Charles City, Iowa, City Administrator Tom Brownlow wanted to address flooding and the damage it caused his community’s waterfront.

Sergeant Saemi Kitchens, Police Department, Prince William County, VA<br />"Everyday is unpredictable, you just don't know what you're going to get... The position I have in my job is to help other people and as a supervisor I feel like I can help my squad as well...."

Warren Gaskill, Recycling Operator, City of Rockville, MD<br />"You do make a difference when you pick up the people's recycling...It takes dedication. I come here rain, snow, shine, everything. We're out here."

Lynique Murray, Community School Coordinator for Linkages Program, Maryvale Elementary School, City of Rockville, MD<br />"The most rewarding part is seeing the smile on the children's faces....I always had a passion to help people and by being in this position I am able to see all this happen."

Creative thinking and the expertise of multiple departments expands the possibilities to address a challenging situation.

A training program helped Evanston employees find there are strong partnerships and collaborations across city departments.

Each section concludes with a question for readers to ponder and perhaps use at a retreat for elected officials.

You have found yourself being interrupted in the course of a work day with greater frequency. How do I know this to be true? We’ve all experienced it.

Most local government managers are eventually going to experience bumps along their career path.