City Manager

The City Manager's Office is responsible for the effective administration and operation of all municipal services for the city of Las Vegas. In addition, the office oversees all redevelopment and economic development. The office is overseen by City Manager Elizabeth N. Fretwell, Deputy City Managers Orlando Sanchez and James R. Nichols, and Chief Urban Redevelopment Officer Scott D. Adams. The City Manager's staff also tracks the progress of various projects, monitors the day-to-day activities of city departments and maintains intergovernmental relationships with the federal, state and other local governments. The office also oversees the city's diversity and community relations programs.

City Manager Elizabeth N. Fretwell

Elizabeth N. Fretwell was sworn in as city manager on Jan. 21, 2009. Ms. Fretwell joined the city in June 2000 as assistant city manager and was promoted to deputy city manager in March 2002. Ms. Fretwell oversees operations of the city, which has more than 3,000 employees and a budget of $1.4 billion. She also serves as the executive director of the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, charged with the economic revitalization of downtown Las Vegas.  In addition to the day-to-day management of the city’s operations,  Ms. Fretwell is extensively involved in several  key initiatives in the local government administration including citizen engagement, fundamental service review, sustainability, performance management, and diversity.

Prior to joining the city of Las Vegas, Ms. Fretwell held the position of intergovernmental relations director for the city of Henderson, Nevada, and prior to that she worked for Clark County, where she was involved in extensive public policy and organizational analysis. She also served as a lobbyist at the Nevada State Legislature for two sessions, including acting as chief lobbyist in 1997.

Currently, she serves as the past president of the Local Government Managers Association of Nevada (LOGMAN) and is a member of the International City/County Management Association Nominating Committee. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Nevada Public Radio Board of Directors. She previously served as a member on the Nevada Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) board.

She was recently named as a Woman to Watch in 2009 by In Business Las Vegas.

Ms. Fretwell is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration.

Deputy City Manager Orlando Sanchez

Orlando Sanchez was appointed deputy city manager in May 2006. He oversees the departments of the City Clerk, Human Resources, Leisure Services, Detention and Enforcement, Municipal Court and Information Technologies.

Prior to being named deputy city manager, Orlando served as the Neighborhood Services Department director, where he spearheaded many key, innovative plans and programs such as the 10-year Plan to end Homelessness; the Homeownership For Educators Program to assist teachers with housing costs; the Abandoned and Vacant Buildings Program to eliminate visible blight in neighborhoods; the EVOLVE Program to reintegrate ex-felons into productive lives; and a pilot program to help chronic inebriates.

Orlando has significant knowledge and experience with the city dating back to 1988, when he served as a management analyst with the then Department of Economic and Urban Development. As a Development Officer in Economic and Urban Development, he worked to promote and develop the Las Vegas Technology Center, the Spectrum of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Enterprise Park that brought jobs to where people lived, to reinvigorate economically lagging areas and cut commute times.  Since then, he has demonstrated his versatility and progressive leadership style with several departments in the city. As a facilities manager, he saved the city substantial money by standardizing and streamlining operations. His experience also includes work on the city’s long-term, comprehensive facility master plan.

Prior to joining the city of Las Vegas, Orlando served in the private sector as a branch manager for a financial institution. A native of Belen, New Mexico, Mr. Sanchez graduated from New Mexico State University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and later received a masters degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. In 2005, he was recognized as the “Emerging Public Administrator of the Year” by the American Society for Public Administration.

Deputy City Manager James R. Nichols

James R. Nichols began work as a deputy city manager with the city of Las Vegas on July 6, 2009. Nichols oversees the departments of Planning and Development, Public Works, Building and Safety, Fire & Rescue and Field Operations.

Prior to coming to the city of Las Vegas Nichols served as deputy city manager for the city of Goodyear, Ariz. for nearly four years. In Goodyear, Nichols managed the City Clerk, Parks and Recreation, Community Services, Engineering, Fire, Public Works and Water Resources departments. He also had oversight of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and citywide Strategic Planning functions.

Prior to being named Goodyear deputy city manager in September 2005, Nichols had spent more than a year as public works director for Surprise, Ariz. and five years as public works director and city engineer in Chehalis, Wash. Nichols also served as the quality control manager for a U.S. Navy construction project in Silverdale, Wash., as a project engineer for the city of Olympia, Wash. and as a staff engineer for a private sector engineering firm in Connecticut.

Nichols earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1994 and a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. Nichols is a licensed professional engineer in both Washington and Arizona. He has served as the state delegate for the American Public Works Association (APWA) and has authored two books that have been published by the organization.

Chief Urban Redevelopment Officer Scott D. Adams

Scott D. Adams was appointed to the newly-created position of chief urban redevelopment officer in April 2009. In this position, Mr. Adams oversees the Neighborhood Service department, the Office of Business Development and the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Adams previously served as the director of the city’s Office of Business Development as well as the operations officer for the city’s Redevelopment Agency.

Prior to joining the city, Mr. Adams held numerous positions in the field of urban economic development including those with Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, the city of Fort Lauderdale, the New Orleans Medical Center and the Jacksonville Downtown Development Authority, to name just a few.

During his career Mr. Adams has been instrumental in significant change in each community he has worked in through extensive involvement in master planning, public-private partnerships, and business attraction and development.  He has worked with some of the largest businesses and developers in America.

Hailing from Michigan, Mr. Adams is an Urban Planning graduate from Michigan State University, where he was given the American Institute of Planners Award as the top graduate. He is a frequent guest lecturer and is  on the Board of and a certified economic developer with the International Economic Development Council. He is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute and a past member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.