It’s the laughter we will remember.  Whenever Flip McConnaughey was present, so was his wit.  Flip began his local government career in Casper, Wyoming, in 1972, and served as the first city administrator for Gillette, Wyoming (1976-81), and then city manager of Laramie, Wyoming (1981-96).

Did you ever wonder about the origins of Tenet 13?  When Flip served as an ICMA Vice President (1990-92), he signed up for the ICMA Committee on Professional Conduct.  While not every complaint resulted in an ethics violation, Flip concluded that a new “Tenet 13” should be established to remind people not to do something really dumb. 

When former Gillette Mayor Mike Enzi was elected to the U.S. Senate, he asked his good friend Flip to serve as his Chief of Staff.  Flip kept his city manager identity intact and became the co-founder of the Senate Bipartisan Chief of Staff Group.  He generously met with ICMA members every year for their Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee (GAPC) to update us on what was happening – or not happening – in Congress. 

“Getting appropriations bills passed in Congress this year is like pushing Jello up the Hill,” Flip told the GAPC in March 2016.  He showed up fully armed with humor for that Saturday morning meeting even though he was going through chemotherapy treatments.

Flip kept working as long as his health permitted because he loved what he did.  He was the consummate public servant and a wonderful human being.  He touched many lives, including mine, and will be greatly missed.