I’ve often thought that government is at its best when it is behind the scenes — the water comes out of the tap and is clean and safe, the trash is picked up, emergency services respond, etc. One of the original “values” of reform that professional management touted was offering communities was stability.
While policy changes happen at the federal level and “trickle down” to the state and then local level, your residents feel the impact first and they come to you. When the world is feeling uncertain, it raises anxiety, and that has an effect on how people interact with one another. For you, it can mean that the tone of public meetings is increasingly toxic.
The rise of incivility and the increasing concern about the state of mental health in our country is top of mind for members. This month’s PM offers a number of resources, as well as practical solutions that your colleagues are working through in their organizations.
On April 22, I participated in an important conversation, “Addressing the Rise of Incivility: A Town Hall Event,” sponsored by ICMA, the National League of Cities, National Civic League, American Public Health Association, and American Psychological Association. C-SPAN decided to air it live and more than 1,300 people tuned in. That number reinforced for me that this is a topic of concern for many of you.
We know our members need tools and resources to deal with incivility and to navigate some of the mental health issues that may be underlying some of the incivility. We have been working with the National Civic League on a new training series to help you reimagine your community meetings. You can find more information and register for this program here.
We have also created a resource page on the topic of civility with some tools and ideas that came from the Town Hall event. As you read this month’s articles, I hope you will identify some ways you can focus on the well-being of your own organization — and of course, that starts by taking care of yourself!
JULIA D. NOVAK, ICMA-CM, is CEO/executive director of ICMA.
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