developing effective relationships with elected officials
TRANSCRIPT
Developing Effective Relationships with Elected Officials webinar
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, Thursday, March 5, 2015
Cal-ICMA Coaching Program in partnership with ICMA State Association Coaching
Partners: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin
*** Advance registration required for this no-charge webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2521933691931682562 Webinar topics: 1. What’s critical in working effectively with elected officials? 2. What are some pitfalls to avoid? 3. What are the roles that employees at any level can play to enhance working relationships with elected officials? Presenters: * Wes Hare, City Manager, Albany, OR * Jim Keene, City Manager, Palo Alto, CA * Dan Morgado, Town Manager, Shrewsbury, MA Audience: all employees 1. Register in advance for the webinar: There is no charge for participating in the webinars, but each requires advance registration. *** Advance registration required for this no-charge webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2521933691931682562 2. Connect with the webinar and audio: Use your logon information from the email confirmation you receive via email from GoToWebinar. We recommend the telephone option dial-in number provided by GoToWebinar for sound quality. Depending upon your internet connection, VOIP option for audio (computer speakers) can have delays or sound quality issues. 3. Ask questions: You may submit questions anonymously via email to [email protected] in advance or via the webinar during the panel discussion. As moderator for the session, Don Maruska will pose the questions. 4. Presenters’ presentation materials: We post these with the Agenda at “Agendas & Archives” tab of www.cal-icma.org/coaching. A PDF of the presentation materials will be available at least 2 hours before the webinar.
After a webinar occurs, a digital recording along with a PDF of the presentation materials and results of the polling questions will be available after 24 hours at the "Agendas & Archives" tab of www.cal-icma.org/coaching. Post-Webinar Group Discussions Many agencies are organizing groups to participate in the webinars (live or recorded) and discuss the topics among themselves after the webinars. Some are summarizing their discussions and distributing them to managers throughout their organizations. Use the Coaching Program as an effective way to enhance professional development in your agency. Here are some discussion starters for this session. a. In which areas would our agency like to enhance its relationships with our elected officials? b. How can we use the ideas from this webinar to boost results? c. What action steps do we plan to take? d. What additional resources will we tap? MORE RESOURCES--See the "Coaching Corner" at www.cal-icma.org/coaching for valuable resources to boost your career. Sign up for the complimentary email list to keep informed of the details for future Cal-ICMA sessions and other resources at www.cal-icma.org/coachingList. We appreciate the sponsors for the Cal-ICMA Coaching Program. They include: Platinum Sponsors: ICMA and CA Communities Joint Powers Authority Gold Sponsors: California City Management Foundation and Chevron Silver Sponsors: Alliant Insurance Services, County Administrative Officers Association of California, Granicus, Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC), Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC), Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS), Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai Public Law Group, and Townsend Public Affairs Bronze Sponsors: California Special Districts Association, County Personnel Administrators Association of California (CPAAC), Davenport Institute for Public Engagement at Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy, International Hispanic Network, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, Stifel Nicolaus, and Women Leading Government Enjoy the resources and support to thrive in local government. Don Maruska, MBA, JD, Master Certified Coach Director, Cal-ICMA Coaching Program Author of “Take Charge of Your Talent” www.TakeChargeofYourTalent.com
Wes Hare, City Manager, Albany, OR Wes Hare, city manager of Albany, began his career with Oregon cities as an intern for Lowell in 1987. Following completion of a graduate program in public administration at the University of Oregon, he was hired as the city administrator in Oakridge in 1988. Wes worked in Oakridge for more than 7 seven years before being named La Grande’s city manager in 1995. He began work in Albany in August 2005. Wes has done international development work for the International City-County Management Association in Indonesia, Iraq, Croatia, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Morocco, Afghanistan and Jordan over the past decade. He was awarded the University of Oregon’s Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management in 2004 and the League of Oregon Cities’ Herman Kehrli Award for “countless contributions to city government in Oregon” in 2001.
Wes is a U.S. Navy veteran who has lived most of his life in Oregon and now manages the city where members of his family settled in 1851. He has been married to Evelyn for 41 years and they have four grown children who have produced 14 grandchildren (so far).
Dan Morgado, Town Manager, Shrewsbury, MA Mr. Morgado is the current Town Manager for the Town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts appointed in September of 1997. Mr. Morgado previously served as the Town of Grafton’s first Town Administrator for a period of ten years. Prior positions held by Mr. Morgado include Town Administrator of the Towns of Easton and Blackstone, Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager of Shrewsbury and as Executive Secretary to the Board of Selectmen in his hometown of Swansea. His initial experience in the field of public administration was as a college student he was elected to the Planning Board of the Town of Swansea at the age of 21. He is a graduate of Bridgewater State College and holds a MPA from Clark University. Mr. Morgado has for twenty-two years served as an instructor in the Clark University MPA Program teaching several different courses but specializing in the area of Policy Analysis and Local Government Management. He has served over the years in various capacities on a number of committee and statewide task forces all associated with local government through his association with
the Massachusetts Municipal Association. He was most recently a member of the Special Commission to Study Retiree Healthcare and other Non-Pension Benefits (OPEB Commissions) and is a past Management Chairman of the Joint Labor Management Committee for Municipal Police and Fire.
Jim Keene, City Manager, Palo Alto, CA James Keene’s long career in public service has been dedicated to the American experiment in self-government. Plato said (self-servingly perhaps) “there is no place in the City for a philosopher, except at its helm.” Mr. Keene has taken that path, serving in leadership positions in local government across the United States, primarily as a city manager. He believes that the future of the world depends upon how we live together in cities. He is currently the City Manager of Palo Alto, California (since 2008). He has previously served as the City Manager of Berkeley, California and Tucson, Arizona. At times he has described himself as the Pac-12 City Manager. Formerly, he served as the Executive Director of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and as a County Manager in Arizona (Flagstaff, Sedona, Grand Canyon). Most recently, he was the Director of Strategic Issues and ICMA West for the International City and County Management Association and President of the Alliance for Innovation. Mr. Keene began his government career in the Washington D.C. area. He served as Deputy County Administrator for planning, development, and preservation in Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County, as it transitioned to one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Earlier, he held several positions in Maryland. Professional Affiliations Mr. Keene is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration; a Board Member of the Institute for Local Government in California (ILG); the Alliance for Innovation; and Joint Venture Silicon Valley. He serves on ICMA’s Sustainability Task Force and teaches in Executive Programs at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Virginia, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and in other forums. Quote “Aristotle said, ‘The city is a partnership for living well’. Today, more than ever before, the future of our world depends on how we live together in cities. The city confronts us with the reality that we cannot escape from each other. Our destinies as citizens are intertwined—with how our families grow, how our businesses thrive, how we respect and care for our environment, and how we govern ourselves. In our time, the life of our
cities will depend upon how we create and nurture our own partnerships for living well.”—James Keene
Developing Effective Relationships with Elected Officials
Coaching Program Webinar, March 5, 2015
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Coaching Program: 12th year
Preparing the Next Generation Committee
Gold Sponsors: California City Management Foundation and Chevron
Silver Sponsors: Alliant Insurance Services, County Administrative Officers Association of California, Granicus, Municipal Management Association of
Northern California, Municipal Management Association of Southern California, Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS), Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai Public
Law Group, and Townsend Public Affairs
Platinum Sponsors: ICMA
California Communities Joint Powers Authority
Bronze Sponsors: California Special Districts Association, County Personnel Administrators Association (CPAAC), Davenport Institute for Public Engagement at Pepperdine,
International Hispanic Network, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, Stifel Nicolaus, and Women Leading Government
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Overview of Session
1. What’s critical in working effectively with elected officials? 2. What are some pitfalls to avoid? 3. What are the roles that employees at any level can play to
enhance working relationships with elected officials? • Wes Hare, City Manager, Albany, OR • Dan Morgado, Town Manager, Shrewsbury, MA • Jim Keene, City Manager, Palo Alto, CA
• Don Maruska, Director, Cal-ICMA Coaching Program
…and polls and questions along the way.
Polling Question #1
How many people are participating at your location?
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Developing Effective Council Relationships in Oregon
Most Important 1. Effective Council Relations require basic human relations skills 2. Nothing will substitute for success 3. Managers have a responsibility to make council relationships
work -
Success & Competence •Get things done that the council wants done
•Demonstrate efficiencies and effectiveness
•Provide reasons to celebrate – then celebrate
Respect
•Views different from your own •The importance of courtesy •Your own limitations
Integrity •Painfully honest •Observe the Code •Coin tosses go to the City
Communications
•Empathetic •Explicit •Frequent
Kindness
Responsive
Anticipate
Taking Advantage of Tourism
Stories from Oregon
Appreciative
Farmland near Albany, Oregon
The End
Polling Question #2
What’s your role?
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Developing Effective Relationships with Elected
Officials
Dan Morgado Town Manager, Shrewsbury, MA
Developing Effective Relationships
Expectations
Communication Implementation
Expectations During the interview process, determine the
value system and the predominate decision making model in play that influence the community’s organizational environment.
Never forget what you are offering to the community as a management professional: Technical competency Informed long range vision Political neutrality A principled commitment to serve the public interest
Expectations Respect the pressures placed upon elected
officials. Understand always the nature of the relationship between the expressing authority and the executing authority.
Communication POSDCORB is what we learned in
organizational behavior but focus on RUCR Reduction of Uncertainty Contingency Response
To assist in communication and coordination know when to go informal and when to go formal. Think circular not linear and “never send the memo”
Implementation Nothing happens without infrastructure.
Prepare your Board/Council for implementation.
Understand the tasks and expectations that you take on, in affect, control the boundary lines of the playing field and where no field exists create those lines.
It is not your community, never create a you v. them situation.
Implementation Know the limits of your job.
Capacity
Authority
Value
Polling Question #3
Where do you see opportunities for improvement in relationships with elected officials?
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Council-Manager Relations Leadership, “Staying Alive”, Health
James Keene
City Manager, Palo Alto, California
True Partnership
1. Staff & Board have very different roles, world view, feedback loops, reward systems
2. Navigating the boundary between Board and Staff is the challenge (blurred, shifting, moving) 3. Manager role is political*. Leadership: Adaptive not technical work. *Little “p”
Setting ● Foundations ● Skills/Perspectives
Setting
• “All the easy stuff has been done”
• “If it wasn’t this hard, they wouldn’t need us”
Right Job
• Right Place
• Right Time
• Right People
Life is Change
• Events
• Elections
• Where you are in your life
• Personality & Skills
Characteristic Politics City/County Mgr Administration ___________________________________________________________ Activity Game Problem Solving Players Representatives Experts Conversation “What do you hear?” “What do you know?” Pieces Interests/symbols Information, $, people, things Currency Power Knowledge Dynamics Conflict, compromise, change Harmony, cooperation, continuity
Courtesy of John Nalbandian
Council-Manager Roles are Different
Council / Board
Staff
Borderlands Borderlands Borderlands Borderlands Borderlands
Council/Board Today
Councils/Boards have many different role players and personalities Times, boundaries, roles have changed -- blurred, dynamic Importance of Mayoral/Chair facilitative leadership Many different definitions of community –Identity Politics Diversity District elections Complexity of problems: known interdependence More activists & single issue candidates Activist, ombudsman, full-time job Social media
Manager Today
• Manager
• Leader • Convener
• Multi-lingual
• Translator
• Coach
Adaptive Work
Leadership is an activity. Leadership and authority are different.
Technical work is the mode of action to deal with routine problems, utilizing current know-how by authorities.
Adaptive work is the mode of action to deal with problems that involve a conflict of values and that require innovation and learning
by those with the problem. Leadership is adaptive work.
"Tackling tough problems—problems that often require an evolution of values [a transformation]—is the end of leadership. Getting that
work done is its essence."
(Leadership w/o Easy Answers, p 26).
Leadership
Ca Manager’s Survey Challenges in Governing Board Relations
Technical Issues 31% Relationship Issues 69% Relations with Council 38% Relations with individual Councilmember 72% ** Defining & Maintaining Roles 64% Personality/interpersonal relationships 58% Policy Issues 63% Financial issues 65% Staff performance 58% CM/Councilmember conflict 36% Councilmember/Councilmember conflict 71% ** Data for “Occasionally – Always” or “Somewhat –To a Great Extent”
Polling Question #4
To what extent has a relationship with an elected official posed problems for you in your career?
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Partnership:
Good management can’t overcome bad politics
John Nalbandian
How do you lead people you work for?
Staying Alive
Foundations
Politics
Manager/CAO
Administration
Dept Dept Dept
Model from John Nalbandian
New Border
Strong Staff Team
Old
External Relationships
• Media
• Social Media
• Community
• Profession
Council
• Council is a Board Treat all equally; no favorites; no surprises. Orientation, retreats, goal-setting, governance protocols. Social time if possible.
• Council includes individuals Relate to the person; understand their perceptions and style. Make individual time. Guard against friendships.
• Good Mayor or Board Chair (CGO) is key.
Skills/Perspectives
• Humor
• EQ
• Right Brain
• Support, respond, coach, steer, counsel, advocate, oppose
• Communicate, communicate, communicate, communicate
• Resiliency
• A life and identity outside the job
Polling Question #5
Which of the following would help improve relationships between elected officials and your agency?
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More Resources and Feedback
• Go to “Agenda & Archives” tab at web site for a recording of this webinar (available in 24 hours) and other professional development resources.
www.cal-icma.org/coaching • Please complete the follow up survey.
Find helpful resources online www.cal-icma.org/coaching
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Registration links for all 2015 webinars
Agenda packets and recordings of past
webinars
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presentation materials are in Agenda packet—note: you can use your browser to save and/or print items
from the Agenda packet
video recordings
Post-Webinar Discussion Questions
a. In which areas would our agency like to enhance its relationships with our elected officials?
b. How can we use the ideas from this webinar to boost results?
c. What action steps do we plan to take? d. What additional resources will we tap?
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Polling Question #6
How was the webinar of value for you and your agency?
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Contacts for Today’s Session
• Wes Hare, City Manager, Albany, OR [email protected]
• Dan Morgado, Town Manager, Shrewsbury, MA [email protected] • Jim Keene, City Manager, Palo Alto, CA [email protected]
• Don Maruska, Director, Cal-ICMA Coaching Program [email protected] A PDF of the PPT, results from polling questions, and a video recording will be
available in 24 hours. Go to www.cal-icma.org/coaching and click on “Agenda & Archives” tab.
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Register for upcoming webinars
“Best Practices in Strategic Planning and Action” 1-2:30 p.m. PT, Wednesday, April 1 Click here to register for this particular webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1927327699237980417
Registration links for all webinars are at www.cal-icma.org/coaching
Polling Results from “Developing Effective Relationships with Elected Officials” – webinar
March 5, 2015
386 locations; 924 estimated participants in live audience
SPECIAL SECTION
by James Keene, fohn Nalbandian, Robert O'Neill, tr.,Shannon Portillo, and fames Svara
How ProfessionalsGan Add Value to
Their CommunitiesAnd 0rganizations
very so often, members of a profession look inward, asking themselves such
questions as these:
o What are the enduring qualities that anchor our profession?
o How are we changing and what is driving the change?
o How do the enduring elements and contemporary changes affect our under-standing, first, of who we are as professionals and, second, of what value we add
to society?
The fact that professionals engage with these questions helps their professionsto assert their sense of worth, to foster their members' continuing commitment,and to convey to others the value of their work.
This last point-conveying to others the value of a profession-is crucial to thatprofession's legitimacy, which is rooted in external judgments. Legitimacy itselfleads to the respect, trust, and discretion needed to do good work without inordi-nate supervision.
Public Management March 2007
Some fundamenLal forces are shaping the publics view o[ professional-isrn in Iocal government. On thc onehand. increasingll, lamiliar as thcpublit r. u ith modcrn .uii( l\ . d.rmi-nation b), cornplex organizations.lhc (onccpl ol a rhi,I adnrinistratrrcollicer (CAO) has become r-nore andmorc lamiliar and accepted. For man)'people, it rvould be odd to think ofa c0mplex organization without anadministrative director. selected onthe basis of merit. In this context. thepublic has grown accustorned to theposition o[ local governmenl manager,even iI citizens are unlamiliar u,ith thespecific term.
While it may be iliilicult for man-agers and academics to articulatesatis[actorily what the manageractuall_v does, to say sirnply "She
or hc is thc chief administrativcoltccr ol Lhr communit), a multimillion dollar operation with Xnumbcr oI crnplo,vces thal ensurespublic saletll clcans your water,treats and eliminates your se\r'age,picks up lour trash, manages the
.lail and c,rurts- fixes your streets-plans lbr the communit,r'-s future,maintains open space and parks,and administcrs X number o[ pro-grams and other services probablvconveys more than enough infor-mation to average citizens.
l'cople can till irr Lhe gaps, cog-nitively connecting a "cil)y'countyCAO" with a business CEO. Whilewe nrav not lvish to be equaLed tothe world of the business CEO. theconnection is not bad as a means ofcrcating legitinracy for the professiono[ local government management.
On the other hand. wc havcgrown tired of hearing rhar the gov-enrrrcnt oughl lo olerille lrkr: r husi-ness, knolving that values like repre-sentation. social equitli and individualrighrs influencc tnan:rgeri;rl rvork as
much as tire value ol cl{icicncy ln thisscnse, managers have to distinguishthemselves from the business CEC)and the world o[ business.
In the scholar)l community andin thc practirionerl u,orid, the taskis to driru rrn rhe l.rrniliariry rhar ciri.zens feel r.r'ith the concepr of a CEO
lC l.'lA.or8/pm
and then shape it to fashion a highlyspecilic imagc uniqur t() cil)/countvrnanagernent. ICMAs professionalismprcrject and thc practices presentedin this article have bcen developedtoward this goal bl the ICMA TaskForce on Professionalism. But the taskoI articulating the special value oIthc lrreal torernnrent prolession.rl r.a major challcnge. for historical andconcePtual reasons.
SOME HISTORICAL ANDFORI{AL PROBLEMSTraditional)1', the position of the lo-cal government administrative pro-lessional has been associated rl,'ithcouncil-manager government. A little
Task-force members,in their own
state associations-challenge managers to
committed to their
-^n"*-*-*",-r,the council-manager form was cre-atcd as an expression o[ a progressrvepolitical and social movemenr. Thiscontext, r,r'ith its emphasis on moral-ity and expertise in the service oIdemocracy, and social improvement,should not be underesrimated in [org-ing the idenrity of local governmenrmanagement.
In the early 1900s, council-managergovernment was proposed as a solu_tion to incompetent and inadequate
Iocal govemment, as well as to thecorrupl nantsJn poliuc:. that hatl rn-
filtrated thc persorrnel, pnrchasing,and service-delivcr)- aspects of local
Sovernment. Council-rnanager govern-ments embodied thc vision of 'modelcities in th€ir puryoses and programs.their operations, and their values.
This forrn of government, by uni[1-ing rathcr lllan scpxrating Icgislatircand executivc authority. lbrmed a ncw,
conslitutional approach not previousll[ound in thc Unitcd Statcs. [t becamean instrument of reform imbued withmoral qualities. Governmcntal author-it,v was concentratcd in Lhe hands ofa governing board, and at the helm olcitics and counties nas someone called
a citv or counlv managcr.Until the I970s, the value of
city and county management as
a profession was associated withcouncil-manager government it-self*a form o[ government thats,vmbolically joined the values o[c[[ectivencss and efficiency withthe passion of morality. The vital-ity and popularity of this fonn ofgovernment legitimized the localgoyernment profession. No othersource of legitimacy was needed.
Although CAOs we re presentin many mayor-council cities as
well, the mayor-council forrn wasopposed by council-manager advocates because in mayor-councilcities the ability ol managerc ropractic€ their profession was lim-ited or anrbiguous.r Furthermore, tosome, the mavor-council form sym-bolized the ven world that council-manager government was intendedto re[onn. The defenders o[ councilmanager govrrnment had clearlv
endorsed the nerv profession o[ localgovernment management.
But htrein lar the challengc. .,\sProlcssors Frcclenckson. Johnson. antl\\,r'rl lrlrc slrtrrrn r.r rrrrrL. lUr.rlrtrL..havc rnaclc so manl adaptalions rharrr hile lornrs ol govcrnment c.rn be dcfinctl rlisttnctlr-. i,ccasionally rhcy cnn-rot be easih, .lisringuished in pracricc.lDiffcrenL forrns oI governme[t ilcluallvsharc manv characleristics.
Strong nrlvor forms olten hirequalrliecl proiessionals, and councrl-
PublicHanagement r"..rrr.,
E
ways-individually,in groups, and in
make these practices
to craft a message ofwhat it isdo, why they are
work, and why theirwork is so
their own in helping
manager governmcnls have signilicantly addcd politics: district elections,direcL election o[ the mayor, and oc-casionally a mayoral veto. In addition,man,v countv governmenLs, wilh a tra-ditionally nrore dillused structure thancities, have increasingly professional-ized public management positions andhired professional CAC)s.
City and county manager advo-cates oI the council-manager formunderstand that the full exerciseo[ pro[essionalism presum€s thatlocal government managers areable to interact with and advisc a
ful) governing boarcl and that theyhave or.erall authority to direcrlhe ad m in i\lra tl \ ( orgJnizalionThese characteristics are [ound"naturally' in the council-managerfbrm and are usually present inma,vor-council-CAO cities, whe rethe uruncil appr,rtcs thr' eppoint'ment o[ the CAO and thc mayordelegates to the CAO extensiyeadministrative authority
t hcsc govern nrcntal leaturcstake [ull advantagc rrl rhe di:tinctive qualities of locai govcrnmentprofessionals and permit them tomakL their uniquc conn rbulions.But. form o[ governnrent and theprt eonJitions rhill [r)i,rer proles-sionalism are far more Iamiliar andconvc) mu(h m,ore mranrng t,r lo-cal government professionals thanLo the averaBe titizcn. clccted ol-[ittal. husintss I(.JJtr ,,r ii'urnali\t.Furthermore. while the forms labeland these structural preconditionsencourage something called profes-sionalism, the,v do not describe whatthat means nor the value that profes-sionaltsnr adds to local governan.c.
On top of this, the absencc o[large-scale corrupLion in contempo-rar1, local governmenls rcmoves thenora) imperative that motivated earlyadvocates of council-rnanager govern,ment. I[ form o[ government does notin itselI legitimize professionalism,what arc the practices rhat set localgovernmetlt pro[essionals apart fromthc inexpcrienced and from those not[ull1, aware of ICMA. ethical sran-dards? And hovv-can ICMA membersarticulate to people outside the pro-
Publlc l.lanagement . March 2OO7
fession the value that professionalismadds to a city or countl'?
Bob O')ieill. executive directoro[ ICMA. when faced uith the chal-Ienge o[ defending council-managergoyernment and professional man-agement, has responded b,v turningthe challenge inward-to the mem-bers of ICMA. He asks: What is the'value proposition' of professional
With structure
important and
man2ger must
managers to public seryice? Whatdifference does emplof ing a highl,vtrained, skilled pro[essional reallymake?"r And then he brings downthe gavel wiLh his final challenge:"Prove it !"
In 2004, O'Neill charged the ICMATask Force on Pro[essionalism withdeveloping 'value proposirions. ' Thisgroup met at two ICMA annual con-ferences and conducted several e-mailexchanges about [orm of govemment,council-manager relations, the impor-rancc o[ cfficicncy vcrsus cquit),, rhcmanagers role and re:ponsibilrty incommunity building, and so on. Thetask force developed the set o[ va]ue,added practiees rhar are parr o[ thrsarticle.
PROFESSIONAL PRAGTIGESTHAT ADD VALUESuccesslulll govcrning contcmporar))ocal government-gove rnmenl thatrJrn\ 3nd rnaint.rin: iitizcrr rcrPc6,-r.q u t rL< Jn ull, r tir, r , l . r t i , r r r . I t r
I ,
hctrvcert rclministrativc and lx)liticnll.Jrl(rs. .\Jrnini.rr;nr i lc.rtl, r.lrininvolvcs manv skills, practiccs. ancl
attributes sharcd across sccLors.lrr.r.ldition-rrrrd unrqtrr lr rr
the public scctor-dcmocralic val-ues trratler. Profcssional city andcounlv managcrs hclp in hancllingthe increasingly complex arenasof policl, interests. aclministrativcpraclice. and democratic./commu-nit,v values. Thcir goal is to hclpbuild, maintain, and preserve com-munities that arc cconornically andsocially healthv and vibrant andthat peoplc rcgard with pridc.
Thc box on pagc 38 contains a
list ol thc six pra(ti(cs that de{inethe skills, commitmenls, and goalso[ local govemment profession.rladministrators. Thc ICMA TaskForce on Prolt'ssionalism presentsthesc practices to membcrs oIthe management profession, andchallenges Lhern-individually, ingroups. and i11 state associations-to make these practiccs their ownin helping to craft a mcssage o[what it is thev do, why rhey arecommiued to rheir work, and why
I their work is so important.To broaden the discussion. the
current authols have invited rask-lbrcemembersJames Keene andJames Svara
to comment on the practices. JamesKeene has worked in public manage-mcnl in mcdtum-\ized and iarge juris-dictions. in eities antl counries, and indifferent geographic regions. Now, heheads the Calilbrnia Srate Associationo[ Counties. Ahhough he poinrs outthat the value oI prolcssional pracrit'ctranscends lornr o[ government, healso argues thal discerning nuancesin context will mafter to the skilledprofessional. Finally he suggesrs rhatthe six practices be viewed compre-hensivell,, with practitioners drawingupon one practice, then another, andthen several in combinations, as theycrafr their work.
more blurred andthe demands ofour communitiesbecoming more
and roles getting
complex, the
capacity and progress.
Prolessor James Svara has doneextensive work on cit), managemcntin thc Unitcd States: his rcsearch hasalso taken him to Europe, where hehas studied in depth the question o[professionalism in local government.I or readcr' un[amiliJr wrtlr prr,[rs-sional practice in the United Kingdomand Denmark, Svara opens our e1,es,
shrr,"\ roB us lh( \lr iking \ir)ilarilre\ rlprolcssional pra( ti(c in I urope rnd,\mcrica.
WHYTHE PRACTICESMATTER!
'AMES KEENE
EXPLATNSWe know that the lines betrveenforrns of government are blurringand that roles are shiliing $.ithinforrns. lt is no longer enough toassert our value through our titlesas city or countv managers, or onl1,
through our advocacy o[ the coun-cil-manager form o[ government.In Berkele,v. California, where I
served as city manager, there was astrong charter role lbr the manager(even the city clerk and city attor-ney were hired by the manager).And yet delivering public valuerequired skillful negotiation withintense and often angry commu-nity political activists and wirh a
divisive and bickering council.In my managerial experience. the
exist€nce or nature ol a charter oftenhad little relevance to getting thingsdone. I once managed an r\rizonacounty with a liagmented organiza-tional structure and no charter, wherehall of thc departrnent heads wereelected. And vet the count,v functionedlike a textbook "plan" government,largely thanks to a cohesive and dclib-erative governing board. Manv othermanage$ can tell similar stories.
In our postmodern age, structureseerns a less delirritive [actor. Rolesseem more temporaryl less clear. andopen to challenge from all sides. Wewrestle with the value o[ professionalpublic management, not because thepractices and the values they emanate from are suspect but because theworld in which we appl1, them is soambiguous.
We live in a time when function
and responsibilit), are confused andmisunderstood becausc of rapidchangcs in communities, the frequentmismatch between .ju risdictional linesand problems, and a federalist s,vstem
oI greaL inlluence hut questionable ef-fi cacr,. sLronger interest-hased politics.more diversity. and intense rnediascrutin)l And because the context ofr,ur \\L,rk rs rhc public realm within
the value of a
rooted in external
itself leads to the
discretion needed to
value to our comnlunities and tlrga-nizations as thel,are manifestcd andapplied in contemporary contexts.
From m,v experience, thc practiccsare applicablc in di[[ercnt comrnu-niries and organizations across thcUnitecl States and 1ct arc consistcntl)'important. Thc practiccs are a packagcu'hose e lcments are intcrconnectcd.They inlJuence each other. Wt'can-
not convincingly talk ol e[ficiencyand delivering results that matLeri[ we do not pay attention to thelongcr term or the broader com-munity. Otherrvise, our results arenot sustainabie. Likewise. we can-not speak o[ fairncss i[ wc ignorcthe [uture, the nexl generation.'We must continuousl,v balancc e[-ficiency and results with cthics anclinvolvement.
At the same time, the practicesdiscussed here arc contextual, ex-isting in relation to the values andcapacity of the polirical leaders,the particular community, and rhemanager's organization. All of thepractic€s arc relcvant, but howand when thev arc applied varies.There are times and places wheresome practices may be emphasizedover others. ln Berkele,v. for ex-ample, we reoriented ciry deparr-ments to\r'ard neighborhoods as a
means ol achicving greater ellicicncyand results. But we had to do rhis in amanner that would be appealing ro acit,v council organized by districts, fo-cused on neighborhoods and commu-nitv building, and concerned aboutthe equit)' o[ citizen participation andof the distribution o[ services.
Betause the (,rBanizalion r\ thc pri-mary vehicle allowing the professionalpublic manager to appll,the pracriceson a sulficienl scale and with su{-ficient eflect, this was an inlportantstrategv Here, we merged stmcturewith community and political valuesin a union o[ several practices.
Good political leadership is al-wa,vs esse11tial to effecrive publicmanagement and to ensuring themaximum benefits lrom professionalmanag€ment. As John Nalbandianhas reminded me over the years.''Good management cannot overcome
inordinate supervision.
a democratic society, divergent opin-ions and conf]ict are the norm. Bothdemocracy and community are as
much ends as means.
Todar,, l,hat is impoflanr for thepublic manager lies as much in howwe manage and participate in relation-ships as within which [orm o[ govern-ment we work. This is why the prac-liccs ma er. Thel :hape our identitlin relation to elected political leaders,the community, and our organizations.They serve as both a compass and a ve-hicle [or navigaring lhe ,orccs al pla] lnthe world, rhey are also rhe language o[our relationships with our partners.
Th€ practices presented here aremore than an explanation o[ whatwe do-they represent who we are.They flow backward to rhe tenets es-rablished in rhe tCMA Code of Erhicsand to our progressive-era beginnings.But they also flow forward, adding
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E!'I,_t:I!ttaEl--E
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lCMA.o18/pmPubli€ ManaSement flarch 2007
Conveying to others
profession is crucialto thelegitimacy,which is
autonomy, and
do good work without
bad politics.' ln Loudoun Countr.,Virginia, in tlre late 1980s, ue wereahic to undertakc a hold cornmunitrvisioning proiccr. a gcncral-plen rcr i-sion bascd on emerging smart gro\\,thprinciples, and a zoning ordinanccrewrite. all because our board focused(n the luture. Four years Iater andwith a different board composition,this effon uould have been impos-sible. ln lact. one of the new board!lirst acLions was to approve a HomeDepoL on the siLe ra,e had planned foran urban town ccnter.
The partners o[ professional man-agement-elected politlcal leaders,the comlnunit),. and the organiza-tion-ar( dlnamic arrd har< theirou'n identities. They are not underthe manager's control. Rarcl) are allpartners in perfect alignmcnt. For pro
.ftssional public nldncg.rs, Lhc pructiccsure rheir tralr. bN tlvtr opplicLttion i\!ir (rfl. Ho\\ har,.l r., pu.h a flrJclic(depends upon context. Timing, de-gree, balance. order, and emphasis allmust be considered in thcir applica-tion. Often, the practices must be un-lblded expertly.
To seek public value by invok-ing such a practice as efficiency andr€sults, or a long-term and conrmu-nity-wide perspective, can bring a
manager intlr conflict rvith the elecredpolitical leadership. the community,or the local government organization.r\pplication o[ the practices requiresgreat skill. timing, and good politicalinstincts. With structurc and rolesgetting more blurred and thc demandso[ our communities becoming moreimpo ant and complex, the profes-sional public manager must u,alk a
razor'.s edge between politics and ethics, results and participation, and ca-pacity and progress. The six practicesdiscussed here do provide a sure path,but not a protected one.
We make our biggest misrakervhen .,r,e presume that the prac-ti(c\ t)FcrJl. tn rcoltlion and ntrr inpartnership with elected politicalofficials, community culture, andcivic lile. These factors make equallypowerful contributions and are [un-damental to success. \\e must re-member that we speak of value added
Publi< Manatement 9 |larch 2007
because we are not the onlv provid-ers o[ r'alue. We can best understandour contributions as pro[essionalmanagers as appll,ing the practicesin concert with political leaders andthe communil),. How we plal ourparts together ultimatel,v determinesthe degree of value muiti/ied, ourefectiyeness, and the quality o[ ourcommunitics and orgal.Iizations.
AN INTERNATIONALPERSPECTIVE! FROM lAlrlESSVARALocal government professionals in theUnited States ma,v feel Lhat they arcrnore challenged and less appreciatedthan their counterparts in Europe.At first glance, these views seem war-ranted- In most European countries,lhc slru(ture oI local gorernment is
based on the principle o[ integratedexecutive and legislative au th or-iL1'-and this is roughly similar to ourcouncil-manager [orm oI government.The tradition oI the strong administra-ri\e qlale in Europe rnd rhe larg€ sizeoI the public sector anchor the higheresteem con[erred on pro[essionalmanagers there than in the States.+
In a broad sense, prolessional man-a8ers are more instrtutronalized inEurope than in rhe United States, so,,nr nrl8hr thrnk that reflecrrng on theirwork-much as we did in rhe 1CMAproject reported on here-would notbe a high prioriry for rhem. But, de-spite a broad definirion oIroles and theseeminglv valued position o[ local gov-ernment professionals, the Europeanequivalents oI our city and countymanagers experience many oI the samechanges, strains. and pressures thatArnent'an managers undergo. fhcrc is
an increasing realization that new ap-proaches to govemance are changingthe relationship of top adminisrratorsto polilicians, to their own organiza-tions. and to their communities-
ln the United Kingdom and Den-mark, where I have conducted exten-sir.e research, major effort has beenexpended to define and asserr rhevalue of professional management-The Society of Local Authority ChiefExecutives (SOLACE) has produceda strctegit reporr enrirled Leadt,,hip
U it(d thal pres€nts the respectivccontributions o[ politicians and ad-ministrators. j Similarl,v, the DanishForum oI Top Executive Managementhas asscssed what top administratorsaL all Icvels oI government contributet(, governancc and has enunciated a
code Ibr chief executives setting lbrthnine standards that all administratorsshould seek to advancc.r'
A review o[ SOLr\CEi report anrlthat ol thc Danish Forurn. alongsidethe practices preserrted lbr the UnitcdStates, shows considerable ovrrlap.Thc kc1 p,rint., are sutnrnarizc(l rnFigure I. With only one exception.rhc \talcrncnls tlcrclr,pcd hy the Brit-ish anci Danish CEOs advance thetrrrsthat match the U.S. pracliccs.
Thc exccption is lhat lhc Europeanreports do nor explicitly refer to pro-moting equity and lairness. The ex-tensiye governmcntal commitmcnt toadvancing social welfarc that is lirundgcnerally in Europe may mean thalsocial cquitf is taken for granted. Thcincreasing diversity o[ thc populationboth in Europe and in America, andthe related strains ovcr thc presenceo[ immigrants do, however, begin roraise social equity concerns in Europcthat are similar to those [ound in theUnited States.
Another (and a major) diferenceis that the British and Danish reportsgive more expiicit attention l() admin-istrators' relations with politicians.The European statements I ) stress theneed to b€ responsive to politiciansand implement their goals. and 2)assert the need lor politicians to giveclear direction and avoid interference$'ilh administrative affairs. The pur,pose is not to drive a wedge betweenth(j two sets of ollicials but rathcr toestablish the grounds for a construc-I ivc and (r)opcrative rclalron.hil.This same purpose is advanced in a
numbcr of U.S. practices, rather thanbeing addressed separateh,t
These few differences aside. man-agers and adminisrrarors in the UniredStates and Europe are all giving voiceto th€ distincrive contributions tharthe) themselves make. The SOLACEreport makes a poinr rhat also ap-plies to the United Srares and on€ that
Efficiency: qualitr'. and resultsthat matter.
Lead organizations that are capableo[ successful service delivent Theseprovide clear guidance on levels oIquality and outcomes that citizens andcustomers can expect.
Make certain that the political goals areobserved throughr)ut the organization-Require that the organization place a fo-cus on results and impacts.
,\ long-tcrrn. conrmunit\:\\'idcpcrspccl ivC.
Maintain a ft)cus on strategic and long-lerm issucs. derclop a \islon/slrategi(vier,r' for thc organization and localarea. and communicate a sense ol col-lective purpose and priorit)l
Advance the public good, balancingspecial interests with holisric consid-erations. and short-lerm interests lvithlong-term considerations.
Commitmcnt to ethical standards. Set an example through personal con-duct-inreBrily and openness: champi-on anJ display r alues of puhlic serr iceand excellence in service delivery
Display professional and personalintegrity.
(-ommuDitY building and suPport oldernocratic ancl comnlun itv \.alucs.
Promote e[[ectiye community engage-ment and participation in governmentldevelop and enable effective partner-ships and external relationships; or-chestrate effective public and privarepartnerships for borh srrategic devel-opment and service delivery
Create an organization that is resp(Jn-sive and can in{lucrrcc thc surroundingrlrrrldl safcguard thc public sector'.slegitimacy and democratic valuesl andcreate an organization that acts as a partoI an integrated public sector.
Dcveloping and sustaining organiza-tionai innoyation and colnpclcnce.
Lead and integrate performance man-agement; crcate a culture focused onhigh performance, innovation, andcustomer se ice: sustain continuousimprovement across all service areas;Iacilitate the continuous growth of thetop team; and demonstrate the achieve-ment oI public value.
Incorporate cxclnplary idcas and prac-tices from outside sourccs. and workstrategicalll, lo improvc thc perlirrnranceo[ Lhc organizalion in acconrplishing itsassigned tasks.
James Keene has also raised. namell',thal exemplary' l)ractices are interrc-Iated and support each orhcr.
Thc corporate and strategic roleo[ chief exectrtives has becomr arr
acceptcd part o[ the orLhodoxv o[rnanaging councils. The point, horvever. is seldom rladc explicit thatthis role involvcs more than simplyhigh-orcler service coordinafion andtop-level policr,aclvicc to rnembcrs o[the council.
Thc rolc demands a thorough andcomprehensive managerial approachto the design ancl delivcD, o[ all ser-vices. together with a grounded ap-
l)rcClJtion,'I thc.c .crr tct s rr-latiree[icac1-, efficiencl: and equity. Chielcxecutivcs must be satisfied tlrat rhev
lC l.lA.or&/pm
have maintained appropriate rela-tionships with politicians, direcrors.auditors. and inspectors, to ensurethat the,v obtain the right informa-r irrn antl that :,ervices are being rJelit -ered successfulh'.
As the ICMA task force found our.the key relationships also includethose with the citizens and organiza-tions in the communit,v
GOMMON CONTEXTA project that produces "value-addedpractices" has no end, just rest stops.ln an important wa),. these practicesprovide clues to the profession's iden-tity And idenrity must change overtime. We can see in some of the prac-tices described here the foundations
o[ local government management:(Jthers are ncwcr, rcllecting changcsin the environment in which city andcounty management is practiced.
James Keene's observation that thepractices travel well across diversework settings, and James Svara's valu-able cornparison of European withAmerican pmctices (showing remark-able similarities), suggest a comn]oncontext. Organizational li[e, drivenby the forces o[ modernization. hasan enormous global, homogenizingc[[ect. ln some ways, i[ u,c dclinepolitics in western democracies asallemprs to solvc public problem. rnthe context o[ compering values likerepresentation, elficiency, equit1,. andindividual rights, we can anricipate
Public t'lanagement March 2007
l. U.S. Professiona! Practicesand the United
with Those of Denmark
United Statcs Unitcd Kingdorn Dcnmark
Here is a roster of practices lhat define !he skills, commitments, and Soals of local government professional
administrators.
l, Professionals add value to the quality of public policy and produce results that matter to their com-munities. Local government professionals are directed by and work in parrnership with elected officials to develop
sound approaches to meetint community aspirations and solving problems. Efficiently and effectively, they produce
results that matter. Professionals believe they should offer a balanced assessment of policy options in pursuit of rhe
public interest.While politically aware, they shy away from becoming politically aligned as they assist elected officials
in fulfilling their policy-makinS role. Professional manaters bring their knowledge of performance management and a
government-wide perspective to the successful stewardship of public assets and resources; they pursue quality and
transparency in the design and delivery of public services.
2. Professionals take a long-term and community-wide perspective. Local governmenr professionals are
most effective when guided by long-term community plans that establish a framework for policy formulation and goal
setting. Local Sovernment professionals are well positioned to bring a communiry-wide perspective to policy discus-
sions.They strive to connect past and future while focusing on the present.They are committed to serving the inter-ests of the enlire community while respecting rhe interests of all of its components.
3. Professionals commit themselves to ethical practices in the service of public values. A reform traditionand a professional association support and foster ethical conduct. l"lembers of ICMA are accountable to ethical prin-ciples put forth by the Association, its Code of Ethics, and its Declararion of ldeals. lt is through commirmenr ro a
higher set of ideals that professional manaSers "affirm the dignity and worth of th€ services rendered by government
and maintain .. . a deep sense of social responsibility as a trusted public servant."
4. Professionals helP build community and support democratic and community values. Professional man-
agers help build community by facilitating partnerships amont sectors, groups, and individuals.They work with infor-
mal groups of people as well as established groups, organizations, and other toverning insrirutions. Local governmentprofessionals-through their values, training, and experience-support democraric values and work effectively to-ward inclusion, accountability, and transparency. Developing effective partnerships with elected officials and generat-
ing community engaSement are as important as the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in helping to builda sense of community.
5. Professionals Promote equitable, fair outcomes and processes. Professional managers have an obligationto Promote equity and fairness.They seek to ensure that services are fairly disrributed and that both the design and
the implementation of administrative processes avoid favoriiism.
6. Professionals develop and sustain organizational excellence and promote innovation. Professionaladministrative leaders relentlessly focus on efficient and equitable service delivery, policy implementation, and evalu-atio n. Admin islrative systems are aligned with values, mission, and policy goals created and/or legitimized by electedofficials and community. Excellent organizations produce information that informs public deliberation and policy mak-ing and that supports both qualitative and quantitative measures of performance.
Highly trained professionals-hired on the basis of merit and commifted to professional development for all em-
Ployees-Promote innovation while valuing consistency and continuity, and strive continuously to strengthen organi-zational capacity to produce results that matter.
Publlc HanaSement March 2007
increasing homogeneity in the broad-est contours of politics as well.
But no matter the similarities, it, is hard to imagine a day when the
relationship between administrativeand political arenas will be routinized
' and when community building willbe accomplished by formula. As longas people seek to transform spacesinto places with identity, politics willmatter, and so will administration; we
r will continue to work toward definingthe value added by practitioners fromboth spheres, as well as exploring therelationships between the two.
O'Neill has used the practices as
a way o[ stimulating dialogue amongthe local governlnent lnanagementaudiences he addresses, with John
: Nalbandian joining hirn at the Univer-' sity of North Carolina on one o[ these
occasions. Nalbandian was pleasantlysurprised to fincl the clegrcc ol' intei-est among those present in discussingthis topic, in going hack and reflectingupon the history,, describing the pres-ent, and thinking about the future o[the profession.
And, no matter how much we tr,vto systematize our understanding ofthese practices. as Keene points oul.
, an indispensable elernent o[ the cityor county manager's work can only be
described in terms o[ a craft, or evenan art, in which professionalism is in-
, fused with both the personal and thecontextual.
r Finally, the t.ask force's work is notdone-even in the short term. Simi-
, larities in the practices in America,the United Kingdom, and Denmarkare comforting for people concernedabout the validity of this project. Butdo these practices really add value?The answer is a resounding yes.
Not only can they energize discus-sion arnong those who practice publicmanagement, but they also reachout to the academic community. Inacademia. those who live the life of a
skeptic can scrutinize more system-i atically what has been produced here.
Together, professional and academic,we continue to forge relationships,looking for ways in which we can addvalue to each other's work and life, inthe name of public service. PIrl
lCHA.org/pm
rAlso until the 1970s, governmentCAOs were often "local appointees" withlittle training u,ho sen'ed u'ith a specificmayor rather than "careerists" who movedacross council-manager cities, as RichardStillman observed in fhe Rise of the CittManager (Albuquerque: University o[ NewMexico Press, 1974), pp. 8l-a2.
2H. George Frederickson, Gary A.
Johnson, and Curtis H. Wood, The Adapred City: lnstitutional Dynamics and Orga-
nizational Change (Armonk, N.Y.: M.E.Sharpe, 2004).
rRobert J. O'Neill, Jr., "Professionals
Must Make Noise About Making a Di[-ference in State and Local Government."posted at Govuning.com and dated June7.2006.
{Poul Erik Mouritzen and James H.
Svara. Lcadership at the Apex: Political-Administratiye Relations in Western Local
Government (Pittsburgh: University o[Pittsburgh Press, 2002). Despite these dif-ferences, city managers and administratorsin thc United States rate their influence inpolicy making as higher than in mosr
countries in Europe.tLeadership United, Final Repon of the
SOLACE Commission on Managing ina Political Environment. The full reportmay be found at http://www.solace.org.uMinks/leadershipunited/index.htm.
6Forum for Top Executive Manage-ment, Public Governance: Code Jor ChielExecutive Excellence (Copenhagen: Forumfor Top Executive Management, 2005).The full report is available at httpt//www. publicgovernance.dk/resourceVFile/
FFOT_bog_UK.pdf.
James Keene, ICMA-CM, is western direc-tor of ICMA, Oakland, California (lkeene@
icma.org); John Nalbandian is professor,
department of public administration, Uni-versity of Kansas at Lawrence (nalband@
ku.edu)l Robert O'Neill,Jr., is executive di-rector, ICMA, Washington, D.C. ([email protected]); Shannon Portillo is a doctoralpublic administration studeng Universiry ofKansas ([email protected]); and JamesSvara is director, Center for Urban lnnova-tion,Arizona State University, Phoenix,Ari-zona fl [email protected]).
Public l.lanagement March 2007
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