Michael A. (Mike) Conduff is a 2019 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and a veteran attendee of the ICMA Annual Conference, so we’ve caught up with him for a very special Attendee Spotlight.

He began his career as a city engineer, but quickly moved into city manager positions, first in Kansas and then in Texas. In both states, he served as president of the state association, and later was elected as ICMA Mountain Plains regional vice president.

Years in the profession:

42

Organization:

The Elim Group—YOUR Governance Experts!

Community size:

150,000

Where did you first start in local government?

Pittsburg, Kansas—Home of Pittsburg State University

Describe your perfect workday:

Helping elected officials understand their critical role in delivering democracy to the doorsteps of their communities

What’s your community’s biggest challenge today?

Growth

What’s your favorite aspect of the local government profession?

Making a difference in the quality of people’s lives

What session or event are you most looking forward to?

Sunday Keynote Jake Wood

Whom do you admire?

 The unsung heroes of local government—those employees who come to work every day to do their best to deliver outstanding service to the citizens of their communities

What inspires you?

The resilience of Democracy

Favorite book?

The OnTarget Board Member: 8 Indisputable Behaviors

Favorite productivity tool?

Smartphone

Finish this sentence: I wouldn’t be where I am today without…

ICMA and my awesome mentors

ICMA will be in Toronto next year. What would you do with three toonies (the Canadian $2 coin)?

Go to the Marché Mövenpick in Brookfield Place and get a custom coffee with all the goodies!