The situation could not have been much worse. When John Stunson was appointed city manager of Oakland Park, FL in 2001 the city was near bankruptcy. Poor management decisions in the 1990s found the city to be without funds to cover vital services and build needed facilities. Infrastructure was crumbling, and although the city was prone to flooding, no master stormwater plan had been implemented. On top of all that, all this mismanagement led to a lack of trust within the community toward the local government. No money; no plans; no trust. Who wouldn’t want a job like that?

A seasoned professional, Stunson stepped up and began by injecting transparency and a sense of collaboration into the process. Simultaneously, he tackled the lack of planning, and involved elected officials and senior staff in strategic planning sessions to develop vision and mission statements for the city, which served as a strong foundation from which the city could make a comeback.

With the commission’s support, utility rates and sanitation and permitting fees were increased to pay for essential services and to cover the debt service needed for capital improvement projects; a fire service fee was instituted to stabilize the budget; and departments were reorganized to reduce staffing and cut expenses.

To promote the revitalization of Oakland Park, Stunson used a slum and blight study by a community redevelopment agency to capture the needed funding for redevelopment projects. He also ushered in ordinances that opened the door for development opportunities in transit, economic development, and entertainment. During this time, the city received two awards from the Florida Redevelopment Association. The overall revitalization efforts created excitement and positive press for Oakland Park for the first time in many years.

Having pledged to be more responsive to its citizens, the city upgraded its cable system to ensure that all residences within its boundaries have access to the live commission meetings. It also added an AM radio station for continuous communication, especially during the hurricane season, and a full-time public information officer to oversee and coordinate the quarterly newsletter, the website, the local cable channel, and the radio address. The city also instituted a local government academy to allow residents to get first-hand knowledge about how the city operates so they could better understand the complex issues facing city employees.

Today the city is financially stable and residents are proud to call Oakland Park home. Now, largely because of the leadership of John Stunson, Oakland Park has gained a reputation as a city on the move.