Taking the reins as city manager of Broomfield has been more than just a 9-to-5 job for George Di Ciero.
“It’s sort of like getting married,” he said. “It’s sort of like, ‘Oh, OK. Let’s see what we can do together.’ ”
In August, Di Ciero will have served 40 years as city manager, a position that has allowed him to groom Broomfield from a two-neighborhood town into an economically sound county.
When Di Ciero applied for the job, he was 25 years old. He was on a path to lead Littleton, where he was assistant city manager.
But there was something about Broomfield that appealed to him. It was just 7 years old, a town dotted with a few industries, those two neighborhoods, a shopping center and fewer than 7,000 residents.
“When you’re young like that, I probably thought I had all the answers. I thought it was a challenge having the top position,” he said. “It seemed like a perfect match.”
Fast-forward 40 years: Broomfield is a county with more than 50,000 residents, a 900-acre business park and a 1.5 million-square-foot mall.
Hank Stovall, a city councilman for 24 years, said Di Ciero has dedicated his life to improving Broomfield and has been good at it.
“George always respected his bosses, that is the council and the mayor, and wasn’t afraid to ask questions, wasn’t afraid to ask for clarification,” he said. “But back to the bottom line — we never gave him an assignment that he failed at.”
Di Ciero has accumulated a vast list of accomplishments.
He helped Broomfield form a county in 2001; before, the city was enveloped by four others — Adams, Boulder, Jefferson and Weld.
He also helped tap a new drinking-water source for the city after plutonium was found in Great Western Reservoir sediment.
He is most proud of the area’s green space. About 35 percent of the city is covered with parks and open areas, and there are plans to increase it by 5 percent.
John Atkinson, 82, a lifelong resident of Broomfield, said green space is just one reason to give Di Ciero a pat on the back. “He’s just a nice guy,” Atkinson said. “We think the world of George. I think everyone does.”
A scholarship awarded by the Broomfield Foundation was created a few years ago in Di Ciero’s name to recognize students pursuing public service. And in September, he will receive the 2008 International City/County Management Association’s award for career excellence, which lauds the top city managers in the country.
Di Ciero said he shouldn’t get all the credit because he’s been blessed with mayors and City Council members who shared the same vision.
“He’s modest,” said Councilwoman Bette Erickson. “He lets other people do the talking. He doesn’t have to dominate the conversation.”
Di Ciero’s tenure as city manager is almost unheard of, said Nancy McNally, mayor of Westminster and chairwoman of the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ board of directors. “He’s got to be the legend of history here. He’s in the book,” she said.
Di Ciero said he’s not sure when he’ll retire. “We both grew and matured at the same time,” he said of the city. “We just kind of got older together.”
