The City of Edmond welcomed a new city manager, A.J. Krieger, on Nov. 10, and as the calendar turns toward 2026, he has plenty of community priorities on his plate.
Krieger moved to Edmond from Firestone, Colorado, but he is originally from St. Louis, which he said he has always considered home. Throughout his life, Krieger has lived in Missouri, New York, Illinois, Colorado and now Oklahoma.
The Edmond City Council’s city manager selection process lasted nine months, beginning when Scot Rigby resigned in January 2025. Randy Entz served as interim city manager until Krieger was hired.
In the following Q&A, Krieger discusses his background, his early impressions of Edmond and what he hopes to achieve in the coming years. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and style.
What led you to pursue city leadership as a career path?
My first semester in grad school, I interned for the City of St. Louis. I interned for four different cities; two in the St. Louis area, and two in Illinois. I knew pretty early that I wanted to be a city manager.
What experiences have prepared you for this role?
I have worked for 31-plus years in local government and 22-plus as a city or town manager. I told the city council I feel like I’ve worked my whole career to get to Edmond.
As a young professional, I was very fortunate to work with and for some great men who took an interest in me and taught me. I’ve always given myself some credit for being smart enough to pay attention, listen and learn.
One in particular was a man named Steve Garman. He was the city manager in Decatur, Illinois, and I was an assistant city manager. With the exception of my dad, no other man had a greater impact on my life. He was a brilliant manager. Truly a visionary with a quick wit and great sense of humor. Every day, I still work to become the manager he was. Ironically, early in his career he worked in Oklahoma City.
What’s a past project you’ve worked on that brings you pride?
Truly, there are just so many. But what I’d say I’m most proud of and what’s always been the most rewarding is the relationships. I’m really proud that three of my former assistants went on to become successful managers, and my most recent assistant is well on her way to becoming the fourth.
What have you learned about Edmond so far?
I feel like I learn something new almost every day — and that’s part of the challenge; a learning that curve that feels pretty steep sometimes while still trying to help move critical projects/initiatives forward. Setting aside factoids for the moment, one thing I’ve learned is how proud Edmond residents are of their community and how their level of engagement impacts what we do.
What goals do you hope to achieve through this new role?Â
My professional goals in Edmond are pretty simple. I want to do everything I can to help the city council be successful. I want to give them good options and recommendations to help advance their priorities. I want the city to provide outstanding public service and for our staff to be seen as a value-added resource.
Personally, I have so much professional respect for retired city manager Larry Stevens and what he was able to accomplish here and the very high bar he set. This job is hard, and it requires someone to be all-in all the time. I feel a real sense of obligation to try to live up to the great standards that have been established here.
I’m still trying to think about the best way to articulate this, but my belief is that Edmond should be known as one of the truly outstanding cities in the United States — a place where residents feel safe, feel served, live in great neighborhoods, enjoy high-quality recreational amenities, visit great public gathering spaces filled with art and/or natural beauty, and can realize a real return on the investment they’ve made to live here.
What challenges do you foresee, and how do you plan to address them?Â
Every local government agency has challenges — growing revenue, finding new, better, more efficient ways to serve, recruit and retain the best and brightest, etc. After the recent sales tax election, I feel the city has a real responsibility to deliver results and a tangible return on the investment our residents have made. I’ve never seen tax measures pass by those margins. With that support comes a requirement to provide real value, and I’m focused on working with the city council and staff to make sure we deliver.
When did you first visit Edmond? What drew you to it?
My first visit was in the fall of 2021 as I was preparing to interview for the city manager opening then. I remember being so impressed by so many things. It obviously didn’t work out that time, but I always knew that if/when the job ever opened up again, I would apply. I felt like this time around the mix of challenges and opportunities lined up well with my professional experience and the things that I really love doing. I’ve told a few people that I’m not here accidentally. I want to be here, and I feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole career.
What has your transition from Colorado to Oklahoma been like so far? What are similarities and differences?
This is an interesting question, as there are some similarities. My last 15 or so years in Colorado were in two high-growth communities where the constant requirement was to balance and manage growth, grow our service capacity (infrastructure, utilities and people), and deliver a great return on resident investment. It’s where I developed an understanding that residents are generally fine with growth that’s happening around them and for them, just not to them. I sometimes call it a growth dividend — the idea that growth has to create opportunities and add value.
The actual transition has been great. I’ve met so many great people who have warmly welcomed me. I’m anxious for my wife and family (including our dogs!) to get here and experience what I have so far.
