In the early days of the council-manager form of government, city managers such as L.P. Cookingham, who was hired by a reform city council in Kansas City, had to have great courage to clean up a corrupt city hall. He was fulfilling the will of that new city council, but he was leading up as well. He was not sitting back to take direction; he saw what needed to be done, proposed new policies, encouraged the council to do their best on their reform agenda, and turned that government around. 

He also led outwardly in the community. It is no accident that multiple public buildings are named after him, or that community members at the time and later not only knew about him but knew him personally. He was out in the community. While he was simultaneously leading up and out, he was also leading within the organization. He had to provide leadership for building a new structure, creating solid purchasing and hiring practices, instilling professional management, and modeling the ICMA Code of Ethics. Generations later, he is considered a legend.

City and county managers today also do much more than implement governing body policies. Too often we simplistically describe the dichotomy of roles as setting policy (council) and implementing policy (chief executive). Not only is it far more complicated than that, but it ignores the leadership imperative that our form of government requires if we are to truly serve all the people and leave our communities better than when we found them. So let’s talk differently about the role of the city or county manager. Let’s start our description of the role as that of a leader.

How Has Local Government Changed?

There have always been challenges—some bigger than others—for our local governments. That is the nature of the business. It is more complicated today, and that is likely true of every generation.

There is more turnover on our governing bodies. In some cities, very few people want to run for office. And when they do, they have not had any prior experience on an appointed volunteer city board, school board, or other place where they could get some experience with government. It is not uncommon for some people to run for local office who have a disdain for their city government and are uninterested in the process of governing.

In today’s world, communication travels instantly. We often see people leaping to conclusions without checking facts. There is little grace shown. The default seems to be to assume the worst. Many are quick to post a “fact” online and get their neighbors riled up. Too often, city officials hear demands from people and in the same breath hear them say, “and don’t ask me to pay for it.”

Leaders—not administrators—are needed to solve the big challenges. Here are a few challenges to think about.

Re-energizing what it means to be a resident of the community: This goes beyond promoting civil discourse, which is baseline. Leaders must first turn the temperature down on the rising incivility if we are to protect our local democratic institution of local government. But communities are formed so that people can tackle common interests in ways that they cannot do alone. So, energizing a sense of “we are individuals together for a common purpose” is important in tackling the big issues of the community. This also means city/county managers must take the lead with the governing body to aid them in focusing mostly on what values they share rather than their differences. For community problems to be solved and beneficial results to be gained, civil discourse and a greater sense of “we’re in it together” is needed.

Pulling back from the infrastructure cliff: Streets, sewer systems, parks, and buildings that were shiny and new in the 1950s and ’60s are on life support in many towns and communities. No one wants to pay for something that is underground. But if it doesn’t work, then people notice (and complain). The impacts of climate change will only make the infrastructure gap worse. Only through speaking the truth about this and creating a real long-range plan within the community will collapses be averted. It should not have to wait until a failure occurs.

Conducting long-term financial planning: Financial precarity is real. Looking at the short term (fewer than five years) does not give the chief executive and governing body enough of an understanding of the choices that will have to be made at some point with rising pension rates, compounding salary increases, higher maintenance costs, revenue dips, and other factors. With recession cycles, unexpected loss of grants, long-term liabilities, and more, planning beyond five years is essential. The best organizations prepare 10-year financial forecasts or longer, which they update annually. Long-range forecasting provides critical context for the decisions made today that will impact the local government’s financial position in future years. Short-term focus gets a municipality into trouble!

Expecting external shocks: Big things happen that cannot be predicted. Too often, local governments plan as if all will be well. But in looking back over any local government’s history, there are likely at least two or three major shocks that will require an infusion of unplanned dollars. What can be counted on is that something will occur. It may be another pandemic, a devastating flood or earthquake, a dismantling cyberattack, or a surge in homelessness that causes stores to shutter. Leaders need to set time and money aside to respond to these crises quickly.

Embracing regional solutions: Problems do not stop at a town’s border. Complex issues can be shared with solutions created through regional collaboration. City and county managers can pool knowledge and resources to optimize public dollars. It might mean letting go of control, but it can result in better results for the people in the region.

Anticipating an increase in aging populations: The predominant focus of recreational and community services in local governments has been on activities for young people. That will always be an important priority. But increasingly, communities are experiencing an aging demographic that will require a well-thought-out plan to address the needs of this important segment of the population. Many seniors are active and we see a proliferation of pickleball courts and outdoor activities geared toward them. But some seniors will need greater accessibility to transportation, such as locally provided ride share services and more. There is a growing market for senior-oriented housing at all levels, from upscale to low-income. Meeting the interests of an older population will require different types of planning and resources.

Keeping up with and utilizing technology: This is moving at a very fast pace. How do we use AI ethically and practically? How do we utilize automation and analytics? It is likely local governments will have fewer employees doing routine work due to automation and pure affordability. Technology will continue to provide avenues for streamlining routine transactions, drones are already being used for some law enforcement tasks, AI is eliminating many jobs in the private sector, and this likely will occur in public organizations as well. Leaders should embrace the power of analytics to make more informed decisions, creating dashboards that explain, through visualizations, not only “what” we are doing but “how well” and “what we need” for the community.

Supporting employees’ success: As the job market gets tight in all industries, local governments will have an opportunity to recruit from a wider pool. A key will be to not only go for the expertise, but for people who care about public service. Local government works best when the entire team of staff embrace the mission of the organization, as well as strive to do their best work as professionals. Creating a positive work environment that fits the local government’s values, as well as providing the coaching and training needed for staff to be successful supervisors, will be an ongoing challenge.

What Does This Mean for the Chief Executive?

The chief executive will need to have courage to lead up with their governing body, lead out into the community, and lead within the organization. The last category is our traditional role. Here is what we mean by each.

Lead Up

City councils, county boards, and town commissions have traditionally looked to their appointed chief executive for advice and recommendations. With the complex challenges facing our communities, the chief executive will need to actively engage their governing bodies in finding policy solutions. Some solutions will be really tough, requiring courage. Any long-range forecasting or getting a city off the infrastructure cliff will need not only strategic planning, but clearheadedness about why the common good of the community required action. Elected officials will want to know what you think, but the imperative will be greater given the extent of some of the challenges. Here are some steps you can take:

It starts with respect. Assume each elected official has the best interests of the community in mind. Start with that and find out what their hopes and dreams are for the community.

Have a vision. Create a common vision with the governing body for how they see the community well into the future. Use that as the guide, the “true north” for how you talk with them about the tough issues.

Establish goals. Lead the council or board in short- and long-term goal setting and strategic planning. Knowing where they want to go and how to get there will be key to solving problems that have a financial impact.

Create norms for governing. Initiate with your governing body a process to create a set of norms or principles for governing and working together and with staff. Teamwork is key to the success of the small things and crucial to solving big challenges.

Thoroughly orient new elected officials. Start when candidates are on the ballot to orient them to the form of government. They may not have any idea what it means to be in a council-manager form of government. Then once elected, provide sufficient orientation and training so that on day one in the council or board meeting, the newly elected member can understand their role. Continue to orient and support their understanding as they get their “sea legs” as a new member of the elected body. Do not assume they understand the protocols, your role as chief executive, or their own role.

Conduct one-on-ones. Schedule and conduct regular individual conversations with each governing body member. This is foundational—not only for building trust, but as you deal with the tough issues, you will have a base from which to convey solid information and context. The “no surprise” rule can be supported by these one-on-ones, which means no surprises from you or from the elected official.

Lead Out

A truism is that “people trust people they know” and conversely do not trust people they do not know. While the council’s role is that of community representative, it is also essential that the city or county manager be engaged and show they care about the people of the community. During a crisis, or when you need the community to rally around a common good, being a real person, not just a “name behind a desk” matters. Here are some steps you can take:

Be visible. The extent will vary by locality, but find those venues to be in person with people. It might be at special events, service club meetings, a neighborhood watch or community emergency response team (CERT) activity, or the farmers market. Introduce yourself. Ask people what is on their minds. Listen to understand. This allows you to get a direct line into the community so that all of your views are not filtered through your front line staff.

Get your staff out there. The demands of daily work often get in the way of executive staff and managers being out in the community. But that is at our peril as a local government. When times are tough, if our executive staff are not known, they can be misunderstood and not given the benefit of the doubt. Find ways for constructive dialogue, as well as simply having staff get to know community members. Use this as a way to build alliances with businesses, local organizations, schools, and other community groups. As the leader of the organization, it is important to train your staff on how to do this effectively. Your executive staff need to be out there for direct awareness of how community members are viewing local government.

Expand ways to gain community input. Public hearings are required but not sufficient for truly understanding the desires of the community. Online methods are useful but not adequate either. People are busy working, getting their children to school, and just living their lives, so find ways to go to them. It might be at a local shopping center, farmers market, a religious center, or homeowners association meeting. Use multiple avenues. And keep in mind that the loudest voices, or even the “most” voices, are not all the voices that you need to be mindful of. The silent ones must also be cared for.

Lead Within

Your staff want and need connection with you. The same truth about trusting people you know also applies to the leader of an organization. To build this, getting to know the people who do the daily work for the community matters. In a small organization this may be easier, but even in a large organization, there are ways to engage. We rely not only on the skills of our employees, but on their commitment and belief in the work and mission. Employees want a leader who shows they care, as well as a leader who inspires confidence that the tough issues of the day will be handled. Here are some steps you can take:

Be friendly. Get out there—visit the corporation yard, police briefings, planning department, finance team, or fire stations. You don’t need to make a presentation (but you could if you chose); the point is to meet the employees and interact with them on a regular basis and show that you care about them.

Do your own employee temperature check. Have direct contact with employees. Don’t only get a sense of how employees are feeling from your department heads. By being out among your employees, you will have your own wellness gauge. You can also do a more formalized version of this through an employee survey, which can be useful from time to time, as a confidential method of measuring their satisfaction with the organization.

Create opportunities for employees to grow. Allocate time and resources for development at all levels and in all disciplines. Provide support for staff to learn how to manage and supervise both projects and people. Create an environment that supports success and expects high performance.

Deal with problems. When an employee’s performance or behavior is either not meeting expectations or values, or even worse is damaging others, don’t let it fester. Not every employee is a good fit for every organization. A supervisor can be the catalyst for high performance or for driving great employees away. Consider the greater good of the team when you are up against a tough employee situation.

Be transparent. When good things happen in the organization, celebrate them. When tough news is about to land, tell the truth so that employees can trust the information.

Plan for the future. Employees want confidence that the chief executive is looking out for the long term. Create a multi-year plan, communicate it, and update it regularly. Engage staff in creating the plan or, at the minimum, in understanding how they fit into its execution. When uncertainties arise, provide clarity that you will be dealing with them, even if the answer is unclear.

Conclusion

Each decade brings new opportunities and challenges. Our governing bodies, communities, and staff within our organizations look to the top appointed leader for guidance. Courage can be needed to speak the hard facts at times, but it is necessary if the community’s interests are going to be well served. It takes the entire team of the elected body, appointed executive, staff team, and members of the community to continually improve the place in which residents live their lives each day.

JAN PERKINS, ICMA-CM, is a former city manager in two California cities and currently vice president of Raftelis, serving cities, counties, and special districts.

TAMARA LETOURNEAU, ICMA-CM, is an experienced city manager, currently serving as city manager for Laguna Niguel, California.