We were the speakers on a recent coaching webinar focused on how we commit to political neutrality amid polarization and incivility in order to best serve the needs of the entire community. The topic requires personal authenticity and vulnerability, and we approached this webinar in ways that have helped our communities—Boulder, Colorado and Tyler, Texas—find positive ways forward.

Tenets 4 and 7 professionally grounded this conversation and they remain our guideposts:

Tenet 4. Serve the best interests of all community members.

Tenet 7. Refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in professional administrators. Refrain from participation in the election of the members of the employing legislative body.

Organizational Values

Local government management is complex because it requires successfully leading through both internal and external pressures.

As examples, members must navigate divisive federal issues, such as governing bodies adopting supporting or opposing policy statements, employees who express frustration if their employer is not supporting stances they think to be morally correct, and relationships among levels of government that may no longer feel like the partnerships of the past. Add to the difficulty the fact that local government professionals are unfairly and increasingly viewed as having a political bias that clouds their judgment.

While the situation can feel untenable, we recommend using these tips as a starting point:

Emphasize areas of agreement. Michelle talked about how polarization thrives in areas of noise and conflict. Focus on the common ground to create an environment of positive engagement. Be the neutral convener to find solutions that turn down rhetoric.

Model political neutrality for the organization. Our professional roles require that we stay above the fray to serve everyone, so we expect our employees to act in a nonpartisan way just as we do. Demonstrate that how a task is accomplished is just as important as what gets done. Be attuned to how employees mistakenly think they are being politically savvy when their solution is really overtly political.

Develop employee trust. Likely not every policy or procedure will cover every situation, resulting in gray areas. Set appropriate guardrails so departments have agency to resolve some issues without your input. Exercise trust!

Follow local or state law/policy that addresses employee legal rights with professional obligations. Do new provisions require the organization’s legal counsel to offer revised guidance? Ensure employees are provided with consistent advice on permissible activities during work and personal time.

Assess the organization’s strategic plan as a reflection of community values. Is a proposed action inconsistent with stated principles? Lead regular conversations about the strategic plan, as well as the organization’s mission and values, while recognizing there may be healthy conflict. Create and foster a culture where disagreement is not disagreeable.

Strategies for Budget Transparency

Since budgeting is one of the most important actions in local government, there may be perceptions of partisanship that can be successfully mitigated through transparency with stakeholders. An underscoring theme is to emphasize the role of the local government manager as a steward of the process and less over outcomes of a policy decision.

Tyler engages media in advance of releasing the budget to share the facts and explain how budgetary decisions impact someone’s day-to-day life. A successful strategy is to use storytelling and visual aids to help simplify complex information.

Individuals who have inaccurate AI information or misconceptions of the administrative decision-making process may perpetuate those during the public comment period at governing body meetings and over social media. Since this creates more work in the long run for the local government to address the facts of the matter, Ed suggested being proactive about sharing information about the process to get ahead of this issue.

This advice also extends to elected state and other local officials who may lack some facts or have incorrect impressions of organizational funding priorities. Extend an invitation to work sessions on the annual budget to take any mystery out of the process. Equip those elected officials with the correct background and data because we see how disinformation spreads rapidly on social media.

Perceptions of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

While diversity, equity, and inclusion terminology has become extremely partisan, ICMA’s Declaration of Ideals adopted in 1982 explicitly embraces equity and inclusivity as core professional values, so this ethical obligation has not changed. Pam shared how this work matters, explaining that past government policies and practices created many of the inequities that impact our communities today.

Pam recommended leveraging the organization’s communications experts for clear definitions of what this work is—and what it is not—to make the words more applicable to the local community and less susceptible to misuse. The commitment to diverse, equitable, and inclusive voices in Boulder means community-building and focusing on shared goals rather than politically divisive language.

Pam explained that while any one issue may not provide a person with their own individual solution just the way they want it, Boulder’s framework is to tackle problems that aim to understand someone’s lived experiences. To do so, Boulder uses tools like a benefit-burden analysis to guide equitable decision-making.

There was a coaching webinar participant comment that summarized this issue and their own effective approach in their community:

“I know there’s conversation about changing our language based on political landscape shifts and its stigmatizing of DEI. We had a resident that was adamant that DEI would destroy America. [They] sent me an article and I responded, ‘I can’t speak to what is happening at the national or state level, but in our city, DEI means ensuring seniors have access to affordable programming, that young people are reflected in our governance, that people who enter our buildings can get the services they need regardless of their language, and making sure that residents feel safe and welcomed in their own home and city regardless of their religion or race.’ They said, ‘Oh, if that’s what DEI means, then I can support that.’”

Personal Conduct

ICMA’s Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC), of which Pam is a co-chair, is the Executive Board subcommittee that determines whether a member’s conduct has violated the Code of Ethics. The CPC has consistently concluded that a member cannot effectively serve the organization when the member engages in political activity such as financially supporting or endorsing candidates or running for office themselves. There is no exception for supporting a candidate who is running for office outside the jurisdiction where a member is employed.

This profession in the public eye means individual choices, and our household dynamics could have an impact on the perception of political neutrality. Michelle, who was the assistant county manager in Arlington, Virginia, and is now a consultant, indicated her political party affiliation as independent on her voter registration to avoid the appearance of political bias.

That step, as well as openly participating in public electoral primary systems like caucuses, require personal consideration. While there are no easy answers to this dilemma, keep in mind that the decision made in one election cycle can always be modified in the next.

Many members have households with strong political leanings. While a member’s spouse and children are not members required to uphold the principles of political neutrality, unfortunately, the public does not make this distinction when they see a yard sign for an elected official or record of a household financial campaign contribution. A solution that works in Pam’s household is displaying signs that reflect her family’s beliefs without endorsing specific candidates.

Think about your alignment with your community and governing body beyond the recruitment phase. If a member finds themselves disagreeing with many of the governing body’s actions during employment, it is time to reevaluate whether it is a good idea to remain in a position with responsibility for implementing their decisions. The PM article, “When to Stay and When to Go,” is a guide in this assessment.

What’s Your North Star?

In this phase of heightened polarization at local, state, and national levels of government, we encourage members to focus on the high ethical standards demanded of their role, specifically Tenet 7 emphasizing the importance of political neutrality.

Personal mentors, experiences, and principles have served as our North Star in guiding our careers. Together, they shape our self-awareness and help our long-term thinking in this profession. ​

Ed’s mentor, Tom Brymer, who was an assistant city manager in College Station, had a difficult pair always come to the council’s public comments. Tom emphasized to Ed how an individual’s pain influences their behavior and requires empathetic leadership to best serve them. Pam’s inspiration is “little Pam.” She tries to be the leader that her younger self needed her government officials to be at that time. Michelle stays grounded by focusing on the unique values of each community and ensuring that all deserve an opportunity to have a voice in shaping their local government.

While the topics are difficult, our positions of public trust mean these crucial conversations are required of us. We embrace them and the many resources ICMA offers as tools.

Start with ICMA’s political activity advice page, then check out these two recent ethics webinars exclusively for members:

• Balancing Political Neutrality with Personal Advocacy, and the accompanying resource list. 

• Local Government’s Commitment to Democracy. The PM article, “Our Commitment to Democracy is at the Core of Ethical Leadership” recapped this webinar. Be sure to check out the accompanying resource list. 

If you have any ethics questions, contact ICMA’s ethics director, Jessica Cowles, at jcowles@icma.org for confidential advice on the matter. These conversations are free as an ICMA membership benefit.

For more information about ICMA’s free coaching webinars series for 2026, visit the ICMA website. And mark your calendar for May 20, when the webinar topic is “The Changing Role of Mid-Managers.”

ED BROUSSARD, ICMA-CM, is city manager of Tyler, Texas.

PAM DAVIS is assistant city manager of Boulder, Colorado.

MICHELLE FERGUSON is executive vice president of Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc.