The new year is an exciting time for cities, counties, and towns. Many first-time elected officials are jumping with both feet into a completely new experience of leading local government.

To help ease your transition, ICMA has pulled together a toolkit of resources  that address the key elements of your job. We’re not pretending that it’s all inclusive, but in addition to covering some high-profile areas like resident engagement, we’ve included lots of tips and tools for working with your chief administrative officer. That’s because at ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, we believe that a strong partnership between elected and appointed officials will deliver the highest quality service and best outcomes for our communities.

The toolkit is the starting point

Your state municipal league, county association or ICMA state association affiliate may be helpful to you as you get up to speed in your new job. We also invite you to check out these additional ways ICMA can support you in becoming an effective local government leader.

• ICMA offers an array of professional development opportunities–from webinars on hot issues affecting counties and municipalities to workshops, seminars, and online certificate programs to help you build your skills
• You won’t want to miss the ICMA Annual Conference—the premier local government leadership and management event.
• For the latest in local government news check out our daily ICMA Smart Brief newsletter, weekly Leadership Matters e-newsletter, and monthly Public Management (PM) magazine, we’ve got you covered with the latest leading practices shared by local governments around the world.
• Add to that a repository of the most comprehensive local government policy and practice content, which you’ll find here. ICMA’s research on a wide range of topics should save you time.

We hope that you’ll find these resources helpful as you move through your term and we wish you continued success in your new role.