City Manager Sheryl Sculley is making greatstrides in her management of the Alamo City

While preparing for her first BostonMarathon in 2000, City Manager SherylSculley was often up at the crack of dawnto run about 60 miles per week in theArizona humidity and followed a strictregimen of proper nutrition and plentyof sleep to prepare her body to endurethe grueling 26.2 miles to complete therace.

Knowing this, it begs the question:Which is harder? Running 26.2 milesor being city manager of San Antonio,which involves overseeing a $2 billionannual operating budget?

“City manager,” Sculley says, laughing.“But it’s also exciting doing the BostonMarathon. Being city manager andknowing that working at a localgovernment level you are affectingpeople’s lives in a positive way is veryrewarding. And I get to work on adiversity of issues, which keeps myinterest.”

Since November 2005, the 56–yearoldIndiana native has impacted citygovernment and has drawn praise inthe process after arriving from Phoenix,where for 16 years she served as assistantcity manager. Under her watch thusfar, Sculley has appointed more than60 executives, including deputy andassistant city managers, as well asdepartment and assistant departmentdirectors.

Most impressive is her development ofa $550 million, five–year bond packagethat is the largest in San Antonio’shistory and which voters approved inMay 2007.

“One–third of positions were vacantor had interim appointments, so my firstresponsibility in the first couple of yearswas to make sure we had the right talentin the right positions,” she says, addingthat she appointed the fire chief, policechief, public works director, financedirector and director of the Convention& Visitors Bureau.

In addition, the city, Sculley says, hasincreased its general reserve fund, whichsupports police, fire, streets and parksservices, among others, from 3 percentto 9 percent of a $900 million budget.“We have a $90 million reserve for thegeneral fund, which should help ensurethe city’s financial stability through therecession,” she says.

Mayor Phil Hardberger considersthe recruitment and retention ofthe city manager one of the greatestaccomplishments of his term in office.

“I've often said that Sheryl Sculley isthe best city manager in the country,hands down,” Hardberger says. “I trulybelieve that, and I think I've been provenright in the more than three years sinceshe came to San Antonio.”

Not only has Sculley professionalizedcity government, Hardberger says,and helped it to run more efficiently,she literally has saved the city $47million. That comes from streamliningdepartments ($9 million), helping thecity achieve its first ever AAA bondrating from Standard and Poor's ($8million) and identifying approximately$30 million in remaining balances frompreviously funded bond projects goingback 25 years.

“When someone saves you that kind ofmoney, it makes sense that you want tokeep them,” he says. “I believe extendingher contract was the right thing to doand will continue to result in increasedefficiencies in city government overtime.”

Sculley, meanwhile, acknowledgesthere are pressing matters that requireimmediate attention.

“One is dealing with ourtransportation needs and working ona multi–modal approach of how weprovide basic transportation throughoutthe community,” she says. “We have a lotof congestion in a number of areas. Weneed to make sure there is connectivityand access to transportation so peoplecan get to their jobs.”

She compares her role as citymanager to that of a CEO of a $2 billion,diversified corporation that employs12,000 individuals and one that providespolice, fire, parks, library and otherservices. Her position, she admits, can bea bit daunting.

“It is an immense job andresponsibility because so many peoplerely on the city manager and theexecutive team,” Sculley says. “Thecity manager does not do it alone,and it takes a team of very talentedprofessionals to run the operationsof the city. We’re adding value to thecommunity in terms of improvingquality of services to the residents of SanAntonio.”

During the week, Sculley is up beforethe light of day and runs the treadmillwhile watching the 6 a.m. nationalnews in her downtown home along theRiverwalk. She also runs about five daysa week, if her schedule allows, on thestreets of downtown under the earlymorning cover of darkness.

It was after college graduation thatshe started running to get outdoors andrelieve stress from a municipal job inKalamazoo, Mich. After she turned 40,Sculley says she challenged herself to seeif she could run a marathon. Her firstwas the Chicago Marathon.

“I decided it was not that bad,”she says. “So I did the New YorkMarathon, and I thought, ‘I can do thiscompetitively.’ So I decided to try toqualify for the Boston Marathon. I ranit twice. It’s 90 percent discipline andmental and 10 percent physical ability.”

In November 2008, Sculley completedher ninth race, the San Antonio Rock ‘n’Roll Marathon. Although she downplaysthe role she had in working with SanAntonio Sports to get the marathon offthe ground, the non–profit’s executivedirector Dr. Susan Blackwood saysthe city manager’s contribution wasindispensable.

“The impact she had was herdetermination and encouragementthroughout the process in finding anorganization or company to put ona first–class event,” Blackwood says,“and help us develop a culture wherepeople would work hard to have a fitcommunity.”

Sculley, whose father, Bob Engerski, isa retired high school teacher and mother,Marilyn, was head of the household, isthe eldest of seven children, five girlsand two boys to be exact. She jokes thathaving so many siblings was like “beingin charge of a corporation since I was 5years old.”

What many people might be surprisedto learn is that Sculley attended Ball StateUniversity on a journalism scholarshipand had aspirations of being a politicalreporter, which explains why her minoris in political science. She even wrotefor the university newspaper, but her jobwith the City of Kalamazoo convincedher she enjoyed municipal governmentmuch better.

Because of her journalism background,does it make things easier when dealingwith the press? “I think it does,” she says,“and it also enables me to be very openwith the media. I have an open–doorpolicy. I regularly do interviews with theprint and electronic media, and I try toencourage new reporters.”

Ironically, Sculley’s 23–year–olddaughter, Courtney, already was livingin Texas, attending the University ofTexas at Austin where she graduatedin December 2008. “She came herebefore I even had an inkling about thisopportunity,” she says.

Her daughter and son, Collin, 21, areno doubt the city manager’s pride andjoy. The evidence is in the framed familyphotos that include her husband, Mike,on the desk and tables in her cozy officeat City Hall, adorned with marathonposters and a framed Spurs jersey, as wellas awards and certificates.

While the city manager has donemuch good for San Antonio, she againacknowledges there are things thatneed improvement, and she and herstaff are working diligently to resolvematters. In the meantime, she is contentliving in a city known for its warmthand friendliness and “fabulous Mexicanrestaurants.”

“I have residents who come up tome to this day and say thanks for beinghere and for the job you’re doing,”Sculley says. “It’s nice to know you’reappreciated.”

And just the same, it’s nice to know thecity manager cares about the quality oflife for San Antonians.