Eric D. Campbell is an assistant city manager in Dallas, Texas, and has been an ICMA member since 1988.

What led you to the local government management profession?

One of the things that really excited me about working in local government was the opportunity to work in communities and engage the citizens. I went to graduate school at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and each day we walked past the Athenian Oath in the building. I’ve incorporated the Athenian Oath into my career--to make the community better than the way you found it.

What are the most significant challenges facing the profession?

The basic challenges all managers are facing are a lack of resources and the demand that citizens expect as far as services. It’s a challenge to reconcile the demand to the level of resources you have and that requires some creativity. And the profession is quickly changing. Technology has become a big challenge both internally and externally. How to upgrade our internal operations from a technological standpoint, and also deal with social media. How do we integrate and interact with technology that is quickly changing and strongly impacting the local government profession?

How about challenges that you’ve faced personally?

I’ve faced personal challenges in my career, but you can’t let them define your career. Use them as an incentive to move forward, and if you’re passionate about public service, you will find a way to make it work.

Have you ever experienced racial discrimination or racism in the workplace? How did you react? What advice would you give to others who find themselves subject to discrimination or racism?

Unfortunately, I have experienced racial discrimination in my career. It happened earlier in my career and I made a decision to no longer be a part of that organization. When you find yourself in that situation, it usually comes as a shock. It’s good to seek guidance from someone you trust who is removed from the situation to get a clear perspective. All discrimination is illegal and victims of discrimination should consider using every internal and external remedy at their disposal. Although it may be difficult, you must not internalize the negative behaviors of others and let it define you as an individual or a professional.

In recent months, tensions between police and the African-American community have increased, and your own community experienced a retaliatory attack against the police. As the assistant city manager responsible for public safety in Dallas, how do you reconcile that tension, not only between the police and the community, but also between your personal identity and position?

By all accounts, the Dallas Police Department has a successful civic engagement and community policing program. Incidents between the police department and citizens in Dallas are documented at historic lows, but our community still experienced a tragic and deadly attack on our police officers. As public managers, we cannot assume that an incident in another part of the country, or the world, will not have a direct impact on our respective communities. We must begin to define “community” in a broader context. The use of technology and social media have expanded our geographical boundaries in ways we could not have imagined a decade ago.  

As the assistant city manager for public safety, I have an obligation to see that Dallas first responders have the best equipment and training at their disposal to keep the community and themselves safe. It is extremely disheartening when any segment of the community begins to view our police officers as a threat to their personal safety, as seen in many communities across the country. As an African-American manager, I don’t see the current tension between the police departments and communities across the country as an either/or proposition. Citizens should not feel threatened by public servants who have been sworn to protect and serve them, while police officers should have the right to safely return home at the end of their shifts.

As technology binds us closer together, community leaders cannot afford to ignore any segment of the community that feels marginalized and disenfranchised. Public managers must find ways to facilitate open communication and dialogue to address areas of concern within our communities before they rise to the point of causing irreparable damage. Many communities have active human relations councils or groups that work closely with local governments. Human relation councils often serve as an effective bridge between concerned citizens and their local government. By acknowledging the concerns of the people we serve and providing opportunities for them to engage with us, we can find pathways to move our communities forward together.

Do you have any ideas for increasing diversity and inclusiveness at the senior levels of government?

This past year I served on the ICMA Task Force on Inclusion and that was a really good experience. It makes people uncomfortable to talk about it, and you have to be genuine in the way you talk about it. Verna Myers spoke at a general session at the 2015 conference, where she put up a quote that resonated with me. “Diversity is getting an invitation to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” That’s the way we have to approach diversity and inclusion. We have to have a sensitivity, not only to inviting people and talking about it, but making sure that people and individuals get an opportunity to participate in the process.

Dallas is a big city. Have you always worked in big cities?

No, my first assistant city manager appointment was in a small community right outside my hometown of Richmond, Virginia, the city of Petersburg, Virginia. From there I went to Charlotte, North Carolina, which was a pretty nice-sized city to work in. Then Dallas, which is the largest city I’ve served.

What were the differences working in a smaller community vs. a larger city?

In a smaller community, you can really get your hands dirty, have the opportunity to get out in the community, get involved, and become engaged. In larger communities, there are bigger bureaucratic structures that you have to navigate. A lot of the issues are the same, regardless of the size of the community. You have to find a way to navigate it, either directly, hands-on, through the community, or working through the bureaucratic system to make sure you can resolve the issues and challenges that citizens are facing.

What about the next generation? Do you do anything specific to encourage the next generation?

I think it’s important if you’ve spent a lot of time in the profession to pass on what you’ve learned. It’s inspiring to work with the young folks who are leaving graduate school, coming into the profession, and who have a passion early on about public service. Now I have an opportunity to share my experiences with them to help them avoid some of those pitfalls and challenges, or find ways to navigate them a lot easier. It rejuvenates me to work with young people who have that spark and that passion, and want to experience a career in local government.

What is your career highlight so far?

I really am appreciative for my career in public service, from working for small communities to large communities. Working in the small community of Petersburg, Virginia, I started a collaborative that dealt with youth services and youth initiatives. The collaborative was recognized by the Alliance for Innovation for innovative practices in local government, which was outstanding. We actually had an opportunity to make an impact on young people in our community.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, I worked with public safety as the Democratic National Convention was being planned. Working safety and security from that standpoint was awesome.

Another highlight was being the co-host of the centennial ICMA conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's very rare to have an opportunity to serve as co-host of your profession's centennial conference, and that just opened up ICMA and the profession to me. Co-hosting the conference was a challenge – that 2-year planning process – but it was really great, gave me exposure to the leaders in ICMA, people that I would not have had access to, so it was a great experience overall.

Why be a member of ICMA?

I would encourage people to become ICMA members and to participate in ICMA, which has been a great vehicle for executive training, workshops, and networking. I have used these resources throughout my career.