So there I was, looking out into a sea of faces. Council members, city managers and directors from all over California had gathered at the 2016 League of California Cities Annual Conference, and an unexpected number of them had decided to attend my session on emerging leaders. As a representative of the Municipal Management Association…

To help civic leaders, students, and elected officials better understand how professional managers contribute to improving quality of life and financial success of our cities, counties, and towns we needed to create success stories, videos, and blogs reflecting stellar examples. We had a great response from communities but one city manager stands out: Sheryl Sculley…

Tomorrow is Make a Difference Day. It is one of the largest days of national service all year, according to its promoters and participants. It’s been around since 1992 but when we heard it about it, we thought of our community heroes and our city, town, and county managers. Every day is Make a Difference Day for them.…

Life, Well Run  published two seemingly very different Success Stories this month.  But both have a foundation in leadership and partnerships. In Roswell, Georgia, City Administrator Kay Love has made it a priority to recruit and keep top-notch staff at her organization.  And the programs have shown to decrease attrition, all the while having some fun.  Be sure to…

ICMA has created a series of podcasts with insights from local government leaders on how to create a Life, Well Run. Host Rob Carty, ICMA’s director of career services and next generation initiatives provides a narrative for Local Gov Life that guides listeners through each episode and can give aspiring local government leaders a great idea of how…

We are so excited about the success of the first Life, Well Run photo contest that we decided to share some of the contestant entries here. Take a look at the future of local government and feel the energy and passion they have for the profession. Some contestants even submitted more than one photo/project. We…

The value of professional management in local government has once again been borne out in hard numbers, indicating a strong correlation between non-political, executive-style management and the financial health and stability of these communities. These numbers also serve to elevate and validate the profession of city/county manager and its role in creating a Life, Well…