The Recreation Centers of Sun City West hired Stephen Erno as the new general manager starting  Tuesday, Sept. 3.

The RCSCW governing board hired Erno after  a nationwide search.

Erno comes to the association from Wickenburg, where he was the town manager. There he was responsible for managing a $76 million budget covering a wide variety of public services including police, fire, development services, finance, parks and recreation, library and additional municipal services. He guided the town council through work sessions to develop and adopt a multiyear strategic plan, something high on the list for the RCSCW governing board in the next year.

From 2016 to 2022, Erno was the neighborhood services manager for the city of Chandler. In that role, he oversaw a multilevel staff of 17 employees and was responsible for developing and administering the division’s $1.9 million budget. He formulated long-range plans, master plans and other strategic documents used in the city’s decision making.

While at Chandler, Erno took on additional interim roles, including acting director of the Neighborhood Resources Department and the Community Services Department.

From 2011 to 2016, he was code compliance manager for the city of Avondale.

Erno has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor's degree in public administration from Ottawa University. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association; the Arizona City/County Management Association, Arizona Parks and Recreation Association; and the International Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, among other organizations.

Interim General Manager Ken Olson, who was hired in April to fill the position temporarily during the search for a permanent general manager, will serve through Aug. 16.

NOTE: No contract length or salary amount was available at this time. We have reached out to RCSCW for further comment.