Peter Agh is the city manager of Dvory, Slovakia. 

How did you get your start in local government?

I was working in business and insurance when I received an offer to become a public works director back home in a larger city of about 40,000 people. About a year and a half later, there was an opening for the city manager in that same city. I applied for the position and got it; I’ve been a city manager for 12 years.

How was the transition from the private sector to local government?

What I found is that many of my colleagues in local government (or government at another level) have always worked in local government. There aren’t too many of us who have come from the private sector—and I’ve seen more leaving for the private sector for different reasons. I think local government is just so challenging that it's worth staying.

What advice do you have for career changers looking to enter local government?

If you want to help people, do it!

How did you get your start with ICMA?

I was an exchange student in Washington state back in the 1990s, which was my introduction to the United States. After I returned to Europe, Ed Daley, who was ICMA President at the time, was visiting in Europe and I had a chance to talk to him. He invited me to my first ICMA conference, which was in Pittsburgh, and I became a member. Ever since then, I’ve been actively involved with ICMA because of the great opportunities it holds for everyone.

What do you think about being an international member?

It is a challenge for those outside North America. That being said, “international” is the first word in ICMA. My goal for ICMA has been to try to promote international as normal, not as something special. In the past few years, the ICMA Executive Board has made some changes to integrate the international aspect of the organization.

You’re very involved with ICMA, right?

A little bit! I served for about 10 years on the international committee, including 3 years as vice-chair. I was the first ICMA Executive Board vice president from continental Europe in more than 50 years. And, I served as co-chair of the planning committee for the annual conference in Seattle.

Are you involved with other associations?

In Europe, I have been the president of the Slovak association for 5 years. We have 130 members, which is about 85% of all the city managers in our country. For the past few years, all of the ICMA members in Europe are trying to put together a European chapter.

How is ICMA unique in your experience?

ICMA includes more than 10,000 members from 30 countries, who all share the same challenges and opportunities. Everybody has challenges at their workplace. My point of view is that it doesn’t matter what country, state, or city you're from. Wherever you go in the world, if it's the same size city, you are probably dealing with the same issues.

What are you excited about right now in the local government profession?

I'm excited that there are younger people who are working in local government.

What advice would you give young people just starting out?

Hold on and enjoy what's there, because you can get a really nice career—a long career—in local government, which is really rewarding.

For the profession’s first 100 years, the one thing you needed to work in local government efficiently was knowledge. That’s not enough anymore, because the world is changing so much…and all the challenges are changing so much. Now, you have to have that knowledge, but you have to be able to adapt to new situations—to the new normal, as we call it.

What specifically makes now a good time to get into local government?

For me, it’s the challenge. And about making a difference.