STURGIS - The Sturgis City Council at its Monday meeting announced the hiring of David Boone as the city's first manager.
Boone is currently the director of economic development in Mexico, Mo., and has 19 years of experience in city government.
Boone's tentative start date is Dec. 1.
Last week, during his interview of the three finalists, Boone said his strengths are economic development, utilities management, project management and community relations.
"My philosophy on local government is I believe an open, honest, equitable government that's responsive to and meets the needs of its citizens," he said.
"One of the reasons I'm in this business is because I get a great deal of satisfaction out of improving the quality of life for the citizens that I serve," Boone said. "That's what this is really all about; that's what this job is about."
Communication is another important issue with Boone, who said it was a two-way street.
"If I'm selected as your city manager, you will see a very strong communication effort. We will seek out a number of ways to take input. I can guarantee you that you will be kept informed of the city's activities," Boone said. "We will take your input and consider it when we make decisions on how to improve services. The city is in the service business."
Boone says he is a strong believer in the three Cs of city government: Continuous improvement, citizen satisfaction and community involvement.
"You can't do this job sitting behind a desk with your door closed," he said. "You have to be out in the community, seeing and being seen."
Boone is familiar with Sturgis, having attended the Sturgis motorcycle rally six or seven times.
"This is a great community, and you have a lot to be proud of," Boone said. "The rally is a tremendous opportunity for the community, and you can only build and enhance and improve on that."
Boone said the motorcycle rally is a longstanding economic force in the community.
"It seems to me that there is plenty of opportunity here to enhance and improve upon the rally," he said.
The other two candidates for the city manager job were Jane Berry, Greene, N.Y. and Joe Neeb, Dryer, Ind.
