Penny Culbreth-Graft was sworn in as the new city manager for Colorado Springs on Monday.

Culbreth-Graft will encounter many challenges straight-away, starting with budget cuts due to drooping sales tax.

In response to the impending budget cut decisions, Culbreth-Graft says, "I'm actually attracted to cities that have some financial squeeze. It's actually an exciting thing to deal with, it's almost like pulling rabbits out of hats. But what you find is that the people that work most closely with it have the answers. They just need an opportunity to bring them together."

Hopefully logic will play more of a role than magic, but regardless Colorado Springs is excited to have a change in management.

Culbreth-Graft’s prior experience includes Huntington Beach city administrator, Grover Beach city manager and a doctorate in public administration from the University of La Verne, Calif.