As an ICMA senior advisor, I have been asked on a number of occasions, “Who are senior advisors and what do you do?” When that question is asked by either an elected official or an ICMA member, it’s an opportunity to explain the benefits that the ICMA Senior Advisor program offers to members and their communities.

During my senior advisor orientation, I still remember Kurt Bressner, who served for many years as the Florida senior advisor coordinator, saying, “We are colleagues who come alongside our members and their communities. Remember, we are not consultants.”

The Florida City/County Management Association (FCCMA) Board of Directors has established excellent policy direction and expectations for their Florida senior advisors. The coordinator attends each board meeting and reports on what the senior advisors have been involved in during the previous quarter. This allows the board to ask questions and provide input and direction to the senior advisors. The following are a few of our regular activities:

Manager and Interim Manager Recruitment

In 2023, the senior advisors came to the FCCMA board with a proposal. Advisors were receiving inquiries from cities and counties on how to recruit a manager. Several years ago, Kurt Bressner developed a memorandum with a template that outlined the recruitment process, which many of us used to provide assistance to cities and counties, yet we often receive additional questions that are not covered in the memorandum. Thus, the FCCMA board authorized a committee composed of senior advisors and private recruitment firms to develop a recruitment guide, which was formally adopted by the board at their May 2024 meeting. The senior advisors will take on the responsibility of keeping the guide current.

Senior advisors are available to assist with manager recruitment for small cities and counties (based on population criteria set by the FCCMA board). Board policy makes it clear that senior advisor participation in recruitment is in partnership with the local government. We make it clear that we are not a professional recruitment firm and that our services are not comprehensive. The city or county will incur expenses such helping to prepare recruitment materials that will be placed on their website, conducting background checks, advertising costs, travel expenses, and accepting resumes.

We’re often contacted by local governments seeking assistance in finding an interim manager. Many retired managers or members who are between positions (members in transition or MITs) desire to fill interim manager positions. We provide cities and counties with a listing of individuals who may be able to assist them as an interim manager.

Managers in Transition

A major emphasis of the Florida senior advisors is remaining connected to those members who are in transition. We contact MITs at least once a month either in person, with a phone call, or by email or text. We also provide them with notices of job vacancies, job announcements from national recruiting firms, and interim manager opportunities. At the February 2024 FCCMA board meeting, the board authorized the senior advisors to work with the membership committee to revise and update materials that are provided to members in transition. The plan is to present the updated guide to the board in May 2025.

Connecting with Members to Spread Awareness

When an individual joins FCCMA, senior advisors are asked to contact the new member. This provides an opportunity to welcome and encourage the new member to become involved in the association, as well as introduce them to the Senior Advisor program.

We stay connected to our membership by attending regional manager meetings. Many of the Florida counties or regions hold monthly manager meetings, and attending these meetings allows us to stay connected to members and remind them that we’re here to provide support.

At the FCCMA Annual Conference, the senior advisors staff the booth where members receive their gift bags, allowing us to interact with members and make them aware of our availability to assist them. While at the conference, we’re available to review resumes and provide helpful hints on effective resume and cover letter preparation. At the annual Florida League of Cities conference, we often serve as session panelists and we have a booth in the exhibit hall where we interact with members and elected officials.

Working with Councils

Florida senior advisors have been called upon to work with several city charter review commissions as they are reviewing their charters. Senior Advisor Dan Kleman and Lynn Tipton, FCCMA executive director emeritus, developed a presentation that can be used when working with a charter review commission or in speaking to civic groups and others about the council-manager form of government. When the council-manager plan is being challenged, often senior advisors are called upon to make presentations in its defense; or when a local government is considering adopting the council-manager plan, senior advisors will speak about its benefits.

We are sometimes asked to facilitate council goal settings retreats. A number of Florida senior advisors have worked with local governments in preparing or updating their strategic plan.

I often tell managers that we are your safe place. We are often a manager’s sounding board. We listen to their frustrations, answer their questions, and give them advice. We provide members with career counseling. We are available to mentor and coach and help them find the resources they need. Senior advisors are often called upon to provide ethics advice or in some cases provide a member with direction on who to call to get their question answered.

The Florida Senior Advisor program is very robust, with eight senior advisors committed to serving both ICMA and FCCMA members. In 2023, the Florida senior advisor team was involved in more than 1,000 different activities and provided more than 1,800 hours to our members. Don’t hesitate to contact us, or a senior advisor in your own state, should you need assistance.

KEN PARKER, ICMA-CM (RETIRED), is an ICMA senior advisor in Florida, having worked in the public sector for 43 years until his retirement in 2013.