As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.”
That’s how Sedona City Manager Justin Clifton is feeling this week. With a mixed bag of emotions, he announced that he will soon be departing Sedona for the same position in Palm Springs, Calif. His first day there is set for Monday, April 5.
“It wasn’t like I was looking for new employment,” he said, adding that he keeps an eye on the profession and openings around the country. “So, I decided to peak under the hood at the Palm Springs position.”
Clifton’s decision was not solely based on the job. As a father of two, he and his wife, Shelley, feel that Palm Springs, with a population nearly five times that of Sedona, offers far more opportunities including those in terms of schools, afterschool programs and housing.
The current Palm Springs city manager has an annual salary of just over $352,000 per year, with benefits amounting to $487,000. Clifton was hired in spring 2015 with a base salary of $155,000 plus benefits.
Clifton chose to visit Palm Springs before even applying, which was around two months ago. He found the City Council there to be very engaged with the community, the same as he feels about the Sedona City Council.
“Justin has been a strong leader for Sedona and the Verde Valley and has transformed the way the city operates to the advantage of all of us,” Mayor Sandy Moriarty said. “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with him and he has been invaluable to me as the mayor in carrying out my duties, and as a friend.
“Good relationships bring a great learning experience for all involved, so I believe Justin leaves all of us at the city in a better place. Sedona’s loss is Palm Springs’ gain, but Justin has left us with a very strong team as we move forward in the future. I wish him only the best in his new position and will always be grateful for what he has done for our community.”
The more he saw, the more he liked about Palm Springs but at the same time, he knew that if offered the job, saying goodbye to Sedona would not be easy.
“I have a very strong bond with our team members and a tremendous amount of loyalty to and from city council,” he said. “We fell in love with Sedona and I never thought there would be a better opportunity for me than this job. But this new challenge is a real draw for me.”
Because he’s saying goodbye to people he’s worked closely with the past five and a half years, he said it resulted in several sleepless nights as he made his decision.
“I’ve really come to care for these people,” he said. “They really are like family and it hurt to have to tell them I was leaving. In some ways it felt like I was abandoning them.”
But he said that with new blood at the position comes new opportunities for those who may apply and for the council to go in a different direction.
“When I step back and think about it, I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish,” he said Monday, Jan. 25. “I’ll definitely miss it.”
