Given the changing demographics of our world and a desire to include new voices in our profession, ICMA continues to focus on improving diversity and inclusion of membership across the association particularly in terms of race, ethnicity, gender and age. A primary focus of our organization is to serve the needs of those who are local government leaders and aspire to leadership roles in local government. We want to welcome, encourage and develop the future generation of leaders.
ICMA Executive Board
"The emerging and mid-career leaders in our organizations are committed professionals eager to make a difference for our communities. Increasing opportunities for these local government leaders to impact our profession - through service on regional nominating committees, voting on key issues and executive board service - will position ICMA as an organization that recognizes and welcomes those who will be charged with solving the wicked problems of our age for the next generation."
—Jane S. Brautigam, ICMA-CM, ICMA, President, City Manager, Boulder, Colorado
"Diversity and inclusion: it's not a goal. It's not a strategy. It's a value. That means it permeates what we do."
—Karen Pinkos, ICMA Past President City Manager, El Cerrito, California
"These ballot measures are important as diversifying our profession and organization is not only important that we reflect our membership across the spectrum, but that by encouraging and providing greater opportunity for involvement in the profession it is the essence of inclusion and will bring about more creative ideas that reflect the perspectives of a more diverse organization, which or great for the members and organization."
—Jim Malloy, ICMA President-Elect,Town Manager, Lexington, Massachusetts
Regional Vice Presidents
Northeast Region
"I am very excited about the proposed changes regarding board diversity. I spent 23 of my 31 years in local government as a department head for a medium size community, and I believe the changes will engage and give a voice to more members like me as they progress in their careers."
—Teresa Tieman, ICMA-CM, Town Manager, Fenwick Island, Delaware
"To its credit the ICMA has made necessary changes to the association with advancements, changes to local government and the changing of times. ICMA is not an association that sits idle while the world and/or the profession of local government is changing. The diversity ballot measure is the next step for ICMA to evolve as an associations and to be a leader and positive example to others by taking necessary action not just with words but with action to become a more diverse and inclusive organization. Support of this ballot initiative will also show to all of our membership that each member irrespective of title is a valued member of this great organization."
—Christopher Coleman, Assistant Town Manager/Director of Operations, Needham, Massachusetts
"I fully support the proposed ballot measures to provide affiliate members with five years’ service to local government and ICMA with the opportunity to serve on the ICMA Board of Directors and to participate in the key decisions facing our association. ICMA has long promoted diversity and inclusion, and these values are key components of Envision ICMA, our strategic plan. Looking at ICMA’s membership overall, our affiliate members are much more diverse than in decades past. This is a wonderful development as our emerging leaders and young professionals represent the future of our profession. The proposed constitutional amendments will help us to better serve our members across the career spectrum and to remain relevant as the premier local government association in the world."
—Matt Hart, ICMA-CM, Town Manager, Town of West Hartford, Connecticut
Midwest Region
"Voting YES on the proposed ballot measure to expand and diversify the organization’s membership and board composition is key to transforming ICMA and the profession to more accurately reflect the communities we serve. The Board’s scrupulous deliberation of this issue and a comprehensive outreach initiative resulted in the proposed constitutional amendments which will generate more members with voting status and board eligibility while maintaining an allegiance to experience in service to local government. The passage of these amendments is a critical step on our interminable path towards achieving more diversity and inclusion and recruiting new leaders to local government service and ICMA."
—Molly Mehner, AICP, ICMA-CM, Deputy City Manager, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Mountain Plains Region
"Our communities and those we serve are diverse and becoming even more so. The Association the Board serves has great depth in its diversity when taken in total. The current Board selection and service structure allowing only full members to serve on the Board prevents the Board from tapping into the full strength and capabilities of its complete and comprehensive membership. Diversity of thought has no limits and benefits the whole. Supporting the expansion of the opportunity for service and thought can only benefit our membership and as a result, the communities, the people we serve."
—Michael Land, City Manager, Coppell, Texas
"During my Board service, there has been a disconnect between our strategic vision and priorities as an association and our governance structure. Supporting the Board's constitutional initiatives allows for alignment with our strategic mission, vision and values. Lifting structural barriers rooted in tradition, that are no longer helpful, will provide opportunity for a higher-level of engagement between the Board and membership. Who do I want ICMA to be? Member-driven. Plain and simple, that's the heart of the value of an ICMA membership."
—Heather Geyer, City Manager, Northglenn, Colorado
West Coast Region
"The recommended ballot measures strike an important balance: enabling future leaders to feel welcomed and empowered to participate with ICMA, while also ensuring that ICMA remains focused on services that reflect the priorities and experience of current members. ICMA’s leadership role, including sustaining and enforcing the Code of Ethics, depends on our ability to keep our successors engaged in ways supported by these actions. This also sets the stage for needed discussions of dues and governance structures."
—Ed Shikada, City Manager, Palo Alto, California
"The future began yesterday, and the ICMA board has grappled with the question of how to continue to best serve local government leaders and aspiring leaders in a rapidly evolving environment. The upcoming ballot measures, approved by the board in October, are forward-looking, designed to enable ICMA to better serve its members, and to enhance ICMA’s stature as the preeminent association for all local government professionals."
—Peter Troedsson, ICMA-CM, City Manager, Albany, Oregon
We've put together some commonly asked questions to give you more information about the Board Diversity process and the 2020 Ballot Initiative. If you have questions that have not been addressed, please submit your question(s) and we'll add it to this page with the answer(s).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Why are these amendments being proposed?
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- Of all the issues facing ICMA, why make this the priority?
- What makes you think that this reflects the feedback of members?
- Why is diversity only defined as race, ethnicity, gender and age? What about sexual orientation? City versus county? Size of community? Diversity of thought?
- Wouldn’t you attract more members if you lowered the dues?
- It seems like voting was the only member benefit that differentiated full members from affiliate members. Why should full members have to pay more now that affiliate members get to vote, serve on the nominating committee, and serve on the board?
- Why do affiliate members have to wait five years after joining ICMA to be permitted to vote or serve on the Board?
- For the 5-year criteria (service in local government and membership in ICMA), must it be continuous?
- If an Affiliate member earns the right to vote, will they retain that right if they leave local government but remain a member?
- Under this new proposal, can an elected official who joins ICMA as an Affiliate member vote or serve on the board?
- Why do we need to change the requirement for serving on the Regional Nominating Committee?
Q. Why are these amendments being proposed?
A. Given the changing demographics of our world and a desire to include new voices in our profession, the Executive Board considered how to improve diversity and inclusion of membership across the association particularly in terms of race, ethnicity, gender and age. Diversifying and expanding the membership is also a key priority of the ICMA Strategic Plan (Envision ICMA) which was developed by the membership and approved by the board in 2017. The board began a year-long conversation with members about how to accomplish that objective and to welcome, encourage and develop the future generation of leaders. The amendments are a result of that year-long conversation.
Q. What problem are we trying to solve?
A. The group of members who currently can vote and serve on the board is not diverse. The chart below shows the demographics of those who currently are eligible to vote and the affiliate members working for local government who would be able to vote if the ballot measure passes.
| Voting Members (Full) | Affiliate Members in Service | |
| Number of Members | 7,200 | 2,300 |
| Male | 79% | 49% |
| Female | 21% | 51% |
| Hispanic | 2% | 6% |
| African American | 5% | 7% |
| Asian | <1% | <2% |
| Average Age | 56 Years | 43 Years |
By opening the non-CAO seat on the board (there are 5 of them) to affiliate members in services, we would hope to see more diversity on the board. These two steps take us closer to a more diverse cadre of professionals.
Q. Of all the issues facing ICMA, why make this the priority?
A. Focusing on who votes or serves on the board can seem like “inside baseball”. During the feedback sessions we learned that most members did not understand who gets to vote or how people get elected to the board. But they did care! Having a say in the future of your professional organization or the opportunity to serve on the governing body is critical to member engagement. While ICMA has done a lot to build a more diverse profession, the Board felt that these were two critical areas to further that effort. (You can find more information on ICMA’s initiatives to build the profession on our equity and inclusion topic page).
Q. What makes you think that this reflects the feedback of members?
A. ICMA hired a member engagement consultant who specializes in diversity and inclusion. The comprehensive outreach began in February 2019. The feedback came from: a national online focus group; discussions held at 5 ICMA Regional Conferences and 23 State Association meetings, more than 2,000 member comments, and informal conversations with board members. While that does not represent all members, what was clear is that more than 75% of those who provided feedback felt some change was needed vs. no change.
Q. Why is diversity only defined as race, ethnicity, gender and age? What about sexual orientation? City versus county? Size of community? Diversity of thought?
A. In reaching the decision to focus on improving diversity in these four areas, the Board is not ignoring the need to be more inclusive of everyone who is part of ICMA and serves in the profession. The Board wants to focus on these four areas in the immediate future because they are measurable. We looked at the data currently being collected and considered how we would best measure whether we are moving the needle in being a more inclusive organization. It is a challenge to collect even this most basic demographic information (for example more than 30% of members do not identify their race). Our thinking is we can at least determine whether these measures are beginning to help us accomplish what we set out to do if we look at these four attributes.
Q. Wouldn’t you attract more members if you lowered the dues?
A. Offering several membership options at varying dues levels is one approach we have taken especially focused on entry level to department directors. Dues will be considered as part of a larger discussion on funding ICMA.
Q. It seems like voting was the only member benefit that differentiated full members from affiliate members. Why should full members have to pay more now that affiliate members get to vote, serve on the nominating committee, and serve on the board?
A. Voting is only one of the member benefits provided to ICMA members who are Full members. Other member benefits exclusive to Full members include the ICMA Credentialed Manager program, support and resources from the members in transition program, Life membership, and recognition for service. These direct benefits are in addition to ICMA’s efforts on research, thought leadership, and leadership development that is geared towards supporting senior executives in local government. For over a decade, ICMA has been intentional in efforts to grow Affiliate membership from entry level to department director by offering affordable flat rate dues. Getting this segment of local government professionals into the network and supported as well with professional development is critical to the future of the profession.
Q. Why do affiliate members have to wait five years after joining ICMA to be permitted to vote or serve on the Board?
A. This was based on feedback garnered during the member engagement process. The Board, supported by the members who weighed in, felt that some experience in local government as well as membership in the association was important. Because members vote on changes to the code of ethics, amendments to the ICMA constitution, and board elections, the board felt this struck an appropriate balance of experience and expansion. Beyond voting, serving on the board requires even more significant responsibility including governance of the association, setting ICMA policy, and enforcing the code of ethics. The five-year membership requirement, hopefully combined with other engagement such as participation on a task force or committee, ensures at least a basic understanding of the organization.
Q. For the 5-year criteria (service in local government and membership in ICMA), must it be continuous?
A. No. All your time in local government as a full-time staff member will be counted as well as any time you were a member of ICMA except for student or intern membership.
Q. If an Affiliate member earns the right to vote, will they retain that right if they leave local government but remain a member?
A. No.
Q. Under this new proposal, can an elected official who joins ICMA as an Affiliate member vote or serve on the board?
A. No. Only Affiliate members working for a local government in an appointed (not elected) position would be eligible to vote and serve on the board.
If you have questions that you cannot find the answer to, please submit your question via the comment page and we'll add it to this page with the answer.
Q. Why do we need to change the requirement for serving on the Regional Nominating Committee?
A. Currently, you must be a Full member of ICMA (i.e., a Manager or Assistant or someone who previously served in those roles) to participate in the regional nominating committee process. State and affiliate organizations (LGHN, NACA, and NFBPA) each appoint a representative to serve. Requiring that the person be a Full member may be a barrier to serving when the state association president is not a Full member. It is also a barrier for the affiliate organizations as it can be difficult for them, given their smaller membership, to find a representative to serve in each region.
If you have questions that have not been addressed, please submit your question(s) and we'll add it to this page with the answer(s).
