The Quiet, Tireless Work
If you have ever turned on your faucet in Indian Head and clean water came out, flushed a toilet without thinking twice, or taken a walk on the Village Green without wondering who keeps it mowed, lit, and safe, you have already experienced the impact of Town Manager Ryan Hicks and his team.
Many residents know Ryan by name and face. This profile is not an introduction to a stranger, but a deeper look at the neighbor who has quietly helped keep our town running for decades.
This story is the first in Voice of Indian Head’s new “Profiles in Service” series. Our aim is simple: to help our town reconnect with the people whose day to day work makes our lives possible, often without recognition, always with a sense of duty. In a season when civic engagement and volunteerism is still struggling post-pandemic, we believe that seeing the humans behind “the Town” can help rebuild trust, pride, and community.
Ryan Hicks is a good place to start.
A lifetime rooted in SERVICE of OUR square mile
Ryan has served as our Town Manager since around 2007, a remarkable run in a profession where many managers move from town to town a few years at a time. He has not moved on because Indian Head is home, and he is deeply rooted here.
Long before he stepped into the manager’s office, Ryan was already serving this community in just about every role you can imagine. He worked as a laborer in the Public Works Department. He oversaw the Village Green Pavilion as a facility manager. He served as a code enforcement officer. He was assistant town manager. Added together, it comes to about thirty four years of service to the Town of Indian Head.
That kind of time on the job means there are streets where he can point to a spot in the pavement and tell you about a water line that broke in the early 1990s, or a storm drain that needed repair long before most of us ever noticed a problem. His colleagues bring similar depth of experience, including a public works superintendent with more than thirty seven years of service and a head of field operations who has been here forty five years and counting.
In a small town, that sort of institutional knowledge and longevity is one of our greatest assets. It does not appear on a budget sheet, doesn’t get a line item in town council meetings, but it anchors a community as it changes and grows.
What a Town Manager really does
Many residents understand that the Town Council sets policy and direction, but the day to day work of the Town Manager’s office can be harder to picture. Ryan describes his job as “a lot of bit of everything,” and it is hard to argue with that.
At any hour, his phone might ring with an alarm from Town Hall, the Village Green, or the public works yard. On one day he might be answering a call from a resident who has found a mysterious leak in the yard. On another, he is helping work through a planning or zoning issue, or talking through a dispute between neighbors over property maintenance, or tracking down why trash was not picked up on time.
At the same time, he is supervising staff, managing personalities, and keeping an eye on the needs of roughly four thousand residents. Behind the scenes, he spends time working through state and federal mandates and planning for capital projects that are not glamorous, but are absolutely necessary.
Through it all, Ryan keeps coming back to a simple standard. In his words, “we are in the business of providing service.” If that service is not at the level he knows his team can deliver, he considers it a problem to be solved.
Indian Head Town Hall, November 2025
Thirteen people, one town
Indian Head’s town staff is small but mighty. There are four people in Town Hall and eight in Public Works, for a total of thirteen. Alongside them are contracted partners who support wastewater treatment, grass cutting, and trash and recycling services.
Years ago, many of those services were handled entirely in house. Over time, some of that work was contracted out so that the Town’s own crew could shift from constantly reacting to issues to being more proactive. That choice has opened the door for the team to tackle larger projects that once would have been out of reach.
The East Poplar storm drain project is a good example. When bids came back at about 1.4 million dollars, the number was simply too high for a town our size. Instead of giving up, the Town ordered the pipe itself, rented the necessary equipment, and leaned on the hard earned knowledge of its long serving crew. By the time the work is finished, the Town expects to have saved around a million dollars while still completing the project with quality.
Choices like these are not always obvious from the outside. Residents might only see that trash service is now contracted, or that certain tasks are handled differently. What they may not see is the careful balancing act behind those decisions, where Ryan and his team weigh limited resources, the cost of doing nothing, and the desire to avoid raising taxes or cutting other services.
The things we do not see: infrastructure and amenities
Ryan often tells Mayor Brandon Paulin that the mayor can focus on what is above ground while he worries about what is underneath. It is a simple way of saying that he spends a great deal of his time thinking about infrastructure.
When we turn on the faucet, we expect water to flow. When we flush, we expect waste to disappear. When we walk a trail or drive a street, we usually do not think about pipes, lines, or drainage. Ryan does. He is acutely aware that every day, our water and sewer systems, our storm drains, and our underground infrastructure grow a little older, even as more is asked of them.
That said, his focus is not only on pipes and pavement. He also cares about the amenities that give our town its sense of place: parks and playgrounds, the Indian Head Rail Trail and boardwalk, and the Village Green Pavilion where so many community events are held. He is also shepherding the progress of the much anticipated splash pad on the Village Green, responding to questions and concerns even while the contractors do the hands on work. The goal is to have the splash pad open in 2026, a milestone many local families are eagerly awaiting.
“Love thy neighbor” and the power of a Saturday morning
When asked what he wishes he saw more of in town life, Ryan did not mention budgets, mandates, or regulations. He talked about neighbors.
“I do not understand why there is not more ‘love thy neighbor,’” he reflected.
In the past, the Town has organized community cleanups in various neighborhoods. Those events brought together residents, community policing officers, the fire department, code enforcement, and Public Works staff. Trucks, gloves, bags, and tools were provided. The result was a few hours of work that left a neighborhood looking better and feeling more connected.
Neighborhood Cleanup in Action
Ryan would like to see that spirit return in a simple, approachable way. His vision is straightforward. On a Saturday morning, volunteers gather for coffee and donuts. They spend about four hours working together to clean up a neighborhood. When the work is done, they share hot dogs, chips, and a drink, say thank you, and go on with their day. No one is expected to give up their entire weekend. Instead, each person contributes a small, meaningful block of time.
We latched on to that… Voice of Indian Head has committed to help kick off an “Indian Head Spring Cleanup” effort when the weather turns, working alongside Ryan and the Public Works Department to make it easy for residents to show up and help. Keep an eye out for announcements!
Our Faith in Common Ground and Respect
Near the end of our conversation, we asked Ryan to share something hopeful, a thought or belief that keeps him going after so many years of service in a demanding role.
His answer was short and memorable.
Believe in People.
He went on to explain that people will not always look, act, or dress like you. Their backgrounds and perspectives will differ. They may not always say things the way you would. Even so, each person has something to teach and something to contribute. In his words, “we all have good in us” and “we all have a skill that we bring to the table.”
These are not the words of someone looking at public service from a distance. They come from a man who has taken calls in the middle of the night, defended his crew when criticism has been loud, and worked on problems most of us never see. For Ryan, believing in people is not a slogan. It is a choice he makes every day he shows up for this town, and we’re all better for it.
Why “Profiles in Service” and what you can do
We launched the “Profiles in Service” series because we believe that our community is stronger when we know the people behind the titles. Civic engagement is not only about showing up when we are frustrated. It is also about honoring those who serve, understanding the realities they face, and joining them where we can.
Ryan’s story is the first of many to come. We hope to highlight department heads, long serving public works staff, and others whose names you may or may not know, but whose journeys and everyday contributions likely haven’t fully heard…. but need to!
You can be part of this effort in simple, practical ways.
Say hello when you see town staff at an event or working in your neighborhood. Thank them for the work they do. Choose to show up for the positive, not only for the contentious, whether that means attending a tree lighting, supporting a festival, or joining a neighborhood cleanup. When you hear a rumor about “the Town,” pause and seek out the real story before passing it along.
Most of all, make space in your own life to believe in people, just as Ryan encourages us to do.
Lend your voice. Meet your neighbors. Get to know the people who make our daily lives possible.
Together, we can build a better Indian Head.
Recent Comments