City manager has kept low profile

Penelope Culbreth-Graft isn't a household name in Colorado Springs.

Residents, few of whom would recognize her on the street, still expect a lot from her.

Culbreth-Graft, who marks a year as city manager Wednesday, oversees a host of city employees who keep the streets repaired, ensure buses run on time, enforce laws, extinguish fires and run recreational programs.

Culbreth-Graft has a life, too. She's married. She's a jogger and a lover of books. She enjoys sewing projects. She drives a hybrid SUV but isn't too pleased with its power or fuel economy.

In Culbreth-Graft's public life, though, she's the chief engineer who's supposed to keep the gears of city government moving. Observers said she's doing a fine job of it, too, despite difficult circumstances. City Councilwoman Jan Martin gave an assessment that's common among those inside and outside the government when she said she "couldn't be happier" with Culbreth-Graft's performance.

The city manager's deft handling of budget cuts and service reductions in 2008 and this year was particularly impressive, Martin said.

Previous city managers loomed large in the community with big personalities, grand projects and some fierce personality conflicts.

Culbreth-Graft, though, has deliberately kept her profile low. So low, in fact, that a spokeswoman advised Culbreth-Graft would be unlikely to grant a face-to-face interview for this story. The city manager responded to questions sent by e-mail.

"I'm intense and focused on my work," she said of her relatively discreet working style. "As far as being a public figure, I serve the public in the best way I know - hard work, creativity and dedication to my community."

It's not that Culbreth-Graft hides from public exposure, said Stephannie Finley, a vice president with the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce who's worked with the city manager on making city policies more friendly to businesses. Culbreth-Graft shows up at a business luncheon here or a community meeting there, but she's not the constant presence outside City Hall that some in her position have been.

Finley said Culbreth-Graft and top chamber officials met recently to review the results of the Nov. 4 election and examine political issues rising in 2009. Culbreth-Graft quickly offered to arrange a meeting between the city's senior staff and chamber officials. The results of those talks might not percolate up to a City Council meeting or another public forum for months, if ever, but that kind of interaction with the city government is essential for businesses to thrive, Finley said.

"Those are the kinds of behind-the-scenes things that are happening right now that a lot of people don't know about," Finley said.

The low-key approach works for Councilman Darryl Glenn. He voted to appoint Culbreth-Graft to the $210,000 a year job on Nov. 2, 2007.

Culbreth-Graft, who has a doctorate in public administration and had been a top administrator in several cities before coming here, has an outsider's perspective that Glenn said he views as valuable. She beat out two other finalists for the job, both of whom worked for Colorado Springs.

Glenn said he was impressed to see Culbreth-Graft rapidly identify a chief problem facing the city: rising costs and too little money. Under Culbreth-Graft's guidance, the city's 2009 budget declined $7.7 million from last year or about 2.1 percent. The cuts included nearly 100 layoffs.

"She's probably going to be more out-front once things die down a little bit," Glenn said. "But I'm more focused on her fixing some of the problems than her being out there and being a cheerleader for the community. ... We're paying her to run the city."

Mike Kazmierski, chief of the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp., said Culbreth-Graft is a "great partner" for his efforts to bring new jobs to the city and boost the economy.

"She is not afraid to challenge the ‘way things have always been' mind set and has already made significant changes in the city organization and operations that have improved the way they do business," Kazmierski said.

Like others, Kazmierski seemed aware of Culbreth-Graft's inclination to avoid the spotlight. Asked whether he could share an anecdote that illustrates her working style, Kazmierski said "many, but none that she would like to read about in the paper."

Former Colorado Springs Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace said she, too, is impressed with Culbreth-Graft, although Makepeace hasn't had much interaction with the city manager from her current perch as chief of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado.

"From the outside, it appears she is doing a good job in a very tough financial situation," Makepeace said. "The fact that council is not publicly excoriating her is also a good sign. My hope is that she has a long tenure in Colorado Springs. We can use the stability."

Makepeace knows first-hand that Colorado Springs city managers don't always get glowing reviews. She was a city councilwoman in 1990, during one of the more stormy periods between the City Council and the city manager. Mayor Bob Isaac, who held the office before Makepeace, had frequent and public clashes with then-City Manager Roy Pederson. At one point, Pederson accused Isaac of political grandstanding for opposing an increase in the property tax rate. Pederson quit several months later.

Pederson was one of four city managers to hold the job in five years. The next city manager, Richard Zickefoose, resigned in 1995, denying allegations of rampant racism in city government. His successor, Jim Mullen, resigned under pressure in 2002 after a combative relationship with the council. Then came Lorne Kramer, a former Colorado Springs police chief and a high-profile face of the city. When Kramer announced his retirement in May 2007, observers credited him with smoothing the office's relationship with the City Council.

Culbreth-Graft appears to be carrying on that tradition, but she shows no indication of trying to emulate previous city managers.

"She should be allowed to bring her own style to the job," said Finley of the chamber of commerce.

Contact the writer: 636-0187 or perry.swanson@gazette.com

TIMELINE: City Manager Penelope Culbreth-Graft's first year on the job

January 2008 - Starts new position after three and a half years as city administrator of Huntington Beach, Calif.
Spring - Creates a group of up-and-coming managers to take on new responsibilities such as an energy-efficiency project, called "Team Squared."
September - Tells business leaders at a luncheon she has directed city planning staff to work on annexing commercial development sites to boost sagging sales tax collections.
November - The City Council approves a $357.5 million budget for 2009, including service reductions in nearly all city departments and nearly 100 layoffs.
January 2009 - Warns more budget cuts are likely as sales tax collections continue to decline.