Sedona, Arizona
Imagine a city that, since its founding, has had no major street lighting through its main corridor and has had to confront the fact that pedestrian fatalities have occurred because of it.
Envision having to boost sales tax collection by enacting a new auditing program and retaining an outside collection firm during a recession while businesses are struggling.
Imagine doing all of this, while at the same time building a major wetlands project, dealing with catastrophic flood events, getting elected officials to agree to lifting state imposed budget caps, and doing it all in the public eye by implementing real-time, live streaming and broadcasting of city council meetings.
The successful resolution of these and many more issues can be attributed to Sedona City Manager Tim Ernster’s ability to manage and lead.
Sedona, AZ (pop.10,281) has a very engaged and diverse population, from retired business executives to artists and spiritual communities. This unique mix of interests creates significant challenges when it comes to trying to forge a consensus on any issue.
How does Ernster do it? He gets the community and its elected officials to say “yes” to projects by getting ahead of controversies before the most emotional and vocal voices distort community dialogue. He opens personal lines of communication early in the process and engages with even the most challenging of citizens.
This doesn’t mean that Ernster tries to be all things to all people. He knows how to first seek to understand and then be understood. He does it with utmost diplomacy and good will, and uses his sense of humor to take the heat out of any room and open doors to understanding.
Ernster also understands how important the trust of residents and elected officials is to the process. That’s why he promotes ethics and integrity in local government by implementing a code of ethics and guidelines for public service.
Meet the Manager
