Sand City becomes the first city on the Monterey Peninsula to hire a woman as city manager.

Sand City has long had the most idiosyncratic identity of any place on the Monterey Peninsula, and on March 15, its City Council made a decision that sets it apart even more: The council hired a woman to be the next city manager.

In many ways, things will stay the same. That woman, Vibeke Norgaard, is still – for the time being – the city attorney, and since former city manager Aaron Blair resigned last November to take a private-sector job in Oklahoma, she’s also been the acting city manager.

This came after the council reviewed more than 20 candidates, and ultimately decided their best choice was someone who already worked in city hall.

A word that repeatedly comes up when Mayor Mary Ann Carbone describes Norgaard is “ethical.” Carbone says, “She had that little bit of a cutting edge… She seems like she’s going to be a great fit for the city.”

Council hopes the fit will be seamless, as Norgaard already has a good understanding of the various projects the city has in the pipeline, like the 356-unit South of Tioga development.

“Part of my vision,” she says, “is continuing the wonderful vision that Aaron started that put Sand City on the map from an arts perspective.”

Norgaard, who was born in South Africa, grew up in Denmark and later moved to California in her teenage years, emphasizes that it’s not her vision alone: “I see the council as the ‘what,’ and I am the ‘how,’” she says. “We’re very aligned.”

As for the city attorney position, the city – in the immediate future, at least – will be tapping the law firm Meyers Nave, which already has a contract with the city to provide legal services.