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Phyllis Shocket
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October 22, 2010
Community TRANSFORMATION…it’s not reformation, it’s not renovation, it’s transformation! Wow, Gary Earl from CIGNA is passionate about the role of health in transforming communities -- and of the importance that communities play in transformation, i.e. if you build it they won’t necessarily come, you really have to engage the community. A key message…talk to the people you are trying to impact and get all the stakeholders involved to hear their voices . And the health of our communities matters more now because of the rise of obesity, hypertension, diabetes…and the ripple effect that this
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Phyllis Shocket
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October 22, 2010
Healthcare reform…phew, there’s a lot to keep track of here based on the presentation by Bill Hoagland from CIGNA. Bill has a great deal of government experience and understanding regarding the enormous issues about healthcare reform. He made it clear that while healthcare reform is decreasing the number of uninsured Americans, it’s not necessarily decreasing the cost of healthcare. Bill provided some good info on topics that local governments need to consider as part of their health plans. For example, grandfathering is a big piece of this, so managers need to make sure you make the decision
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J. Scott Darrington
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October 21, 2010
I enjoyed the ICMA 2010 conference in San Jose. I liked San Jose as a city just for the convenience of most things being within walking distance. I always wish I had more time to see other things, but alas, I'm here to be a better city manager. I've already commented on the keynote speakers in another post, so here's my favorite sessions that I attended: 1. What'$ a Manager Worth? I found the story by the L.A. Times reporter to be pretty fascinating in regards to the problems
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Abigail Lundy
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October 20, 2010
On behalf of all of us here at ICMA (some of whom are pictured at the right), we want to thank you for taking part in this year's conference. A special thanks to those of you who served on a conference committee, volunteered, presented or moderated sessions, exhibited, or sponsored the event - none of this happens without you. There were several new elements to this year's conference - the use of electronic evaluations, the decision to share handouts online, and a few other slight changes you may have noticed. We hope you'll be honest
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Jonathan Lewis
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October 20, 2010
Overall I thought this was a good conference. To me what people remember the most is keynotes and I liked the first three. The educational sessions were well thought out and this year I was able to find something in every time slot that had meaning for me. The host city volunteers were good and very helpful. The City itself made a big difference this year. It is a very walkable City and the hotels are close to the conference center. Lots of food options.This conference will go down as one I enjoyed. Thanks to all the the people who
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Tad McGalliard
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October 19, 2010
Jason Coughlin with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility and Kerrie Romanow with the City of San Jose offered their perspectives on how local governments can support the commercial and public sector marketplace for solar energy. ICMA is just now starting on a new initiative in partnership with DOE to offer outreach, training and knowledge resources for local governments on solar power. Stay tuned to icma.org/sustainability to learn more.
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J. Scott Darrington
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October 19, 2010
I have an early flight for tomorrow so I'll give my thoughts of the Keynote Speakers so far. In order of preference: 1. Diane Swonk - Her information was very informative. It helped make me realize that we probably need to change things fundamentally as a city because the recovery is just going to take time. 2. Silicon Valley Panel - I think there were some interesting comments made, but was a little turned off by the message that we as cities need to give all the incentives we can in order to compete with
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Jonathan Lewis
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October 19, 2010
The two panelists did a great job with this topic. They both gave real examples of how they realized at points in their lives that they could not get the organization where it needed to go if they did not let go of some of the operating decision making. This has always been a damned if you do damned if you don't issue for me. Ultimately the manager is responsible for the decisions being made throughout the organization.At one point they were asked about their position on Council going directly to staff. Both seemed to indicate that they supported it
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Melissa Shafer
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October 19, 2010
Speaking at the Knowledge Network session in C1. You will learn all about how to get feedback and assistance from other managers across the country. And there is cake!
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Jonathan Lewis
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October 19, 2010
Very different approach, but I liked it. The three of them made a good panel. The two acted as more the straight men and Bill Watkins added the edge.Even with the stark reality of what was presented by Diane Swonk and the panelist what I still heard from all three was a sense of hope. They all believed in the future of this country if we can find a way to shift some of paradigms. However, we can only accomplish this by actual production occurring in this country. Clear from all three that all though they do want to bring
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Abigail Lundy
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October 19, 2010
I am not a doctor, nor am I a local government professional, so I was really curious to sit in on the Solutions Track session sponsored by Philips Healthcare (an ICMA Strategic Partner ) on the use and proliferation of automated external defribilators (AEDs). Entitled, "Communities Saving Lives: Early Defibrillation Programs," Leonoard Matarese of the ICMA Center for Public Safety Management and Captain Jose Chavez of the San Jose Police Department spoke on the development of AED technology, and how local governments are taking advantage of this incredible tool to save lives. Both speakers stressed
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Alison Miller Richards
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October 19, 2010
Audrey Taylor, scheduled speaker for the educational session “ ABCs of Marketing Your Community to Encourage Economic Development ,” cannot be with us due to a car accident en route to join us in San José. Valued ICMA partner Buxton however has graciously agreed to step in and lead an informal discussion with members on how to maximize your marketing efforts. Lisa Hill, Vice President, CommunityID Division, will be facilitating this discussion on behalf of Buxton. Mike Scanlon, Mission, Kansas, is presenting the story of marketing/economic development in his small community. Please join Lisa, Mike, and your colleagues at
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Alison Miller Richards
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October 19, 2010
This morning, in quickly skimming the front page of the newspaper, I was reminded of the ICMA Governmental Affairs & Policy Committee's (GAPC) Sunday meeting. At the meeting Tad McGalliard offered highlights from a forthcoming sustainability paper he and Ron Carlee are authoring. Kansans Scoff at Global Warming but Embrace Cleaner Energy from today's New York Times discusses how some Kansas communities wary of politically charged terms like climate change have successfully implemented energy efficient measures to improve their local economies, save money, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The upcoming ICMA sustainability paper will: Provide
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Alison Miller Richards
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October 19, 2010
In yesterday's educational session"Citizen Engagement: How to Build Community", panelists discussed what is citizen engagement, strategies to achieve it, and outcomes of successful engagement. A conclusion was that engagement can be hard work, but generally leads to better communities and professional success. In lieu of traditional PowerPoint slide presentations, Lynn Luckow, Craigslist Foundation, led a panel of experts and small community practitioners--Janet Denhardt, Arizona State University; Matt Leighninger, Deliberative Democracy Consortium; Tony Dahlerbruch, Rolling Hills, California; and Dave Waffle, Cornelius, Oregon--and the audience in a highly interactive conversation. Here are some of the resources the group mentioned: Connected Communiites: Local Governments
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Stephen Seidel
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October 19, 2010
Communication - the heart of any relationship and an issue that we spend countless hours trying to improve. Without communication, you have no relationship. If you have no relationship, then you have no feedback. If you have no feedback, then you are essentially flying blind. I believe we are experiencing what Covey calls a Paradigm Shift with communication, and I like to call it the Communication Conundrum. Yesterday, I moderated a session about ways Manor, Texas is tapping into new forms to communicate with citizens electronically. They are doing amazing things, especially for a city of their
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Kira Hasbargen
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October 18, 2010
Leading the green crusade, ICMA’s gone paperless here in San José, forgoing paper handouts for all educational sessions. Electronically viewing the materials in the rooms was made easier by the large screen projectors. Thanks to Turning Technolgies, evaluations for educational sessions are also being collected electronically. Lauding ICMA’s green initiatives, Incoming President Dave Childs commented, “If we’re truly going to demonstrate the value of sustainability to our members, it is essential that we lead the way.”
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Jonathan Lewis
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October 18, 2010
The format was a bit unique for most of our sessions. I liked the panelists on the stage without a table in front of them. Felt like a better connection with the audience.What I heard, and drank the kool-aid, was that this can't focus around the manager or the elected officials. Instead it needs to be the community in order to be sustainable. A champion can get it started, but it must build from within the community with the government sometimes serving as the conduit. We must also recognize that in order to last we must realize there are many
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Evelina Moulder
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October 18, 2010
The Monday roundtable on service consolidation, or shared service,s drew a large crowd. The discussion was lively, with lots of contributions from participants. Look for more infromation on this topic in the coming months from ICMA. It's an important topic for local governments often challenged with demands for service and reductions in revenues.
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Stephen Seidel
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October 18, 2010
1. I’m still trying to figure out the Sunday Keynote speaker’s speech/presentation. It was one of the most peculiar things I have heard in a long time – how to tap resources who are living in a gaming world and doing good….but not in reality. Maybe if I take the blue pill I will go down the rabbit hole and understand. 2. Keepin’ it Safe in San Jose….the phrase of the evening at The Brit bar which ranks as one of the WORST bars I have ever been to. I don’t quite have the words to describe the scene.
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