TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Twin Falls City Manager Travis Rothweiler was recently named the 10th best city manager in the nation by Gov Business Review, a recognition that highlights his 14-year tenure leading one of only two Idaho communities that utilize the city manager form of government.
WATCH: Twin Falls City Manager named 10th best in the nation!
Rothweiler took over for long-time City Manager Tom Courtney in 2011 after starting his career in Jerome. Since then, Twin Falls has experienced constant growth, development, and transformation.
"There are two in Idaho [McCall and Twin Falls], and sometimes you do feel like an endangered species, but there are more than 9,000 across the country— it's the most common form of government for communities of 500,000 people and down," Rothweiler said.
The transformation began with the introduction of Greek Yogurt production when Chobani established operations in Twin Falls.
"That Chobani recruitment initially started at about $128 million, and now that has grown to a company that could exceed 1.5 billion dollars of total investment," Rothweiler said.
Following Chobani's success, Clif Bar joined the community, transforming Twin Falls into a food processing leader in both products and workforce development.
"We've also seen the stalwarts in our community grow and expand; whether that be ConAgra, the Glanbia, the Falls Brands, the Amalgamated Sugars, those industries continue to develop," Rothweiler said.
Despite the national recognition, Rothweiler emphasized that the award reflects the collective efforts of his team.
"Really, I think this is an award that reflects the dedication of the 355 members of our organization who work hard every single day to deliver services to—not only 56,000 citizens— but the more than 50,000 additional people that come into our community daily," Rothweiler said.
With Twin Falls' success serving as an example, another Idaho city is considering adopting the city manager format.
On November 4, Ketchum voters will decide whether to move from a mayor-led format to a city manager/city council form of government.
Anne Corrock, a former Ketchum City Council member, supports the change.
"We're a complex community, being a resort, a little more complex than just a small town. We're looking for good governance, and we need excellent city officials that are elected, and we need an excellent management team to go with it," Corrock said.
WATCH: Ketchum is leaving it up to voters to decide which form of city government to adopt
When asked about advice for Ketchum voters, Rothweiler emphasized the importance of choosing the right person for the role.
"I think the first thing is that every citizen has to decide what is the best form for them. The second piece is how do we ensure that form is going to represent the needs of the community moving forward. Just as there are good city managers, there are probably some city managers that can be pointed to as an example that really don't meet that threshold. So I really think it's about that person and their willingness to go forward," Rothweiler said.
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