Our profession has weathered over a hundred years of change and is still the most common form of local government in the United States and 40 other countries. Much has transpired at the global and local levels during that time, and the council-manager form has adapted and evolved.

We are asked, “Do you still recommend local government management with all of the pressures involved these days?” Our answer is “yes.” While challenges, stresses, and headaches abound, the work done by city and county managers is essential. Those in the top local government job and those in other management roles are doing meaningful work. Their careers are focused on creating better communities and strong organizations. The work matters for strengthening our civil society and making lives better for those we serve.

The three of us have served a number of cities as city managers. We remain involved today helping leaders as they grapple with improving governance, developing employees, and enhancing communities. We’ve listed 10 reasons why we love this profession. It’s February, so here is our valentine to all of you who practice or aspire to be in city and county management.

1. You Make a Lasting Difference. 

You can improve your part of the world by focusing on one community at a time. You are in a position to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Many people you will never meet will benefit from your commitment to making a difference. Whether it is in advancing safety of the community, rebuilding critical infrastructure, enhancing quality of life, or promoting environmental sustainability, what you do matters to real people. As city or county manager, you have direct influence over dozens of services, projects, and activities that shape and build community. You can build a legacy that matters to people in the community.

2. You Promote Local Democracy. 

The top management job is a cornerstone of local representative democracy. You respect the role of the elected body. You encourage the public to participate in community affairs. You guide your staff to openly communicate with the public and do their best work on behalf of the community. As city or county manager, you are at the vortex of communication, information, and decision-making between local elected leaders, professional city staff, and community leaders. The executive has an affirmative duty to ensure that the will of the people’s representatives is skillfully and ethically carried out with public transparency, civic participation, and a long-term view. You have a key role in making local representative democracy work.

3. You Enjoy a Professional Network. 

You get to work with some exceptional people bound together by a commitment to public service. Many servant leaders drawn to local government are altruistic and driven by the communitarian ideal—we all do better working together for the common good. We collaborate and support one another in the trials and difficulties of this highly specialized public service.

We jointly develop new strategies, techniques, and approaches to vexing local problems. Good ideas and innovations are openly shared and disseminated. These facts bind us together as a profession for mutual success.

In local government management, we interact with elected and appointed officials of character, intelligence, humor, idealism, compassion, and drive. Some will become life-long friends who will enrich your life. Camaraderie and teamwork are great benefits of the local government management profession.

4. You Thrive on Action. 

Our job is never dull and rarely predictable. The profession covers multiple disciplines with a diversity of residents, businesses, and visitors. You encounter so many issues and dilemmas that you are never bored. Communities are always evolving. Development, macroeconomics, social patterns, technology, demographics, and external influences all play a part in change—whether it is intentional or happenstance. The manager must help the community to adapt and thrive in constant change. The pace can be hectic. If you revel in a variety of challenges in your work, city/county management will appeal to you.

5. You Learn Something Every Day. 

One thing is for certain: nothing is static. City/county management offers a laboratory for learning. There is no chance for complete mastery given the diverse functions that managers oversee. People who are curious and want to know the “why” as well as the “what” are a good fit for this profession. There is ample opportunity to learn, change your point of view through new knowledge, and become inspired.

The range of services in any local government is vast. It is no small feat to acquire knowledge about each of them, whether it be law enforcement, fire and emergency services, planning, code enforcement, public works, the arts, health, criminal justice, environmental services, parks, recreation, senior and youth services, housing, economic development, redevelopment, mobility, social services, intergovernmental relations, human resources, finance, information technology, or more.

6. You Help Others Be Their Best. 

City and county managers build successful teams. This is such a highly satisfying part of the job. The team includes both the governing body and the local government’s staff. The chief executive helps elected officials do the public’s business through positive governing norms. The manager leads their organizations in a way that gets the right people into key positions, with the team working in sync for the community’s benefit. It takes leadership and backbone, along with interpersonal, coaching, and mentoring skills. Some talent will be developed internally and rise through promotion; some will come externally. Supporting young people in local service is crucial. The key is a common commitment to excellence and teamwork. A good city or county manager is always at the chemistry set improving the team through organizational development and succession planning. You can build a legacy.

7. You Commit to a Code of Ethics. 

We’re all members of a noble and collegial profession with standards, ethical codes, and values. ICMA seeks to make this profession real for all its members by instilling the obligations and expectations of a highly respectable profession. This means committing to the ICMA Code of Ethics and going about your work every day with that code underlying your actions. It not only underpins our profession, but it makes the job so much easier when you have the north star of professional ethics to guide you on difficult decisions.

8. You Really Get to Know Your Community. 

Cities and counties are fascinating and never truly alike. Each has its own history, traditions, leaders, development patterns, strengths, gaps, culture, and community feel. Every community is made up of people with their unique personalities and interests. There are service clubs, street fairs, art exhibits, sports events, and more. If you like people, you are in the right job. If you are a student of how people live, work, and recreate together, cities and counties are learning laboratories. Even long-term managers comment on how fast things change and their jobs along with it. By virtue of our positions, we get to know people in our communities in ways few can.

9. You Develop Transferable Skills. 

The local government management skill set is in demand throughout the United States and internationally. Most of us will serve in more than one community in our careers and much of the expertise, experience, training, and understanding is transferable across jurisdictions despite their differences. Serving in several local governments adds richness to a career in local city or county management and keeps the manager learning and growing. And when the manager is ready to enter a second phase or “encore” career, the skills learned can be quite useful.

10. You Make a Good Living. 

City and county managers are paid decently for their public service work, and enjoy good benefits such as healthcare, leave time, insurance against injury, and often pensions. They can generally afford a comfortable home, vacations, decent schools and colleges for their kids, and to live with dignity and security in retirement. It is a career with a healthy living attached to it.

Bonus: You Accumulate Good Stories. 

In one’s career, a city or county manager will accumulate many stories. These can be poignant and tough, quite funny, or even bizarre. Consequently, you will be able to top any story at a cocktail party.

That’s our list. We suspect you will have others based on your own experiences.

We would be remiss if we didn’t say that there is much fun to be had in this profession. You will go to special events, sing happy birthday at a staff party, flip pancakes with your city council at a community breakfast, and more. A job is not all seriousness. Your staff will appreciate your lightheartedness along with your focused attention to getting things done.

In closing, our communities need and deserve great leaders at the top – both elected and appointed. Being a city or county manager, despite many challenges, can make a huge difference in the lives of the people who live in their communities. It’s a profession that is satisfying, rewarding, and worthy of respect.

ROD GOULD, ICMA-CM, is chairman of the board of HdL Companies, a former ICMA Executive Board member, retired city manager, consultant, and supporter of all those who toil in local government service. (rodgould17@gmail.com)

DR. FRANK BENEST, ICMA-CM, is a retired city manager and currently serves as a local government trainer and ICMA’s liaison for Next Generation Initiatives. (frank@frankbenest.com).

JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM, is vice president of Raftelis, a local government management consultant and facilitator, retired city manager, and a believer in good government and in the city management profession. (jperkins@raftelis.com)