Rainier City Administrator Scott Jorgensen is no fan of the Oregon City/County Management Association (OCCMA). A few years ago, he was the subject of an anonymous ethics complaint without any clear explanation of his alleged offense. About a year later, Jorgensen learned that another city manager had accused him of leaking his listserv comments.  The evidence was a conversation between this city manager and one of his elected officials the city manager had surreptitiously recorded. Jorgensen...

We continue our conversation with Polson, Montana city manager Ed Meece in Part 2 of our interview series.  In this episode, Ed talks about: ✅ a new state association for Montana city managers that is not affiliated with the ICMA,✅ a conversation he had with ICMA CEO Marc Ott and Ray Baray, his chief of staff, and✅ why he is so excited about the new American Association of Municipal Executives   SHOW NOTES: Ed Meece's LinkedIn page SUBMIT JOB POSTING: Do you have an executive or senior level...

In 2015, city manager Ed Meece did something he never thought he would do. He canceled his International City/County Management Association membership twenty-five years after joining the organization. What happened? Meece explains his reasoning in Part 1 of this two-part series. SHOW NOTES: Ed Meece's LinkedIn page SUBMIT JOB POSTING: Do you have an executive or senior level vacancy in your organization? Use this form/link to submit your job listing in my weekly newsletter for just...

Baker Tilly has been bad -- again.  Recently, yours truly dropped a bombshell about Baker Tilly when he appeared as a guest on the Making Sense with Michael J. talk show in Amarillo, Texas. We discussed the Amarillo city manager recruitment and the consulting contract Baker Tilly landed to help review their charter. Host Michael Stevens graciously allowed me to replay the interview on the podcast. Since the interview aired on May 20th, sources have been feeding me additional information about...

Public sector executives need to steal some pages out of the private sector executive playbook when it comes to compensation, benefits, and negotiating contracts. Attorney Daniel Reilly has extensive experience in negotiating private and public sector executive contracts. Licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we discuss industry norms, tactics, and practices that should be co-opted by city and county managers to secure stronger contracts that will protect them and their...

Unhappy with the current direction of the International City/County Management Association, El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell decided to get involved and run for a seat on the executive board. In previous years when he only saw one name on the ballot for each seat -- he assumed it was due to apathy. Little did he know that the ICMA establishment created a process whereby they hand-selected the nominee who was all but guaranteed to win because voters would not have another name on the...

A lot of people self-proclaim themselves to be "change agents" or transformational leaders who have changed their department or organization's culture. But a lot of this is fluffy, self-promotion meant to stroke the ego. How many public sector executives have actual, quantifiable data to support these claims? Durango, Colorado city manager Jose Madrigal is a truly transformative leader and he has the "receipts" to prove it. We discuss his professional journey and his choice to become a...

Over the last 18 months I have highlighted the plight of city managers and other public sector executives. I have talked about the pervasive sense of loneliness and isolation that is oftentimes overwhelming. I have lamented the lack of advocacy for managers who watch helplessly as the reputation and career they have spent decades building is sullied and damaged. When I have criticized the ICMA for sitting on its hands and not coming to the defense of managers, I am chastised by loyalists who...

Texas attorney CJ Grisham and his client, Jason Followell, were removed from an Aransas Pass city council meeting under the threat of arrest after they both used profane language and violated the rules of decorum during a public comment period. Since that January incident, Grisham has filed a lawsuit (see link below in the show notes) on behalf of Followell and the Aransas Pass police chief has charged both Grisham and Followell with disrupting the meeting. In this episode, Grisham and I...

Taylour Tedder's groundbreaking contract in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware was the talk of the city management community last week. His contract features a $750,000 home loan that is completely forgivable after 7 years of service. Bradley Ford, the city manager for Waco, Texas, sat down with me to review and critique this amazing contract. Ford, the foremost expert when it comes to public sector executive compensation, recently formed his own niche consulting business called City Compensation.  We...

Change my mind: Troy Body has the toughest city manager job in the country! The Hopkinsville, Kentucky manager also has one of the most unique backgrounds in the profession. Oh! By the way -- he is the only black manager in the state. You are going to enjoy this interview as we learn more about why he transitioned into local government and his thoughts on accountability and delivering results at the local level. SHOW NOTES: Troy Body (LinkedIn Profile) CityManagerNews.com SUBMIT JOB...

Going to battle against your public safety deparment heads can be extremely perilous for a city manager, especially when you have a politically connected and entrenched police chief. City Manager Theo Melancon was tasked with doing an operational assessment of the police departmenty by his council. In Part 2 of my interview series, Theo outlines the process and approach he took to carryout the wishes of his governing body while also being mindful of the political and professional...

City manager Theo Melancon was arrested on a domestic violence charge in January 2022. Unfortunately for him, his predecessor also made controversial headlines surrounding a domestic incident. In this powerful episode, Melancon gives us a play-by-play recounting of the events that upended his life and nearly ended his career. We talk about his communication with his elected officials, handling the social media firestorm, and examine how his peers responded and interacted with him once the...

This is the first installment in my upcoming series of interviews with public sector executive recruiters and recruitment firms. In this interview with Michael Boese of Clear Carer Professionals, we discuss his firm's "candidate focus" approach that emphasizes consistent and timely communication with prospective candidates. Near the end of the interview, Boese answers a question posed by a city manager about the importance of ICMA-CM designations and how much they impact the governing body's...

Public Works Administrator Kevin Richardson messaged me about a year ago seeking career advice. This inquiry was the genesis of a new friendship and eventual "title change" designed to better reflect the role and responsibilities assigned to him at the City of Rock Hill in South Carolina. In this episode, we illustrate the benefits of self-advocacy and discuss the importance of mentorship, especially in the context of promoting minorities up the ranks of senior leadership in the public...

The typical cover letter sucks. It literally hurts to read them they are so bad. But, don't fall for the "fried ice cream" peddled by the private sector recruiters who argue that cover letters are no longer necessary. That is not true. Every public sector executive competing for a position needs to have a cover letter and this is one of the easiest places elite candidates can differentiate themselves from their competition.  Write a great cover letter that captures the reader's attention and...

On multiple occasions, Charlotte Colley has been the "first female" and trailblazed her away across a 20 year career in the public sector. Being the first female manager can be incredibly challenging and she has experienced some tough days. In this episode we talk about her public sector executive journey and how her faith in Jesus Christ has given her the strength to endure and persevere. And we talk about how her career has detoured into consulting and whether or not she sees herself...

Consultant and resident expert Tim Nowak argues that there is an impending collapse of fire/EMS services in America and that there must be a paradigm shift in our thinking with respect to how these vital services are funded. In this episode, we talk about the causes of the crisis, what it is going to take to fix it, and engage in other general subject matter related topics that have gnawed at me over the years. For example, do we really need 24-hour shifts and wouldn't taxpayers save money if...

SHOUT OUT SATURDAY (SOS): San Angelo resident John Bariou wants to recall the entire city council because they have violated the charter and undermined the council-manager form of government. The central Texas community of 100,000 people will get an opportunity to "vote the bums out" in just a few short months if Bariou gets his way. He believes the mayor has violated the charter, run roughshod over the city manager, and injected herself into areas of responsibility that rest with the city...

It is easy to send a custom resume that is specifically tailored to the job you are applying for if you follow my simple hack. Don't sell yourself short and send the same resume to every job. Differentiate yourself and demonstrate how you are the solution to their problem by using my system.  When you build a results oriented, custom resume that illustrates how you are the perfect fit for the job, you are going to get more offers and be able to negotiate a higher salary. SHOW NOTES: Fill out...

Jordan Cook didn't even get an interview the first time he tried to land a city administrator gig in Nevada, Iowa. But, on the second go around he not only got an interview -- he got the job. In this episode we discuss perseverance, mental toughness, and talk about the state of public sector executive recruiting. We also extoll the virtues of the Midwest and talk about how aspiring city managers can turbocharge their career trajectory by exploring small town options. Jordan Cook's LinkedIn...

The Aransas Pass police department recently removed two public speakers from council chambers after they hurled numerous vulgarities and profane language at members of the governing body and city staff.  Did they violate the First Amendment rights of these individuals and expose the taxpayers to a lawsuit? One of the men booted from the meeting is a civil rights attorney who claims the city did violate his rights and the rights of his clients. I have contacted this attorney and plan to have...

City manager Stanley Hawthorne was wrongfully fired with cause by just two members of his governing body. It was amateur night in Georgia on January 16, 2024 when Councilman Joe Carn rushed through this vote over the objections of Mayor Bianca Motley Broom.  In this episode, I breakdown the tape and show how these unprofessional councilmembers voted to silence Hawthorne and prevent him from speaking during his termination. I also reveal how childish they were when none of them accepted the...

A disgruntled ICMA spouse is submitting public information requests across the country and ICMA executive board members are stonewalling and blocking these requests. Why? In this episode we talk about the increasing levels of scrutiny the ICMA is facing as a result of my podcast and LinkedIn posting. And we also highight various executive board members across the country who are refusing the respond to these FOIA requests or requiring multi-thousand dollar payments in order to gather the...

A disgruntled spouse of an ICMA member emailed me in December to express their frustration with staff salaries and the luxurious international travel junkets enjoyed by organizational executives and the executive board members.  A city manager vents to me about the crappy salary listed in a job recruitment brochure. And I take a look back at my LinkedIn and podcast stats for 2023 and compare my performance against that of the ICMA and Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL). SHOW NOTES: In...