Seelhammer first female recipient of prestigious professional award

Cynthia Seelhammer, interim assistant city manager of Maricopa, has been named the 2012 recipient of the 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. She is the first woman to receive the award.

The award was created in 1997 to recognize city and 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 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 praised Seelhammer, the first town manager of Queen Creek, 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.

 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, Seelhammer 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.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” Seelhammer said. “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 City Manager Brenda Fischer. “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.”