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Get to know Diana Langley, Louisville's
<br />new City Manager
<br />Louisville's new City Manager, Diana Langley, has been on
<br />the job since March 31. As she settles into our community
<br />and her new role, Louisville's own Mario the Miner sat down
<br />with Diana to ask the important questions.
<br />Mario: What does a City Manager actually do?
<br />Diana: Here in Louisville, the City Manager is responsible
<br />for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City,
<br />implementing the City Council's Work Plan and Priorities,
<br />providing organizational leadership, and managing the
<br />delivery of services, programs, and initiatives.
<br />You're coming to us from California. Why Louisville?
<br />For the last four years, my husband and I have visited our
<br />daughter in Golden. Every time we visited, we discussed the
<br />possibility of permanently moving to the area. When the City
<br />Manager position for Louisville opened, I researched the city,
<br />including watching Council meetings, and was impressed by
<br />the level of dedication to the community by the City Council,
<br />staff, and residents. I felt that I could contribute to Louisville,
<br />and that Louisville could become our home.
<br />You've been in Louisville almost three months now. How
<br />are you settling in?
<br />I love Louisville! Everyone has been very welcoming, and
<br />I'm enjoying meeting new people. I also appreciate the
<br />incredible recreational amenities that Louisville offers, and
<br />the beauty of our surrounding landscape.
<br />You've said yourself that Louisville has a very engaged
<br />community. How do you balance getting things done with
<br />hearing from the community on complex topics?
<br />Louisville is fortunate to have a very engaged community, with
<br />many residents serving on advisory boards and attending
<br />various meetings to provide input. It's important to solicit and
<br />listen to that input so that decisions aren't made in isolation.
<br />However, it can be difficult to balance getting things done
<br />with obtaining feedback from the community, particularly
<br />when public opinion is split.
<br />How do residents of Louisville get information about the
<br />City, including items going before the boards, commissions,
<br />and City Council for discussion and direction? How can we
<br />better engage early on so that residents have an opportunity
<br />to provide input on projects and are not surprised when the
<br />projects are implemented? These are the questions that
<br />my staff and I are discussing, with a focus on continuous
<br />improvement.
<br />If you could say one thing to every person in Louisville,
<br />what would it be?
<br />As your City Manager, I'm hoping
<br />that I can contribute to making
<br />Louisville a great place to live.
<br />How do you balance taking
<br />direction from City Council and
<br />making the best decisions for
<br />the community?
<br />The City Council are
<br />elected by the residents
<br />and set policy for the
<br />City, for the benefit of the
<br />community. My job as City
<br />Manager is to implement
<br />policy direction from the City Council and apply those policies
<br />to our day-to-day operations. The City Council's 2025 Work
<br />Plan focuses on economic vitality, core services, safety, and
<br />housing through the lenses of equity, diversity, and inclusion
<br />and environmental sustainability. Following the Work Plan
<br />provides a means to balance direction from the City Council
<br />with making beneficial decisions for the community.
<br />As you settle into your new role, what are your goals/what
<br />are you most excited to work on?
<br />There are a lot of exciting initiatives and projects in Louisville.
<br />Externally, I'm excited to work on establishing positive working
<br />relationships with community members, the City Council,
<br />staff, and other governmental agencies. I want people to
<br />view me as approachable, sincere, solution -oriented, and
<br />willing to listen to and consider varying viewpoints. Internally,
<br />I'm working to address staffing, systems, and stability within
<br />the organization. I'm evaluating core services and service
<br />levels, aligning the budget accordingly, improving processes
<br />to leverage technology and eliminate barriers, and working
<br />to stabilize staffing.
<br />Last, but not least: Would you rather fight one bear -sized
<br />duck or ten duck -sized bears?
<br />One bear -sized duck.
<br />Can you explain that answer?
<br />I feel like I'd have a hard time wrangling ten duck -sized bears!
<br />And I'd rather have one target than ten.
<br />Okay. That's fair. Thanks so much for your time. Welcome
<br />to Louisville!
<br />Thank you, Mario!
<br />LOUISVILLELANTERN SUMMER2025 L
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