After a 0-2 record, City and County Manager Jennifer Hoffman hopes she has “tapped” the perfect candidate for deputy city manager, she said in an open forum with the final two candidates.
On Thursday, the city and county of Broomfield hosted an open forum to see if either Amy Edinger or Don Davis will have the right chemistry for the job.
Hoffman said both candidates are more than qualified for the job, however as the city leaves the recovery phase forced by the pandemic and enters the building, strategic planning, execution and alignment phase, the person who fills the key position has to be the right one.
Edinger and Davis were not seeking the job but were “tapped on the shoulder” by Hoffman, she said.
“It is not a roll of the dice on this position … Fit is key in Broomfield … Both of these individuals can do the job or I would not have shoulder tapped them … Tonight is about understanding who they are and their authentic self for fit,” Hoffman said.
Edinger moved around a lot as a child because her father worked on government projects involving sonar. Constantly moving, she said, made her adaptable, a skill she brought into her career.
She has worked for the cities of Boulder and Denver and under former Gov. John Hickenlooper in a variety of roles including deputy chief of staff Hickenlooper as when he was the Denver Mayor, chief operating officer for economic development in Denver and economic development at the Denver Airport. She also has worked on a variety of housing issues.
Edinger said she has always been drawn into government work. She said local government is “on the ground and closest to the people. I think you have the ability in local government, especially in a city environment, to come up with solutions that try to support people. This is truly fun and rewarding for me in my career.”
Davis served 32 years in the Marine Corps and said his proudest accomplishments in his career has always been getting those under his command, around 1,000 people at a time, home safely after a mission.
While serving in southwest Georgia, Davis worked with the local community on racial healing and energy issues.
He said the greatest challenge the Front Range faces is responsible development referencing the cost of housing keeping essential workers such as police officers and teachers from living in their communities.
Residents can share comments on the candidates by clicking here. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. May 13. The city and county expect to make a final decision within the next two weeks, according to Carolyn Romero, chief communications officer.
