Tom Leeson, Steamboat Springs’ newly appointed city manager, embodies the spirit of a true Coloradan. 

Leeson was born in England and lived in New England before his family moved to Denver in 1977, when he was in third grade. He fondly recalls a city that was more of a “big town” back then, with reasonable traffic and a downtown that emptied after business hours. 

“When I go to Denver now, I sort of miss the old days, but I loved growing up in Denver,” said Leeson. “It was a great, great city to grow up in.” 

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After high school, and with family roots in New England, Leeson decided to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. But the pull of Colorado’s blue skies, abundant sunshine and outdoor opportunities proved too strong to resist, he said.

Returning to Colorado, Leeson worked for three years as a broker associate at Prudential Trimontane Real Estate, a full-service brokerage firm in Steamboat. He then worked as a planning associate at Clarion Associates for nearly a year-and-a-half, where he managed a wide range of land use and planning projects, including policy development and growth management strategies.

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Over the next decade, he worked his way up in Steamboat’s city government, from assistant director and senior planner from 2000 to 2005 to director of planning and community development from 2005 to 2010. Leeson’s career path then took him to Washington D.C. for slightly over two years and Fort Collins for nearly eight, the latter of which he said broadened his perspective on leadership in local government. 

“When I was (in Steamboat) from 2000 to 2010, my primary focus was land-use planning, community development. I never really imagined at that time that I would be getting into municipal leadership,” said Leeson. “It wasn’t until I worked for the city of Fort Collins that I really learned a lot about municipal leadership, how a really effective and efficient government can be run and became a lot more interested in that element of it.”

In 2020, Leeson returned to Steamboat Springs as deputy city manager, a role he saw as a natural next step. Former city manager Gary Suiter had reorganized the department and created the deputy city manager position, allowing Leeson to apply the lessons learned from his time in Fort Collins and take a holistic approach to improving city operations in Steamboat. 

As Steamboat Springs’ new city manager, Leeson identifies affordable housing as the most pressing issue, a problem that has only worsened since his time as planning director in the mid-2000s. Leeson expressed concern about the potential loss of the middle class and the changing character of the community, issues he sees as intrinsically linked to the housing crisis.

“Steamboat has always been known as a community with a world-class ski resort … and it was a place where you really could come, raise a family, live this high-quality of life, have this world-class resort, and have a great education for your kids,” said Leeson. “And it’s beginning to slip away – just that ability to really hold a normal job, make your income here, and make a living here from the community, as opposed to wealth from somewhere else. And that’s beginning to slip away, and that’s changing the character of the community.”

Leeson’s approach to tackling these challenges is rooted in collaboration and partnership. He emphasized the importance of working with various stakeholders, including other government entities, nonprofits, private businesses, and key players like the ski corporation and the hospital. His vision is of a community where all parties work together to create a great place to live, despite potentially differing interests and directions.

Looking ahead, one of Leeson’s priorities in his first year as city manager is to make progress on the Brown Ranch development effort, a project he sees as crucial to addressing the city’s housing needs. He is also committed to continuing the city’s work on performance excellence, aiming to make Steamboat Springs’ government even more efficient and effective.

“I think it’s important for the community to understand that, in my opinion, the city of Steamboat Springs is highly efficient and very fiscally responsible. And we punch out of our weight class in terms of providing a level of service that the community expects with really very limited resources,” said Leeson. “We can’t do everything that everyone wants us to do, but we come close to it.” 

Outside of his professional life, Leeson is an avid outdoor enthusiast. Mountain biking holds a special place in his heart, with early morning rides on Emerald Mountain being one of his favorite activities. Perhaps surprisingly, he says, he has been an avid birder his whole life, and can often identify birds by their sound alone. 

Married with two adult daughters, Leeson strives to maintain what he refers to as a “tango” between his work and personal life. He credits his mother, who worked in urban planning herself, and his stepfather, a doctor, for instilling in him a strong work ethic coupled with an appreciation for travel and leisure.

As he steps into his new role, Leeson brings a combination of local knowledge, diverse experience, and a passion for both the outdoors and productive governance. 

“I’m really excited for this opportunity … I had a lot of support from city council and from the community, and I’m grateful for that,” said Leeson. “And anytime anyone wants to come in and have a conversation, my door’s always open, and I’m looking forward to it.”