Elected Official City Manager Collaboration David Zook, MPA, ICMA-CM Shaun Dustin, PhD, PE City Manager Mayor Nibley, Utah Nibley, Utah
Congratulations on a Getting Elected!
Why did you run for office? Welcome to Public Service What do you hope to accomplish?
Serve your community Serve Add services or amenities What City Make government better Make Councils Do • (More efficient, lower taxes, transparency) Change the rules – Legislate Change Improve services or infrastructure
Represent your fellow citizens Represent Build Unity, Connect with residents Build What City Councils Do Create a Community – make a place Create people want to come home to Give back - Be a leader Give back
I have a dream…a vision for my City What City Set the direction Councils Do (Fulfill Campaign Achieve Grand Plans Promises)
1. What power or authority do you have? • What’s your role? • How familiar are you with how government How will You works? • How does your form of government work? Accomplish Your Goals? 2. What resources do you have? • Money? • Staff? • Time?
“One constant and disturbing theme of local government is internal conflict among officials . Mayors fight with council members, council Know members fight among themselves, and appointed officials fight with elected officials… YOUR Role Very often these disputes are about who is in charge and the proper roles of officials and their duties .” Source: David Church, Powers and Duties
“A common cause of conflict is misunderstanding the form of Know government ... Your Form of Government Too many people run for an office without understanding the office they seek.” Source: David Church, Powers and Duties
Forms of Government: Council-Manager – Business Model What Form of City Manager Government do You Have? Council-Mayor – Presidential Model City Administrator
Council-Manager • Corporation – Board of Directors & CEO Comparisons • Non-profit – Board & Executive Director to Other • School District – Board & Superintendent Industries • University – Board of Trustees & President Council-Mayor (with an Administrator) • President/Governor – Chief of Staff
Why Does having a City Manager seem like a foreign concept to some? -Visibility and -City Manager Ethics
How do you Your professional staff members get things are your greatest resource. done?
They are there to help you. Respect your role and theirs. About Your Staff Be careful not to cause confusion with your staff regarding who is in charge of what.
How do you Your professional staff members get things are your greatest resource. done?
They are there to help you. Respect your role and theirs. About Your Staff Be careful not to cause confusion with your staff regarding who is in charge of what.
What is Public Administration? How Can Who are City Managers? Public Administrators What do they do? Help How can they help me?
“The countless activities that are What is Public performed by officials in the delivery of essential public services to our nation’s Administration? citizens.” Source: Public Administration – A Very Short Introduction, Stella Theodoulou & Ravi K. Roy
Woodrow Wilson – “The Father of Public Administration” – Public Administration exists to serve the public interest. (1887) What is Public Frederick Taylor –The “right person” to perform the Administration? “right task” (1911) Scholarly beginnings Max Weber – Rational Process based on rules, professionals with proper skills, well-trained personnel and well-structured division of labor. Policy making is democratic, implementation should be based on sound, well-thought policies. (1922)
City Managers City Administrators Who are These Chief Administrative Officer People? Chief of Staff Administrative Services Director
It’s a profession You can major in this in college Who are these A Master’s Degree in Public Administration is the industry standard. (MPA) Managers? There is also a professional credential ICMA-CM
Functions of Public Administrators: Planning Organizing What Do Staffing They Do? Directing Coordinating Reporting Budgeting Source: Gulick and Lyndall (1937) Papers on the Science of Administration
Make your life better Help you achieve your vision How Can They Carry out your direction and grand plans Help? Find the money for your grand plans – way more than their salary Help you make government better
Manager can focus on implementation while mayor and council focus on the big picture How can they Professional service from someone make my life with education and experience in the field better? Improve responsiveness by centralizing accountability Source: ICMA.com, Hiring a Professional Local Government Manager
INFORM AND TAKE THE BLAME PROVIDE The City ADVISE OR GIVE YOU CONSISTENCY CREDIT Manager’s Role DAY-TO-DAY PROFESSIONALIZE OPERATIONS GOVERNMENT
National City Manager Statistics Average length of govt experience = 21 Yrs Average time in current position = 7.3 Yrs Experience is Critical Utah City Manager Statistics Avg. length of govt exp. in Mtn region = 18.7 Yrs Avg. time in position in Mtn Region = 6.5 Yrs Source: ICMA 2012 State of the Profession Survey
A desire to serve and make the world better City Ordinances What Guides Managers Policy and Practices Professional Organizations Code of Ethics
ICMA and UCMA Training and other guidance Sharing Best Practices Professional Organizations Support and encourage membership and participation
12 Tenets Integrity Fairness ICMA Code of Giving Credit Ethics Informing public and elected officials
#7 Refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in ICMA Code of professional administrators. Refrain from Ethics participation in the election of the members of the employing legislative body. Source : https://icma.org/icma-code-ethics
Prohibited Political Activities (c) a municipal officer or employee may not engage in political campaigning or solicit political contributions during hours of employment Utah Law (f) a municipal officer or employee may not attempt to make another officer or employee's personnel status dependent on the officer or employee's support or lack of support of a political party, affiliation, opinion, committee, organization, agency, or person engaged in political activity Source : Utah Code Annotated 10-3-1108(2)
The study of city management is the study of how politics and administration intersect . While it was conventional in council-manager government at one time to view the governing body in terms of policy making and the administrative staff in terms of implementation , that convention does not pass the Balancing empirical test. The city manager sits at the nexus Politics with of what is politically acceptable and what is administratively feasible . It is his/her job to Administration facilitate the connection. The key word is facilitate. But others are appropriate as well. The manager “ convenes ,” “ builds bridges ,” and “ creates intersections .” In all of this, the manager must remain politically sensitive but politically non- aligned . Source : John Nalbandian, Politics and Administration in Local Government
Balance Requires Working together results in better Positive Working outcomes for your community. Relationships
Infighting Hurts Your City Source: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/is-the-battle- between-the-cincinnati-mayor-and-city-manager-impacting-city-business
Mayor/Manager Conflicts Cost Your City $$$ Source: https://www.pe.com/2018/03/12/riverside-mayor-sues-the-city-he- governs-in-battle-to-veto-expensive-city-managers-contract/
Conflicts Leave Your City in a Leadership Lapse Source: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20170816/elliott-poised- to-be-adelantos-fifth-city-manager-since-2015
And it Continues Source: https://www.vvdailypress.com
Aesop’s Fable The Four Oxen and the Lion United We Stand Divided We Fall
Role Conflicts Electeds set policy/budget, Staff implements Conflicts over policy/decisions ICMA Tenet 5 Sources of Submit proposals to officials, provide facts and Conflict advice Uphold and implement policies adopted by officials Don’t take policy differences personally The system is usually the problem - Deming Source: W. Edwards Deming, The New Economics for Industry, Government and Education
Don’t take policy differences personally Follow Chain of Command Disagreement Staff has to follow the majority We can disagree on one issue and work together on others
Executive turnover has been shown to Conflict Leads negatively impact organizational to Turnover performance and personnel. Source: Sheehan 2001; Droege and Hoobler 2003; Shaw, Delery, Jenkins and Gupta, and 1998
Balance between potentially short-term The Value of elected officials and hopefully long-term Longevity employees
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