D.C.’s head computer man, Bryan Sivak, was one of several District government agency heads shown the door yesterday by incoming Almost Mayor Vince Gray.

Judging by the facts that the chief technology officer begins his goodbye letter to staff by saying he has a “heavy heart” and that he wrote Gray a four-page resignation letter about OCTO’s accomplishments under his watch, Sivak probably wanted to hold on to the gig. Oh, and the part where he says, “simply put, the past 14 months have been some of the greatest of my life,” is another clue.

Here’s his letter:

From: Bryan Sivak (OCTO) [mailto:bryan.sivak@dc.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 10:47 AM
To: All Personnel – OCTO; OCTO All Personnel (OCTO)
Subject: Transition update

Dear OCTO Team,

It is with a heavy heart that I write these words:  I have been  informed by the new administration that my services will no longer be necessary effective January 1st.

Simply put, the past 14 months have been some of the greatest of my life.  I came into the public sector expecting mind-numbing bureaucracy and stereotypical government employees, and while I have certainly seen some of the former across the District, I continue to be amazed at the caliber of individual that is employed by this agency.  The enthusiasm, creativity, intelligence and dedication I have seen from any number of people is incredibly motivating and allows me to leave knowing the agency will continue to execute and fulfill its mission to the residents of the District of Columbia for many years to come.

Over the past 14 months, we have accomplished an amazing amount, but I am most proud of the significant change I have personally seen as we became a customer-focused agency.  On my sixth day on the job, I charged the agency with this mission, and you responded—while I can set the direction, the goal cannot be achieved without significant effort from each and every one of you.  In many cases, this meant fighting against years of history, structure and bureaucracy, often at personal risk, and we have without a doubt hit an inflection point in this journey.  This is evident to me when Agency Directors, CIOs or others praise the great work we do—at least once a week these days —and the pace of these acknowledgements have done nothing but increase.

I have not yet been informed who will be taking the reins from here, but rest assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure that the results of your efforts do not go unnoticed by the new leadership.

One final anecdote:  as many of you probably know, it is customary for Mayoral appointees to submit a formal resignation letter which the incoming administration chooses to accept or reject (this is what they
accepted yesterday).  I was provided a standard three-paragraph template for this letter, but I decided that the accomplishments of the agency were significant enough during my tenure that it was worth
briefly noting in the letter.

I ended up submitting a letter four pages long.

For all of this, I thank each and every one of you, and wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors.  As I decide my next steps, please know that as always, my door remains open.

Bryan