Before this year, Jeffrey Dahl was a Woodbury resident like any other, but now, in his new role as city administrator, he is serving the community to help it thrive, he said.
“As soon as I saw the position, I was very attracted to it, and there was no question that I was going to apply,” Dahl said.
In July, Dahl was selected by the Woodbury City Council to fulfill the role of city administrator. The council spent months searching for the right fit, and Dahl, who beat out four other candidates, was someone who is personable, a strategic thinker and knows Woodbury well, Mayor Anne Burt said at his selection.
Being the city administrator is a tall task, Dahl said, with each day full of juggling tasks and managing projects. He compared the role to an executive director for a company’s board of directors: The board, being the city council, receives information and advice from the executive director, or city administrator. The council, however, is the one that ultimately sets the mission and directive. He and his team work to provide essential services and help the city of Woodbury reflect the vision of the council, he said.
“We’ve had really strong leadership at the council level, and that leadership takes stability and strength,” Dahl said. “We’ve had mayors and council members who really care about their community.”
Before Dahl, city administrator Clint Gridley served for 21 years. Dahl said the impact Gridley made on the city is invaluable, and his reputation is that of being an extremely effective and warm leader. Following in Gridley’s footsteps meant having big shoes to fill.
“I knew the shoes were big, but I’m ready for the challenge, and it’s just such a great community and organization,” Dahl said.
Coming full circle
Dahl has long held an interest in government and politics, he said. He received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s in political science from the University of Minnesota. Both degrees allowed him to understand internal government operations, the relationships with non-governmental organizations and how to foster stronger communities, he said.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the built environment of cities so that, really, kind of guided me in the community development realm of city government,” Dahl said.
Dahl previously served as a city administrator and development service director for the city of Osseo beginning in 2006. He then became an assistant city administrator in Chaska from 2012 to 2016 and was most recently the city manager of Wayzata.
He got his real start in city government, however, in his mid-20s, as a community development intern with the city of Woodbury.
“I learned that there’s a lot that goes into how a city ultimately evolves and develops … and it really gets down to what the community members and the community leaders’ mission, vision and values are for the community,” Dahl said.
Working for multiple Minnesota cities over the past decade, Dahl said he’s learned skills to help further community and economic development. On top of learning what it takes to build stronger communities, Dahl said he’s also learned who he is as a leader.
“Leadership to me is engaging, supporting and serving others for a common goal or direction,” Dahl said. “I don’t think it needs to be more complicated than that.”
Positivity, relationships
Dahl thinks of himself as having a warm demeanor and being easily approachable
“I think that makes it easier for me to connect with people of all backgrounds,” Dahl said. “I’m naturally a curious person and I like differences, so I’ll sometimes kind of prefer to make connections with people that may not be the same as me.”
His personality allows him to lead with positivity, he said, and home in on building relationships with community members. Over the years, he feels that he’s developed the confidence to serve communities well, in a way that encourages people to positively contribute to their surroundings, he said.
“In my opinion, that’s how you create a premier organization and premier community,” Dahl said. “I think that existed here even before I came, with the previous administrator and the people that we have. I wanted to serve in that type of environment.”
Another important factor in his leadership is being able to listen well and validate the feelings of others, he said. He won’t be able to solve everyone’s individual problems, he said, but still feels it’s important that community members feel seen, heard and valued by him.
While Dahl is still early on in his role and getting to know the ins and outs of Woodbury government, his current focus is getting to know his neighbors and organizations well, he said. He is looking forward to being involved with the city’s major projects, like the re-opening of Central Park, a permanent water treatment plant and public safety building renovation.
“I’m really just focusing right now on the relationships and making sure that our very smart and strategic staff have the support and resources they need to fully implement some of the huge projects that we’re working on,” Dahl said.
A father, husband and lover of the outdoors
In his personal life, Dahl is a father of two and a husband to his wife, Christine. Christine is a sustainability project manager for a national construction firm, and the two of them make each other stronger both personally and in their professional careers, he said.
Dahl’s favorite things about Woodbury are its location, amenities and landscape, he said. Being located within the Twin Cities, Dahl said he enjoys the ease of accessibility the city provides to many regional attractions — although he finds he doesn’t often have to leave because everything he needs is within the city itself.
“From an aesthetic perspective, the landscape is beautiful,” Dahl said. “The hills are rolling, we’ve got all different types of pine forests, we’ve got lakes, we’ve got marshes. The natural landscape is absolutely gorgeous.”
He said he marvels at how well the city prioritizes infrastructure in parks and essential services like parks and trails that are easily accessible to people with varying abilities. Woodbury is also” family-friendly,” “wonderfully growing,” and “surprisingly diverse,” he said.
An open door and hot dog policy
As new city administrator, Dahl prioritizes getting to know the residents and visitors of Woodbury and building strong relationships, he wants people to know that his door is always open to listening to their needs and concerns and offering support where he can.
He’s hoping residents’ doors might be open too …
“I love hot dogs,” Dahl said. “If they’re cooking hot dogs in their backyard, you know, I might smell them and might be curious.
“Aside from that, I’m here to serve them and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I really look forward to getting out in the community and meeting them.”
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