A presentation to an International Forum on the City Manager and its relation to competitiveness by Mark S. Watson, City Manager, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and chair of the ICMA International Committee. The forum, held in Mexico City October 27-28, 2011, was organized by the government of Cuajimalpa (one of Mexico City´s 16 districts) in collaboration with ICMA, the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, the National Institute for Public Administration, three universities (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, or CIDE, Universidad Iberoamericana, and Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, or UAM), and the ETEISA consulting firm.