Interim City Manager is First Female Award Recipient

Cynthia Seelhammer, Interim Assistant City Manager, has been named the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Jack DeBolske Award. Seelhammer received this honor during last week’s annual winter meeting of the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) in Sedona. The award is the highest honor bestowed upon any City Manager by the statewide professional organization. Seelhammer is the first woman to receive the award.

The award was created in 1997 to recognize City and/or County Managers who demonstrate the highest level of profession excellence in local government and who have made life contributions in serving the profession. The award, the highest honor that ACMA may bestow upon an active member, is named for Jack DeBolske, who served as the Executive Director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns for 40 years.

John Kross, Queen Creek Town Manager and ACMA president said this of Seelhammer in his nomination remarks.

“The reason I am where I am today and more importantly, Queen Creek is where it’s at today, is because of Cynthia, her vision, drive and creativity,” said Kross. “As one of her former employees, I will tell you we would go to the ends of the earth for her: You did the impossible, because you didn’t realize it was impossible. Cynthia supported you to be creative, move outside of your comfort zone, and continue to reach for that next level and to never be complacent.”

Seelhammer’s career in local government spans nearly 30 years, beginning in 1984 with the City of Mesa as a Public Information Specialist. Since that time, her contributions to the field of local government are numerous, including work as a Management Assistant in St. Paul, Minn.; Sr. Management Analyst for La Mesa, Calif.; Deputy City Manager of Phoenix and Town Manager of Queen Creek.

After leaving Queen Creek, Cynthia was hired as Deputy City Manager of Phoenix in 2006. When she retired from Phoenix in 2010, she was in charge of the Water Services Department overseeing more than 1,500 employees. Since retirement, she has continued to serve Arizona communities through interim and part-time assignments. She served as Interim Town Manager of Tusyan until April 2011 and joined the City of Maricopa on Dec. 27, 2011.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Seelhammer. “It is humbling to be recognized by my colleagues, so many of who are my personal heroes, and true leaders in our profession.  We all stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. I am grateful for the help and support of many, many in city management who assisted me during my career, and hope I can lend the same kind of support to others.”

“We are very fortunate to have someone of Seelhammer’s caliber as part of our team,” said Brenda Fischer, City Manager for the City of Maricopa. “She brings a wealth of experience, connections and talent to our organization and her efforts have been invaluable on numerous projects. She is a tremendous resource for our staff while we recruit for this vital position.”

Seelhammer has been an active member of ACMA since 1994, and has served three terms on the Board of Directors. She was one of the first 600 local government managers worldwide to be credentialed through ICMA’s program. She currently serves on the 2012 ICMA Host Committee, the ICMA’s International Committee and volunteers for the Arizona Council for International Visitors.

The City of Maricopa is currently recruiting for an Assistant City Manager. Ms. Seelhammer is a retiree and is not a candidate for the permanent position, due to her retired status. For information on the Assistant City Manager position, please visit www.maricopa-az.gov.