Seth Hoffman, the City of Lone Tree’s city manager, has been elected to serve as president of the Colorado Municipal League’s executive board.
“Being elected president gives me the chance to highlight the exciting things happening in Lone Tree,” Hoffman said.
Established in the early 1920s, the Colorado Municipal League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents about 270 cities and towns across the state.
The league lobbies at the state Capitol for the interests of municipalities, aiming to further develop and improve municipal governance.
Through policy discussions, the league’s representatives learn about various topics – such as public works, policing and education – then compare other cities and towns to see what policies work and look for solutions to certain problems.
At an annual business meeting, the representatives work to establish policy directions, in which the executive board plays a vital role.
The executive board is made up of 21 municipal elected officials and staff members who are responsible for the overall finances, management and policy direction of the league. The members must also stay up-to-date on trends in civic, state and national affairs that may have an impact on a member municipality.
Hoffman has been a member of the Colorado Municipal League for more than 20 years – serving three of those on the executive board. He has also served in the league’s municipal caucus and as a board member for the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance.
“(I) have learned a lot from them,” said Hoffman. “So this is a great opportunity to give back.”
As president of the executive board, Hoffman will be representing the board’s medium-population category, which is 8,000 to 59,999 people. He will also work with the league’s executive director and represent the league to the National League of Cities.
His term is set to expire in June 2026, after which, he will continue to serve as the league’s immediate past president through June 2027.
Hoffman has had years of experience in city development during his time with Lone Tree.
Before he became the city manager in 2013, he served as the deputy city manager and the economic development director. During that time, he conducted several expansion, retention and relocation negotiations on multiple high-profile projects.
These included Charles Schwab, Kiewit Corporation and retailers like Cabela’s.
As city manager, he is involved in every part of the city, as he provides leadership to the Lone Tree Police Department, finance, economic development, administrative services, public works, the arts center and more.
Looking forward to the upcoming year serving his new role with the municipal league, Hoffman told Colorado Community Media that he aims to advocate for local decision-making. He added that the State Legislature has created several new laws that attempt to override local zoning and land use laws, despite being protected by the Colorado Constitution.
“We are going to continue to preserve the ability of cities like Lone Tree to govern locally,” said Hoffman. “State mandates shouldn’t drown out community voices.”