Life, Well Run: Campaign lauds the role of city managers (with related video)

A two-minute time-lapse video that captures a day in the life of San Antonio kicks off “Life, Well Run,” a national campaign to raise awareness of the contributions professional local government managers make to cities, towns and counties in the United States. The campaign, an initiative of the Washington-based International City/County Management Association (ICMA), aims to help people learn how government operates and the role of the city manager in “building communities we’re proud to call home,” according to ICMA.

“San Antonio Lives” (watch the video below) follows some of the city’s landmarks, including the Alamo and the Riverwalk, ending with scenes of nightlife and entertainment. San Antonio is one of five pilot communities to be featured in the “Life, Well Run” campaign before its nationwide launch next year.

A promotional video for the campaign lauds the people who “think about those details” that help improve life in local communities. It cites examples such as “a light to find our way in the dark, a bike trail just down the road, an easy commute.”

San Antonio was selected as a pilot community for the program “because of its national reputation as a successful, well-managed city,” according to ICMA. The city has a triple-A general obligation bond rating from all three major bond-rating agencies.

In 2009, ICMA recognized City Manager Sheryl Sculley with an award for career excellence. Sculley increased the city’s financial reserves from 3 percent in 2006 to 9 percent in 2008, making San Antonio one of only two U.S. cities with a population of 1 million or more to earn Standard & Poor’s AAA rating.