Economic Chief Steps Down After Quarter-Century Shaping Downtown
Frederick, MD · November 11, 2026
Between quiet municipal offices for Veterans Day and cloud cover keeping the morning cool, today offers a welcome midweek pause to take the long way down the creek.
The Lead
After nearly a quarter-century directing Frederick's economic growth, Richard Griffin announced he will retire on November 28 to focus on family needs, including his 101-year-old father. Since taking the helm in 2002 after leading the Downtown Frederick Partnership, Griffin guided the city through massive transformation. His tenure included orchestrating the design and initial construction of Carroll Creek Park, shepherding major commercial revitalization like the Visitation Hotel and Union Knitting Mills, and facilitating large-scale biotech expansions including AstraZeneca. Griffin also oversaw the city’s parking division, municipal airport, and the Weinberg Center for the Arts across five mayoral administrations. Longtime economic development manager Mary Ford-Naill, who joined city staff in 2017 after three decades in local commercial real estate, steps in as acting director to maintain continuity across ongoing business retention and Golden Mile planning efforts.
Local Pulse
Carroll Creek Garage Restricts Parking Levels Transit Crews are repaving sections through Friday, closing select tiers and temporarily directing permit holders to alternate garages.
Holiday Trash Schedules Slide One Day Forward City Hall Municipal offices close today for Veterans Day, shifting curbside trash and yard waste collections back twenty-four hours.
Today's Outlook
- High 66°F · Low 40°F — Overcast
- Keep a light layer handy for the cool overcast morning before afternoon highs settle in.
What's On Around Town
Today
Veterans Day Ceremony Main Street Plaza, Mount Airy, 11:00 AM · Free Wreath laying, rifle salute, and community gathering honoring all military service members.
Board Game Night Frederick Social (50 Citizens Way), 4:00 PM · Free Tabletop classics, self-pour taps, and casual competition in the downtown taproom.
Tenth Ward Game Night Tenth Ward Distilling Company (55 E Patrick St), 7:00 PM · Free Craft cocktails and board games gathered in the historic tasting room.
Tomorrow
- Community Craft & Chat 121 N Bentz St, 10:15–11:30 AM · Free
- Bluegrass Jam Bentztown (6 S Bentz St), 7:00 PM · Free
- Classic Film Series: The Witches Weinberg Center for the Arts (20 W Patrick St), 7:30 PM · Paid
Friday
- Frederick at Night Downtown Frederick, 5:00–8:00 PM · Free
- Medieval Knight Out Snook Family Farm at Utica District Park, 5:00–9:00 PM · Paid
- Purple Flo in Concert Rockwell Brewery (8411 Broadband Dr), 8:00 PM · Paid
Spotlight & Story
- Opossumtown Pike Drivers tackling the corridor toward the community college often assume the moniker honors the woodland marsupial. In truth, early nineteenth-century road records reveal it led to an actual rural hamlet called Opossumtown, once clustered near the modern intersection with Willow Road.
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