March is Ethics Awareness Month and likely no topic is more crucial to this work than enhancing civic trust. This month we highlight two member communities who make trust a reality, tackle overcoming trust issues within the governing body, and provide tools to address incivility directed toward the organization’s employees.

The Community

Decatur, Georgia

Before declaring candidacy for a seat on the local governing body, individuals often form their views on civic trust through their experiences serving on the organization’s boards or commissions. Decatur’s actions strive to make this service a positive experience: Decatur used “sortition, a process that started with a civic lottery and led to a diverse set of…members” to appoint a third of its members to the charter review commission. From the hundreds of volunteers, the National Civic League helped select a demographically balanced group of nine commission members” added to the 20 residents Decatur appointed from various community organizations.

Over five months in the second half of 2025, “the commission met publicly to examine the charter section by section and recommend updates” with a process that included public input; work sessions; and a review of all aspects of the city’s governmental structure, powers, and duties for elected and appointed officials, as well as how decisions are made in Decatur.

As part of this process, the commission identified “values they believed the charter should reflect… [that] included fairness, accountability, public involvement, environmental responsibility, and a welcoming community.” Those principles were translated into public engagement work for the local government through “inclusion, transparency, collaboration with city schools, and regular evaluation of engagement efforts.”

While committee work often emphasizes the areas of consensus, in Decatur, “rather than smoothing over differences, the commission chose to be transparent about them.” This effort shows that the absence of full agreement happens throughout this process, but doing so does not need to devolve into the mentality of I’m right and you’re wrong. Civil disagreements are a fact of life in this profession, and Decatur’s Charter Review Commission shows how they can be appropriately managed.

The Decatur governing body approved the Charter Review Commission’s recommendations in December 2025. ICMA member Andrea Arnold is Decatur’s city manager and remarked, “This exceeded all of my expectations…. This was our own little constitutional convention. It made me proud to be your manager.”

DeLand, Florida

Additional inspiration comes from DeLand’s youth-focused public engagement initiative, the DeLand School of Government. The program was created 20 years ago through a partnership between the city of DeLand, the DeLand and Greater West Volusia Chamber of Commerce, and Volusia County Schools.

The DeLand School of Government provides hands-on, comprehensive learning opportunities for students interested in government, public service, and political science. Along the way, DeLand noticed “two additional benefits ... The program exposes students to local government as a viable and rewarding career option, and it encourages them to become civically engaged, whether by attending public meetings, serving on advisory together, the DeLand School of Government has become a practical way to help grow the next generation of local volunteers and leaders.”

Confronting the Local Government Trust Dilemma

Another community resource is ICMA member Rick Davis’s three-part PM series on strategic planning as an approach to building trust (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). His series brings much-needed humor to this work. 

“While living in Arizona years ago, I was advised by those who had resided there much longer than our family that termites are simply a reality of living in the Sonoran Desert. In fact, one neighbor told me, ‘There are two kinds of homes around here: those with termites and those about to have termites.” That would have made a great slogan for an extermination company! Similarly, there are two kinds of cities: those with a trust deficit and those who are actively building trust with their residents. Trust is not static. You are either building it or backsliding into a deficit.” 

Davis continued, 

[While] “more than a few local governments are afflicted by trust deficits… instead of addressing the root cause—the trust gap itself—they hack at the branches. ‘Let’s have a citizen appreciation day!’ ‘How about we fire the city manager?’ And an oldie but goodie, ‘Let’s lower the property tax rate!’ Disappointment usually sets in when they realize they can’t fill a trust gap with free stuff, throwing money at people, or even offering up a human sacrifice. They must build trust!” 

Take a moment to self-reflect on these principles:

Honestly assess the state of community trust. Take inventory to ask yourself if your actions have promoted or weakened community trust. 

Try, try again. Crowdsource ideas for improving community trust with colleagues and employees. Generously give others credit for those ideas that succeed.

Speak truth to power. Welcome hard conversations with those whose actions undermine community trust. Don’t just be a bystander; do something about it.

The Governing Body

Many of the issues in a fractured council-manager relationship stem from a councilmember feeling they do not receive equal information from the CAO. The information sharing and feedback guideline to Tenet 10 advises, “The member should collaborate with the governing body to establish clear communication 
protocols for effective, equitable, and transparent information sharing and reciprocal feedback.” 

A governing body member’s chip on the shoulder as a result will grow with every perceived slight and wreak havoc on the governing body’s critical work in enhancing public trust. Don’t let this derail the organization’s positive efforts. Utilize the organization’s legal and financial risk management as needed to prevent issues from festering.

A variety of ICMA resources operationalize these values, linked here with relevant PM articles: 

• Training a newly elected governing body.
• Helping newly elected officials make the shift from campaigning to serving in the unique role of governing.
• How the chief executive can address a disruptive elected official and help the governing body function well.
• When a council code of conduct doesn’t address the problem, how to confront misconduct and rewrite the rules.
• Understanding the importance of the relationship between the CAO and elected officials before, during, and after election.
• Governing for ethics and fairness: Different conceptions of need, deservingness, and entitlement is at the heart of public action.

The Organization’s Employees

Managers are acutely aware that today’s divisive public commentary has detrimental impact on the organization’s employees. These public servants are the backbone of a thriving local government, and in many cases, are experiencing the emotional trauma of incivility. The following topics are linked with relevant PM articles:
• Bullying and harassment of local government workers.
• Leadership means wading through uncertainty.
• Finding inspiration to support your employees by shifting from a mindset of cynicism and division to one of collaboration and openness.

Ethics Awareness Month continues! Mark your calendar for the first free ICMA Coaching Webinar of 2026 on Wednesday, March 18, “Remaining Politically Nonpartisan and Ethically Relevant in the Face of Threats to Democracy.” 

You already know public service is not for the faint of heart! Lean on colleagues, mentors, senior advisors, regional directors, and me as resources for assistance in building civic trust. If you are struggling with an ethics situation, don’t forget your membership includes contacting ICMA’s ethics director for confidential advice. Reach out to me at jcowles@icma.org.

JESSICA COWLES is ethics director at ICMA (jcowles@icma.org).