, Kisela was given a “second chance” and would go on to be hired as city manager. Fast-forward years later, Barker said it was the right decision.

“Greg and Lucy have contributed quite a bit to the city of Destin,” he said. “I have no doubt that because of their efforts, this community is better than when they got here.”

Rick Scali, owner of Easy Street Vacation Rentals, has known Kisela for years and works closely with him as a member of the Destin Rotary Club.

“We have found out with Greg’s sense of humor, if he teases you he likes you,” Scali said. “The more he teases you, the more he likes you — I think he’s in love with me.”

Kisela serves as the Sergeant at Arms in Rotary, which allows him to “fine” his members for various infraction such as being late for a meeting or wearing a bizarre shirt.

“Thanks to Greg, the treasury at Destin Rotary is larger than at any time in the 54 years of our history,” Scali said, who was wearing a tropical-themed shirt.

City Planner Hank Woollard had a proclamation put together for Kisela, courtesy of the city staff. The document read like a book, and was full of a vast collection of “Gregisms” and memorable questions/statements.

Some of the highlights were “If it makes you feel better to say it, don’t; where the road to hell was paved with good intentions; after considering everything from soup to nuts; and it is what it is.”

“So, when you take off your glasses, tug on your shirt, and go to your happy place, at the end of the day we hope you are thinking about Destin,” Woollard said. “Know you will be missed and know it’s a good thing.”

For Community Development Director Ken Gallander, who will be serving as the acting city manager until a replacement is hired, the message was short and sweet.

“I just want to say that I am the lucky one, it’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with Greg,” he said. “To see his name pop up on my phone and hear that ‘how are you doing young man’ and know what’s coming after that.”

“You are a mentor to me and I hope to be able to call you up,” he added.

As for the man of the hour himself, Kisela and his wife were treated to numerous parting gifts, such as a handmade bowl from Jimmy Neilson, books from the library and baby chickens from the city staff to take to his farm in Walton County.

With the room silent, Kisela, clearly choking back heavy emotions, told the crowd the decision to leave Destin was tough.

“I had purposely avoided thinking about this particular point in time,” he said while holding back tears, and dodging a tissue thrown his way. “This has been the best job I have ever had. We really have enjoyed this community so much, you have opened up your hearts and your arms to us, and made us feel welcome.”

But the future is bright.

“We really think Destin is in a good place,” Kisela said. “The leadership is here and the commitment is here.”