ASHLAND — Not surprisingly, Chuck Charles resigned as president of Summer Motion at the group’s annual picnic on Thursday night.

He didn’t do it lightly or without considerable emotion. Let’s face it, Summer Motion was Charles’ baby and the passion and energy he poured into the high-profile festival showed on every level. There was proof in the pudding, as they say.

Don’t see it as Charles being tired of doing the job he’s done so well the past 14 years or that he is running out on anybody.

It’s quite the contrary, actually. The 61-year-old Charles is already making big plans for when he takes over as Ashland’s mayor in January. He can do that because he’s running unopposed for office in the Nov. 6 election. It’s the next chapter for the uber-positive leader.

The fact that he’s an unopposed candidate says a little about the confidence people have in him. Charles would have been hard to beat in the mayor’s race and potential opponents knew it. His reputation as a businessman in the health care industry and his success with Summer Motion solidified him as a candidate worth running the city.

Charles was politically right to step down even though Summer Motion’s all-volunteer committee would rather he lead the festival for years to come.

Being mayor of Ashland and president of the city’s biggest festival would have been seen as a conflict of interest because a lot of the funding for Summer Motion comes from the city coffers.

He will continue to be a supporter of Summer Motion as an advocate of the city because any mayor of Ashland would be foolish not to be supportive. The city has always worked well with Charles and that relationship with the festival will continue with him in the Big Chair. My guess is it may flourish even more with his considerable clout behind it from the other side.

He will be a tough act to follow. Anybody stepping into Chuck Charles’ considerable Summer Motion flip-flops better be ready to roll up their sleeves. They also cannot be afraid to ask for help, even from Charles himself. Trust me, he’ll be there for them. Remember, this is his baby.

But what makes Summer Motion work isn’t just Chuck Charles. It’s the talent on the committees he put into place. Those pieces are still there. But with Charles no longer running the Summer Motion show, will it be Slowdown Motion? I hope not.

Charles himself told the Summer Motion committee there are plenty of viable candidates to replace him. He told the group they were “handpicked” to be on the committee because they are a group of doers and that any one of them would make for an outstanding leader of the festival. The Summer Motion machine remains in place even if the Big Wheel has fallen off.

But any good team needs a good coach. Nobody seemed willing to step forward on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. Every year, Summer Motion’s goal was to make the festival bigger and better with the resources provided. Charles did that, balancing budget and booking acts that are typically reserved for much bigger towns and much bigger festivals.

Besides the overall organization of the festival, Charles will be missed for his fundraising skills and the work he did in securing top entertainment year after year. Charles never settled because he’s not about settling.

He always aimed high and made the most of the financial resources provided. Given the state of our economy, both locally and nationally, it’s amazing how Summer Motion has continued to not only survive but thrive.

Charles has a can-do attitude that hopefully will go with him into the mayor’s office. He always aimed high for Summer Motion and he’ll do the same for the city of Ashland.

Charles will encounter more roadblocks as mayor than he ever did as the president of Summer Motion. It just goes along with the job. But the people skills he has honed should serve him well in his new leadership position.

If the wildly popular Summer Motion is any indicator, greater days for Ashland may be just around the corner.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.