When Pat Martel, city manager, Daly City, California, was installed as ICMA’s third woman president during the association’s 101st Annual Conference in Seattle/King County in September 2015, one of her councilmembers praised her as a “leader among leaders.” He described how iconic former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown had snagged Pat to work for him as the city’s first woman general manager, and how she has been the first woman to serve in every position she has held. Pat later described how, when she first joined the local government management profession, she “didn’t see women, particularly women of color,” and how, as the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, she felt “entrusted with the responsibility of paying it forward to others.”

Pat began her extensive career in California local government with the city of Inglewood, working her way up from administrative assistant (engineering), to senior administrative analyst, to assistant to the city manager, and finally executive assistant to the city manager. In 1991, she became assistant city manager in South San Francisco, and she served as interim city manager of that community between 1994 and 1995. Pat accepted the position of assistant city manager in Daly City in 1995 and served in that capacity until 2001, when she went on to serve as general manager for the City and County of San Francisco and later redevelopment project manager in Hayward. She assumed her current position as city manager of Daly City in 2005.

 

Pat earned designation as an ICMA Credentialed Manager in 2011 and received an ICMA Service Award in recognition of her 35 years of service to local government in 2016. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and MPA from the University of Southern California. Pat was elected to the ICMA Executive Board as a West Coast Regional Vice President in 2009 and was selected as president-elect in 2014, a post she held until her installation as president in September 2015.

 

In this final Leadership Matters article in honor of Women’s History Month, ICMA staff spoke with Pat about her selection as ICMA’s third woman president and her commitment to diversity and inclusion within the local government management profession.

ICMA Interview with Past President Pat Martel

ICMA: What was your initial reaction when you realized that you were about to become the third woman president of ICMA? 

PM: It was humbling to learn that I was selected by the ICMA Executive Board to serve as president-elect and subsequently president of ICMA.  It was the fulfillment of a dream that seemed impossible when I started my professional journey in local government. And as the first woman of color to serve as ICMA president, it was particularly significant to me because it represented a shift in the profession that has taken the better part of my professional career to witness. Although only three women have served as ICMA president in 102 years, their impact on the profession has been profound because they have become role models for other women leaders in local government who aspire to serve in this capacity by empowering them to see what they could be.

 

ICMA:  Which association achievement that took place during your term as ICMA president are you most proud of?  

PM:  During my tenure as ICMA president, we witnessed the transition of leadership at the executive director level. The recruitment and selection process for the new executive director was an exhaustive process to find an individual who could build upon the rich legacy established by Bob O’Neill over his 14- year tenure and move ICMA forward toward new milestones in the association’s history. With considerable input from our membership, the ICMA Executive Board, and staff, we concluded the year-long recruitment process with the appointment of Marc Ott, former city manager of Austin, Texas. Marc’s selection as executive director marked another milestone for ICMA, as he is the first African American to serve in this capacity in our association’s history.  I am very proud of the diligence and inclusiveness that was employed throughout this process and the successful outcome.

ICMA:  While the exact percentages are arguable, the fact remains that there are significantly fewer women local government managers than there are men. What, in your opinion, is behind this discrepancy and how do you see the situation improving? 

PM:  Historically, the number of men graduating from MPA programs in preparation for careers in local government far outnumbered women. That was one factor that contributed to the male dominance in our profession, particularly at the executive level.  And while today the exact opposite situation exists, with greater numbers of women than men graduating from MPA programs, the executive ranks of the profession continue to be dominated by white males.

 

Many women in the profession don’t feel supported by their male colleagues. In many instances, this results from women being provided fewer opportunities in local government positions to gain the experience necessary to advance. At the executive level, we are seeing greater numbers of women assistant city managers than city managers. This might be because city managers, both women and men, are more open to hiring women in key assistant positions. 

 

The challenge today is to educate elected officials about biases they may reflect by not hiring women as city and county managers, as well as helping them to understand the well-documented contributions and value that women leaders bring to public- and private-sector organizations. Ultimately, as more women city managers and assistants retire, we need to ensure that the pipeline of emerging and mid-career women leaders will be available to compete as the opportunities for advancement to the executive suite increase. Unless women leaders replace those who are retiring from the profession, the percentage of women who serve as city managers will continue to decline.

 

ICMA:  Why is it important for local governments to cultivate a diverse workforce? 

PM:  Cultivating a diverse workforce is the first step to creating high-performing local government organizations.  Insuring that the local workforce reflects the community you serve is important for establishing empathy for the needs and desires of community residents. Residents need to see people who look like them and share common experiences to build trust in those who serve them.

 

Beyond that, diversity in the workplace is essential to building collaborative teams that can engage in out-of-the-box thinking and produce better decisions. Having a variety of perspectives reflecting gender balance and ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic differences offers the opportunity to understand issues from different angles and see the world through different lenses. It is the opposite of group think. The economic benefits to an organization that result from better problem-solving dialogue, which produces more creative and innovative solutions to problems, and decisions where there is greater investment in the outcomes can be achieved by fostering diversity. Diversity alone, however, can’t produce these kind of results if the workplace is not one that cultivates inclusiveness. It’s one thing to have diverse minds and perspectives represented in an organization, but if there is not an intentional effort to be inclusive of those diverse minds and voices at the problem-solving and decision-making table, the value of diversity can be marginalized. Creating high-performing teams requires diversity and inclusion to reap the potential for rewards.

 

ICMA:  It’s been said that high-achieving women “can’t have it all;” that those who want a family (or even a normal life) will eventually have to pull over and slow down or abandon their careers. Do you believe this is true?

PM: I believe that high-achieving women can have it all, but maybe not all at once.  Managing a city and managing family life are the most challenging roles one can tackle at any one time. The enormous pressure on women to do both and succeed in doing them equally well is very stressful.  Unlike our male counterparts who would generally never consider declining the next advancement opportunity because of children and family, women are often conflicted because of the desire to not shortchange either role.

 

The expectations that are often placed on women executives to fulfill these dual roles, with less support than their male colleagues often receive, make it difficult to accept opportunities for professional advancement. Sheryl Sandberg’s lean-in philosophy, as it pertains to selecting the right life partner who will provide the support needed to achieve the success every couple wants in their workplace and family life, is a key element to allowing women to not only have it all, but also being the best that they can be at having it all when they want it. Cultivating a supportive network of extended family and friends at home and capable colleagues in the workplace who will step up as needed to fill in as required is also extremely important to give women the backup needed to feel that they have it all.

ICMA:  A lot has been made of the importance of women connecting with mentors of both genders as a strategy for career advancement. Can you talk about at least one individual who mentored you and the impact that person had on you and your career?

PM: Fortunately, throughout my career I have benefitted from having mentors of both genders who have had an enormous impact on my life and career. Perhaps the most important mentor in my career was my first city manager, who was male. This individual was important in establishing a belief in me that I could do whatever I chose to do in local government. As I often reflect about this manager’s relationship with me, it was significant at that early stage of my career because at the time, he saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. In a very male-dominated profession, the validation he provided that anything was possible made a difference for me. However, he didn’t just talk about opportunity for advancement, he provided those opportunities to me continually during the first 10 years of my professional career. It was this individual who demonstrated to me the power of being intentional when you want to create change. Through his mentorship and coaching he helped to build the foundation for learning in my career by exposing me to the technical skills required for success in this profession and how to become a professional.

 

ICMA:  What advice would you give to a young woman who you’ve just hired to join your staff?

PM: The advice that I have given to the young women whom I have hired throughout my career is that that they need to be fearless about taking on new challenges. It was important in my career development to constantly challenge myself by being the one to volunteer to take on new responsibilities and tasks that would help build my portfolio of experience. I made it my business to be indispensable by accepting new challenges even if I wasn’t really sure whether or not I could be successful.

 

It is also important to cultivate the ability to be open to ask for help when you need it. In addition to encouraging emerging leaders to seek out new challenges, I also make certain that they are aware they have a lifeline, and that it is up to them to use it rather than flounder when they get tripped up. The ability to reach out for help is important for young women to learn early on because we have a tendency to be perfectionists who want to prove we can do anything on our own. In many cases that is very true, but when it’s not, you have to have the humility to acknowledge what you don’t know.