Frank Walsh
Township Manager
Meridian Township, Michigan
walsh@meridian.mi.us

As I reflect back to the start of my career in local government, I fondly recall my first internship with the city of Jackson, Michigan. While there, I was fortunate enough to have worked with current Sedgwick County, Kansas, Manager and former ICMA President William (Bill) Buchanan.

Bill taught me to listen, to ask tough questions, and to not be afraid to make a mistake. He allowed me, at the age of 23, to participate in key development issues and challenging personnel decisions.

I quickly learned the difference from simply being a “manager” to that of taking the steps to be a “community leader.” Bill was not afraid to take bold leadership even when he knew the community was split on an issue.

He gave me a chance back in 1988 and I’m forever grateful for his time, wisdom, and energy.

Meredith Robson
City Administrator
Beacon, New York
administrator@cityof beacon.org

I think of a few key individuals who were instrumental in helping me craft my leadership style—the former administrators for whom I worked, Bob Bruschi, Greg Fehrenbach, and Pete Rayner. Each had personalities that differed from each other and from me, but each contributed greatly to my approach to leadership and to the skills required to manage a community.

I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from them and to have been exposed to their own different but extremely effective leadership styles. Although I could pinpoint specific examples of when and how they provided this leadership insight, I believe that most of it was simply done through example. They exemplified what it means to be leaders in local government.

Even after more than 26 years in this work, when faced with a particular situation, I still ask myself “What would so-and-so have said?” or “What would he have done?,” and then I proceed accordingly.

Earlene Teaster
City Manager
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
eteaster@cityofpigeon forge.com

During my 30-plus years as a city manager, three people stand out in my mind as helping me to become the type of manager I am today.

Gary Head, former city manager of Alcoa, Tennessee, played a major role in my decision to accept my current position. He was respected by employees, had great communication skills, and led by example.

C.L Overman, city manager for nearby Sevierville, was a quiet and unassuming manager. He, too, was highly respected and always led by example. Both managers offered considerable advice early in my career.

Bill Maples, who served as Pigeon Forge’s mayor and also as a councilmember, demonstrated a management style that fit right between the two city managers. He was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes.

He taught me to manage with kindness, love, and respect for others. These things have stayed with me and helped me to manage more effectively throughout my career.

Fredrick Buss, ICMA-CM
Town Manager
Gila Bend, Arizona
fbuss@gilabendaz.org

I’d say three people have done this, all of whom believed in participatory management, empirically driven solutions, and innovation through risk taking. William Kelleher, director of operations at a high-tech firm was the first to not only teach these principles but to put them into practice—with tremendous results. He drove home the value of investing in people.

Cynthia Seelhammer, county manager, Coconino County, Arizona, believes in these same principles, and gave me Jim Collin’s book Good to Great, as if to say “here’s proof.” She believes in lifelong learning and the proactive inclusion of all perspectives.

And, Bob Jackson, current mayor of Casa Grande, Arizona, and a local government civil engineer for more than 30 years, taught me the value of taking calculated risks—as long as they brought public value and were consistent with community values and vision—and to accept failures as opportunities for learning.