With twenty-five years in the Ann Arbor Police Department and three years as chief, public safety administrator John Seto was eligible to retire in April with a nice pension. So it wouldn’t have been surprising when he announced in May his plan to retire in July–except that he told the Observer in February, “I have no thoughts or intentions about doing anything different right now.”

A week after his announcement, Seto wouldn’t say what changed his mind–but would say what didn’t. He says he’s “had great support” from city administrator Steve Powers, “all the other leadership teams, and my own department as well as the community.” There’s no squabble over the chain of command: he agrees with the decision to have new fire chief Larry Collins report to Powers instead of to him. And he doesn’t have a better offer: “I’ve not been offered any position, I’ve not applied for any position, and I have not looked in my career to be chief of a bigger department.”

He says his health is fine and his family is too. So what’s different now? “I’m not leaving for any specific reason or dissatisfaction,” he says. “It’s a personal decision I made with my family, and I hope everybody respects that.

“There’s no underlying craziness. It’s just that it’s time for a change in my life.”