If you were to create a new city from scratch, where would you begin?

The city of Rancho Cordova, CA, was founded in 2003 and started by hiring one of the most innovative city managers in the country. Soon after its incorporation, Rancho Cordova hired Ted Gaebler, who had been city manager and/or CEO of seven local government agencies in five states and is an internationally-known author, consultant, and lecturer.

Gaebler worked closely with the city council, staff, and community to shape and nurture the new city. Under his leadership, the city has accomplished much, most significantly, achieving a positive financial picture early in its existence, while providing ever-increasing services—especially laudable amidst the budget deficits of surrounding cities, counties, and the state of California.

The key, according to Gaebler, was as simple as the right mind-set. He practices pragmatic, internally-driven change; decentralized authority; increased transparency and accountability; reduced management layers; and public/private partnerships—all to provide more efficient and cost-effective services. The results are civic pride, citizen engagement, and public trust. His goal was to create a government that delights its citizens by being community-centric, thinking first of its customers—the residents.

Gaebler strongly believes that ideas which delight citizens can come from the professional city staff. He taps their creative energy by developing ways in which they can contribute to the successful operation of the city government. He does this by encouraging employees to develop new ideas and methods to expand their thinking. For example, he has:

• Created the “Office of New Ideas” which encourages any city employee, without permission or advance notice to their superiors, to present ideas for employee-initiated projects, some of which may receive seed money from the city for further development or implementation of the idea.
• Borrowed a concept from the private sector by rewarding exemplary staff with city hall stock certificates. The stocks have actual cash value, are secured by $5,000 bonds from municipal debt offerings, and offer the same “ownership” in the organization as stocks do in corporations.
• Encouraged staff to take calculated risks to foster creative and innovative thinking, accepting mistakes as part of the learning process.

By empowering his professional staff and providing them with a sense of ownership, former City Manager Gaebler helped build a new local government that delighted residents, providing the inspiration for Rancho Cordova’s slogan: “City Life. Reinvented.”