Episode #227: Norton Bonaparte – Community Engagement and Building the Next Generation of Leaders in Sanford

Norton Bonaparte, City Manager of Sanford, joins host SteveVancore to share lessons from nearly 15 years of leading the city. Norton is passionate about volunteerism and serves on numerous community boards, viewingthat engagement not as an add-on but as a core responsibility of being city manager — meeting residents where they are rather than always expecting them to come to city hall.The conversation covers Sanford's growing population of over70,000, the financial challenges of adding a new fire station to keep pace with that growth, and an ongoing campaign to help residents better understand what services their property taxes fund. Norton also discusses a workforce development initiative built in partnership with the HR director to create a training pipeline for current and aspiring supervisors, ensuring they have the tools they need before stepping into leadership roles.