PM Magazine, December 2020

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Recycling as a Work of Art 16

Taking Solar Further 30 A Small Town’s Economic Recovery 24

Pictured: Solar recycling bins in Indio, California.

See page 16.

SUSTAINABILITY & Economic Development DECEMBER 2020 ICMA.ORG/PM

Libraries Are Essential Partners for Inclusive Economic Recovery As trusted and deeply connected community anchors, public libraries are uniquely equipped to support the business owners and entrepreneurs hit hardest

by COVID-19, especially people of color, women, veterans, immigrants and justice-involved residents.

Read below to learn how city/county governments and public libraries are partnering to drive inclusive economic recovery by supporting vulnerable business communities.

Libraries Are Essential Partners for:

HELPING UNCONNECTED BUSINESSES GET ONLINE

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR RELIEF FUNDS

FOSTERING INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In the wake of COVID-19, businesses must pivot online to stay afloat.

Libraries are helping to bring unconnected businesses online by providing internet, training, devices and tech support to those in need.

City, county and state governments are leveraging the reference skills and community connections of libraries to help at-risk business owners navigate options for COVID-19 relief funding.

Entrepreneurs are critical drivers of job creation and innovation.

By offering equitable pathways to entrepreneurship, libraries play an essential role in advancing inclusive economic recovery and growth.

Look to Saint Paul Public Library (Minn.) partnered with its county government to provide 1,000 “TechPaks” — including Wi-Fi hotspots and laptops — to business owners and other residents experiencing economic hardship due to COVID-19.

Look to Poudre River Public Library District (Colo.) librarians stepped up at the start of COVID-19 to help staff the state’s financial hotline. Assisting callers in English and Spanish, librarians provided relief funding guidance to over 300 entrepreneurs and business owners.

Look to Richland Library (S.C.) has helped fill equity gaps during the pandemic by convening local government and business leaders for over 20 virtual meetings to discuss how the community can address immediate needs for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

The Urban Libraries Council is an outcomes-driven research and innovations network of leading North American public libraries. Learn more at urbanlibraries.org.

DECEMBER 2020 VOL. 102 NO. 12

CONTENTS

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! In 2021, PM is introducing a new department, Letters to the Editor. Want to share your thoughts on something you read in PM magazine or on icma.org/pm? Email us at pm@icma.org. If you are a writer and would like to submit your original work, email your article proposal to pm@icma.org or learn more at icma.org/writeforus.

F E AT U R E S

8

A Strong Start: Integrating Environmental Goals with Economic and Social Systems Creating a sustainability office in the city of Duluth Mindy Granley, Duluth, Minnesota

16

Recycling as a Work of Art Beautifully designed solar recycling units in Southern California aid in sustainability as well as placemaking Brooke Beare, Indio, California

20

The Contours of Evictions in a Midwestern First Suburb

8 D E PA RT M E N T S

Addressing structural racism through public policy can help reduce poverty-inducing events like eviction Tom Carroll and Deirdre Carroll, Silverton, Ohio

2 Ethics Matter!

24

4 Women in Leadership

Reconnecting Petersburg, Virginia A town’s recovery through tourism and other economic development opportunities Clay Hamner, Petersburg, Virginia

30

Taking Solar Further Local governments are making it easier for residents and businesses to access solar energy and its many benefits.

Gabriel Rusk and Dena Delaviz, ICMA

36

Raising Taxes?

There’s a smarter solution to balance your Covid-battered budget Kim Briesemeister, Redevelopment Management Associates

42

ICMA’s Minorities in Management Program and African American City and County Managers The first 50 years of African Americans in the public management profession Tad McGalliard, Michael Rogers, and Lenneal Henderson, PhD Cover image: Courtesy of Brooke Beare

Do You Take the ICMA Code of Ethics for Granted?

Dare to Live Like RBG

6 Local Gov: The Family Connection Life on the Front Lines

14 IDEALS

20

Neurodiversity

50 UNITE Post-Conference Wrap-up A Look at Both Digital Events

52 Insights

Is Your Municipality Ready for a Chief Strategy Officer?

54 ICMA Local Government Excellence Award Spotlight

From Waste Product to Valuable Resource

56 Leadership

Leadership Is Too Often Lacking in Our Profession

36

58 Career Track

“We’ve Always Done It That Way” Is Over—What’s Next?

Part 4: Innovating Your Future

64 Professional Services Directory

International City/County Management Association

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 1

ETHICS MATTER!

Do You Take the ICMA Code of Ethics for Granted?

An Ode to the Code

BY KEVIN DUGGAN, ICMA-CM

Most of you are probably familiar with the

KEVIN DUGGAN, ICMA-CM, is an ICMA Senior Advisor and former city manager of Mountain View, California (kduggan@icma.org).

bakhtiarzein/stock.adobe.com

classic holiday movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, and its protagonist, George Bailey. As you will recall, George needs assistance from a helpful guardian angel to fully appreciate the value he brings to his family, friends, and community during a period of personal crises.

As George erred in estimating his impact, we in this profession run the risk of not fully appreciating the importance of ICMA’s Code of Ethics.

While we are hopefully familiar with and understand the value of the Code, do we fully appreciate what our profession and our professional lives would be without it? Is it possible that we might even occasionally resent the Code for limiting our flexibility in certain matters?

While I was familiar with the Code and always had it prominently displayed in my office as a city manager, the value of the Code was really brought home for me during a challenging period in my career dealing with an “outlier” mayor. This individual consistently stretched the limits of his legitimate role by attempting to interfere with the management of the city while also attempting to Public Management (PM)

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December 2020

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For more information on local government leadership and management topics, visit icma.org.

2 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

ICMA Creating and Supporting Thriving Communities ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. It does this by working with its more than 12,000 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices and improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and training to thousands of city, town, and county chief administrative officers, their staffs, and other organizations throughout the world.

Public Management (PM) aims to inspire innovation, inform decision making, connect leading-edge thinking to everyday challenges, and serve ICMA members and local governments in creating and sustaining thriving communities throughout the world.

use the city’s power and influence for his personal benefit.

While the city attorney and I did our best to block his efforts, we eventually had to conclude that his conduct was not changing. The Code helped me fully understand that I had a professional obligation to take action (in this case, working in conjunction with the city attorney to request a district attorney’s review). This eventually led to my testimony before a grand jury and at a superior court trial.

The mayor’s defense attorney’s strategy was to impugn out motivations for reporting the mayor. At a pivotal point during the trial, the assistant district attorney asked me how he could respond to the question of why I would be willing to take the risk of reporting one of my elected bosses. My response was that my action was not only, in my opinion, the right thing to do, but was required by the ICMA Code of Ethics. That resulted in the Code being entered into evidence of my professional obligations. The trial ended with the mayor being convicted and removed from office. I never took the Code for granted again.

Even if you never need to rely on the Code in this way, do you fully appreciate the Code by reflecting on what our profession would be like without this guidepost for appropriate professional conduct? Unfortunately, even with the Code, we have too many examples of ICMA members and nonmembers with leadership roles in local government who fail in their ethical obligations. However, how many more bad examples would the profession suffer without the Code serving as a resource to help all of us conduct ourselves ethically and honorably?

Consider the following: • What if we did not have the Code to include with our employment agreements to clearly communicate in advance our professional standards and expectations to prospective employers?

2020–2021 ICMA Executive Board PRESIDENT

Southeast Region

Laura Fitzpatrick, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager, Chesapeake, Virginia

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Victor Cardenas, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager, Novi, Michigan

Troy Brown City Manager, Moorpark, California

Mountain Plains Region

PAST PRESIDENT

Michael Land, ICMA-CM City Manager, Coppell, Texas

International Region

Stephen Parry, ICMA-CM* Chief Executive, Gore District Council, New Zealand Robert Kristof City Manager, Timisoara, Romania Chris MacPherson Chief Administrative Officer, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

We should also not take for granted the hard work of the ICMA staff and Executive Board in keepi—ng the Code up to date and relevant in changing times, but also their very challenging role of investigating complaints regarding Code violations and taking enforcement action when necessary.

So while I hope you will never need to have the Code entered as evidence at a trial to justify your conduct, I hope you do use it in all the various ways it can be helpful to you as a person and professional. And above all, never take it for granted.

Clint Gridley City Administrator, Woodbury, Minnesota Molly Mehner, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager, Cape Girardeau, Missouri

VICE PRESIDENTS

We can make sure we do not take the Code of Ethics for granted by: • Reading it regularly (including its guidelines).

• Displaying it prominently.

• Communicating it to key audiences.

• Following the work of the ICMA Executive Board, the Committee on Professional Conduct, and the ICMA staff in reviewing, updating, and enforcing the Code.

Midwest Region

James Malloy, ICMA-CM Town Manager, Lexington, Massachusetts

Jane Brautigam, ICMA-CM City Manager, Boulder, Colorado

• What if we did not have it as a resource to help respond to requests or pressure to act inappropriately—in essence, to use it as a “professional shield”?

• What if we did not have it as a resource to help communicate our ethical obligations and promote ethical conduct among the employees of our organizations?

• What if we did not have it to help communicate to our residents/constituents the high ethical obligations to which we hold ourselves and our organizations?

• What if we did not have it as a resource to help explain to the press our professional obligations when asked to explain why we did or did not take certain actions?

• What if we did not have it as a standard to hold others to in local government leadership positions?

Raymond Gonzales Jr. County Manager, Adams County, Colorado Dianne Stoddard, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager, Lawrence, Kansas Northeast Region

Christopher Coleman, ICMA-CM Town Administrator, Westwood, Massachusetts Teresa Tieman, ICMA-CM Town Manager, Fenwick Island, Delaware William Fraser, ICMA-CM City Manager, Montpelier, Vermont

Michael Kaigler, ICMA-CM Assistant County Manager, Chatham County, Georgia Nate Pagan, ICMA-CM City Manager, Owensboro, Kentucky West Coast Region

Edward Shikada, ICMA-CM City Manager, Palo Alto, California Peter Troedsson, ICMA-CM City Manager, Albany, Oregon

ICMA Executive Director Marc Ott Director, Equity & Social Justice and Membership Marketing

Lynne Scott lscott@icma.org

Managing Editor

Kerry Hansen khansen@icma.org

Newsletter Editor

Kathleen Karas kkaras@icma.org

Graphics Manager

Delia Jones djones@icma.org

Design & Production

picantecreative.com

Roxanne Murphy Assistant City Manager, Valdez, Alaska * Appointed to serve unexpired term following resignation of Sue Bidrose

FPO-FSC Logo

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Dare to Live Like RBG

Celebrating Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

BY LESLIE BEAUREGARD

As I write this column, we are learning of the

LESLIE BEAUREGARD is assistant city manager, Staunton, Virginia (beauregardlm@ ci.staunton.va.us).

So, what do we do with this information? And what can we take from the life of RBG to move this needle? Here are a few thoughts for everyone.

1. Care personally. Clerks who worked for RBG remember her fondly as a mentor who treated them like family, remembering her in very personal ways. When the clerks had children, she would send them onesies that said, “RBG grandclerk.” She would continue to mentor them long after they had moved on, giving them career and life advice. And, as one clerk mentioned during an interview with RBG, “For me to show up with two young children and for the justice to not see that as an impediment…was certainly a sign of progress that she had brought forth….”1 2. Find that great life partner to support you, the one that makes you feel exceptional, and believes that your work is as important as theirs. RBG often said of her husband “… he was the only one who really cared that I had a brain.”2 3. Be a champion and aspirational of other women in our field; it’s such a powerful way in which we can move each other forward. During her opening statement for the hearings of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary when she was nominated for the Supreme Court, RBG said “….in my lifetime, I expect to see three, four, perhaps even more women on the High Court bench….” This is incredibly powerful and visionary. And, by the way, a young attorney sitting behind Senator Biden during the

4 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Rob Crandall/Shutterstck.com

death, and amazing life, of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or RBG, if I may be so bold. So, I am in deep reflection, thinking about this influential woman and what her contributions mean, re-reading books I own about her, and scouring current articles. I am also at this time participating in the ICMA virtual conference, UNITE. It just so happens that the very first session I listened to was hosted by the League of Women in Government. During the “Voice of Local Government Professionals” session, data was shared from a survey done with the League of Women in Government in partnership with ICMA. Look at small sample of the data they shared: • In 2013, 34 percent of senior managers in local government were women; in 2019, that only increased to 38 percent.

• Men and women both agree that women have more barriers when it comes to career advancement, although it’s greater with women.

• Men give higher ratings than women in the areas of opportunity for promotion and developing a career path.

RBG’s confirmation was none other than Elena Kagan, who would become the fourth woman appointee.3

4. Recognize how cool it is to be a confident, hardworking female leader. RBG left her mark in this area is so many ways—her coolness as a pop culture icon with books, movies, even workouts in her name—and as a legal scholar with an extraordinary gift for writing and speaking. And even as RBG was pressured to step down due to her age, this is what she said: “As long as I can do the job full-steam, I would like to stay here. I have to take it year by year at my age, and who knows what could happen next year? Right now, I know I’m OK.”4 And what better way to end this column!

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/us/politics/ruth-bader-ginsburgclerks.html 2 Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, My Own Words (Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2016).

3 Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, 2016.

4 https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/2020/09/24/ruth-bader-ginsburg8-things-she-did-womens-rights/3502065001/?fbclid=IwAR3J2Mv1U1q-2pE h2Qm4jiZ4PyOhW9K39zm330wahYGkCHCuS1XhMg0DXaQ 1

LOCAL GOV: THE FAMILY CONNECTION

Life on the Front Lines

Balancing professional and personal lives as partners We’re pleased to bring you the next installment of our column dedicated to highlighting the unique role a partner of a local government leader plays. What do we mean by the word “partner”? This could be your spouse, significant other, or relative; the person you share your life with and who is supportive of your demanding profession in public management. They are often the manager’s main source of support in coping with the stresses that are an inevitable part of the profession. One’s partner is a sounding board, an advisor, a confidante, and a friendly face at community events.

As you may recall in our first column in the August 2020 issue, we heard from Carl Hemmeler, partner of ICMA Past President Jane Brautigam. This month’s column is by Marco Sassoon, partner of Lori Sassoon, deputy city manager of Rancho Cucamonga, California, on the similarities between their careers and his experience at the 2019 ICMA Annual Conference as an ICMA scholarship recipient.

My wife has been in local

government for her entire 30-year professional career. After starting out as an administrative assistant, she moved up rather quickly. She has held executive positions for more than 20 years, and currently serves as a deputy city manager.

Meanwhile, I have been involved with the church, serving as a pastor to both small and large churches in Southern California.

They seem like opposite career tracks, right?

MARCO SASSOON is the partner of Lori Sassoon, deputy city manager, Rancho Cucamonga, California.

6 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

BY MARCO SASSOON

Actually, we have both faced similar situations. We both deal with the dynamics of leadership teams—a city council could be seen as similar to a board of elders; constituents as parishioners.

However, with the advent of COVID-19, many churches have moved to online models while my wife still has to go into the office. Since the beginning of the pandemic, she has been an “essential worker”—literally on the front lines of the battle.

We have always had to balance professional and personal lives, as we intersect each other’s worlds constantly. I attend her office holiday parties, special awards ceremonies, conferences, and occasional social events. She attends church, volunteers in several ministries, attends church holiday parties, etc. We’ve always been a “safe sounding board” for each other, venting frustrations, giving opinions—all without overstepping boundaries.

In October 2019, I had the chance to accompany my wife to the ICMA Annual Conference in Nashville and attend a workshop for partners of local government leaders.

It was eye-opening to hear similar stories from the other partners—especially husbands. Receiving a scholarship to attend was such a blessing. I felt valued as part of their community and enjoyed contributing to an aspect of city work that often goes unnoticed: the families of those who serve. I use the word “serve” because that’s really what it is. My wife has served the cities in which she works. I see it firsthand every day, and to share how our families

ICMA members, please be sure to share this column with your partner! In each column, we’ll discuss a particular issue that impacts local government professionals and their families.

Would you and your partner be willing to share an experience and how you navigated it together? Do you have topics you’d like addressed? If you’re interested in being interviewed for the column or have ideas, contact Christine Gendell at partners@ icma.org. For more information on the Partners’ Program, visit icma.org/icma-memberpartners-program.

The Partners’ Conference Scholarship Program, created in the memory of Frances “Babs” Elwell, continues its mission to provide scholarships for partners of ICMA members who have never attended an ICMA Annual Conference. Applications are accepted during the summer months.

handle the responsibilities is so refreshing. Attending the conference has shed new light on my wife’s role in local government because I was able to sit in on several sessions.

Leadership skills and trends are universal in many ways, whether its business, local government, or faith-based nonprofit work. I appreciated my wife’s leadership abilities as I watched her “work the room.”

One unexpected benefit of experiencing ICMA was the common observation among the partners that our government significant other can easily treat us like an employee on their team (without being aware of it, of course). It was one of those “aha moments.” We laughed about that for a time afterwards (or at least, I did).

If you are a local government partner, I would strongly encourage you to get involved with ICMA and their efforts to fold in the family. If we are more aware of the pressures and issues facing our public employees, we can offer better support that stems from a true understanding of their everyday world.

2019 ICMA Partners’ Program Scholarship Recipients: Leigh-Ann Whitaker, Marco Sassoon, and Leanne Davis

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 7

A STRONG START:

Integrating

Environmental Goals with Economic and Social Systems Creating a Sustainability Office in the City of Duluth Our society, the economy, and the environment are all connected, and nowhere is this more visible than Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth is a bustling port city on the westernmost shore of Lake Superior, with miles of shoreline along the St. Louis River and Lake Superior, and over 11,000 acres of green space. Once a major hub of the iron industry, the regional economy still has an industrial base, but today Duluth provides a medical district for all of northeastern Minnesota and is also an important tourism destination within the Midwest.

BY MINDY GRANLEY

8 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

There isn’t a detailed road map to follow for how to begin a sustainability effort within a community; however, there are several key elements needed for a strong start. Whether through a new position or a motivated internal team of collaborators, there are some common strategies to consider when creating sustainability goals and plans. This article will walk through four essential elements to help shape action around sustainability in any community: • Vision and planning: find out what sustainability means for your community.

• Measurement and tracking: monitor progress to maintain momentum.

• Communication pathways: engage and unite city staff and the community.

• New opportunities: pursue projects and partnerships for sustainable change.

Lily Strehlow

With an abundance of natural resources and a reputation as an “outdoors city,” sustainability has long been present in city programs. Previous and current efforts include elimination of sanitary sewer overflows, creation of a Duluth Natural Areas Plan, improving access to the outdoors through impressive trail and park systems, a carbon reduction goal (80-percent reduction of carbon from city operations by 2050), the establishment of an Energy Fund, and participation in watershed outreach and education to protect our many streams and Lake Superior. However, the hiring of a sustainability officer is another step forward and clearly demonstrates a commitment to integration of environmental goals with economic and social systems. The position reports to the chief administrative officer, giving sustainability and resiliency a seat at the leadership team’s table.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 9

Vision and Planning: Find Out What Sustainability Means for Your Community

The challenges of sustainability are place-based, and so are the solutions. The sustainability officer position for the city was born from a conversation about what kind of a community our residents want to live in.

Adopted in June 2018, the Imagine Duluth 2035 plan was an update to the city’s comprehensive plan, and it serves as a foundational element for defining and advancing our sustainability goals. Development took over a year and included the collection of resident and stakeholder ideas and priorities through both neighborhood and

topical discussions. Imagine Duluth 2035 outlines several goals for the city (see the graphic on page 12) related to sustainability and resiliency, including strong representation in energy and conservation, affordable housing, jobs and a strong local economy, and open space preservation.

When it comes to climate change, each community will have to examine and learn about what their own vulnerabilities are and how to adapt to them. For Duluth, the state of Minnesota climatologist advises us to expect warmer average temperatures (especially in the winter), shorter winters (fewer days below freezing), and wetter conditions with increased large

The hiring of a sustainability officer is another step forward and clearly demonstrates a commitment to integration of environmental goals with economic and social systems. precipitation events (including more rain during winter months.) We must consider the climate of our future when investing in our utilities to increase community resiliency.

A vulnerability assessment for Duluth1 recently outlined the climate impacts and expected vulnerable populations in our community, and provided recommendations for adapting to new climate realities. Being

aware that the impacts of climate change will not be felt and distributed evenly across residents and neighborhoods is crucial to knowing where action is needed to protect the most vulnerable. This type of analysis will be key to identifying city priorities for climate action.

Identifying your city’s unique challenges is important when defining sustainability goals and plans, but there are likely numerous challenges that a great many communities all face, including aging infrastructure, affordable housing, and deferred maintenance of public buildings. And they may require finding new funding opportunities to solve.

Canal Park Solar Canopy, Duluth, Minnesota.

Lily Strehlow

10 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

City of Duluth

When it comes to shared city infrastructure—water, stormwater, gas, district energy, streets, etc.—utilities are foundational to our safety and our economy. Adapting and maintaining our infrastructure will be a critical way to avoid impacts and damages from flooding and erosion during large storm events.

Improving and maintaining city infrastructure can also be a critical part of meeting sustainability and carbon reduction goals. Work to improve Duluth’s water distribution system over the past decade, including replacement of key water mains, resulted in significant electricity savings at the water plant: a 30-percent reduction from 2008 to 2018 (see Graphic 2).

One of the most visible examples of community infrastructure adaptation in Duluth is the Lakewalk, an eight-mile long paved pedestrian and bicycle trail, most of it along Lake Superior.

The Lakewalk is nearly always busy with both locals and tourists out for a walk, run, or bike ride. Over the last several years, the paved trail and boardwalk have repeatedly sustained significant storm damage. Recently, the city council authorized staff to issue and sell $4.5 million in general obligation bonds to provide local matching funds for a three-phase project

intended to make the Lakewalk more durable and resilient.

Investment now to adapt this treasured pathway to the climate of our future, and not the climate of our past, will likely bring the benefit of savings in the long-term.

At its core, sustainability is about good governance: making values-based decisions about our resources, policies, and programs.

Measurement and Tracking: Monitor Progress to Maintain Momentum

Tracking and reporting is important for earning community buy-in, educating residents on sustainability and resiliency, and explaining how and why decisions impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Defining what metrics are needed for your community and building internal partnerships with staff to collect and access that data will significantly help inform decision-making. There are many types and levels of measurement and tracking activities that can be helpful. The following are some examples that we use in Duluth: Minnesota GreenStep Cities: This state of Minnesota

voluntary program makes tracking community metrics and sustainability goals easy. The web-based platform provides a detailed report of actions related to buildings and lighting,

land use, transportation, environmental management, and resilient economic and community development.2 GHG inventory: Energy and water use, transportation data, and thermal district outputs are tracked by our energy coordinator, Alex Jackson.

Currently, carbon emissions are tracked in a simple spreadsheet; however, to maintain consistency with accepted GHG reporting protocols, these data will soon be transferred into the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) ClearPath web-based calculator.

Monthly/annual reporting:

Tracking sustainability progress can also be a simple addition to monthly or quarterly reports.

For example, adding carbon emissions per unit of energy from the district thermal energy system’s monthly report, or adding electricity use (kWh) on a water utility’s annual report.

These types of tracking are a simple way to monitor trends and raise visibility of issues with staff.

It is always exciting to celebrate a milestone. Duluth recently celebrated getting to Step 4 in MN GreenStep Cities, which means we are within the top 20 percent in program participants. We issued a press release and conducted media interviews3 to celebrate Duluth’s participation in the program and progress in our sustainability efforts.

Communication Pathways: Engage and Unite City Staff and the Community

Given the city’s ImagineDuluth 2035 vision and our natural resource-rich setting, it is crucial to address climate change and other environmental issues.

Developing a communications plan to identify essential messages about sustainability challenges provides a framework for both internal and external communications.

The motivations for including sustainability in city communications are to: • Inspire: offer opportunities for residents to take sustainable actions, encourage community involvement in climate action.

• Inform: share our sustainability progress and challenges.

• Listen: gain feedback on sustainability from a broad group of stakeholders.

• Demonstrate: show commitment to integrating sustainability into decisionmaking and operations.

We are developing a website (duluthmn.gov/sustain) that will demonstrate our progress and share sustainability stories with the public. The website will act as a portal, providing resources for: • Residents—guidance to reduce waste, save energy, and get involved locally.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 11

• Visitors—offer suggestions to shop local and opportunities to get outdoors, including over 100 parks, 38 miles of crosscountry ski trails, 85 miles of bike-optimized singletrack trail, and over 150 miles of hiking trails.

• Businesses—provide resources for technical assistance, needto-know ordinances, and more.

Adopted in 2018, Imagine Duluth serves as the road map for the future of Duluth. The comprehensive plan update process took an integral approach to community development, and included focus areas related to sustainability and community resilience.

29%

Solid public engagement channels exist already to gather feedback and encourage participation from residents. However, new means and methods are being explored. Duluth has many active boards and commissions around topics related to sustainability, including an Energy Plan Commission, a Natural Resources Commission, and a Human Rights Commission. However,

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES OR PROJECTS? To help the environment

ELECTRICITY SAVED AT THE WATER PLANT 2008 - 2018

It's just the right thing to do To help my Department or the City save money To support social justice and equity

When it comes to saving electricity:

Every Drop Counts Conserving water saves energy.

We do our part, will you do yours?

WHAT FEARS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT INCORPORATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO YOUR WORK? It could cost more money

RESPONSES IN TWO WEEKS

It could complicate or slow down my projects/work I don't have time to add anything else to my workload It is a low priority in my department RESPONDENTS "VERY MUCH" OR

WHAT TRAINING WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING? A sustainability 'tips & tricks' page on internal website

"SOMEWHAT" INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF EFFORTS TO MAKE THEIR DEPARTMENT OR THE CITY MORE SUSTAINABLE.

Brainstorming sessions with my

S IMPLE WAYS TO S AV E WA TE R .

Fix water leaks in your home Run full loads in your dishwasher and washing machine Choose water-savings appliances and fixtures Report water issues to Utility Operations at 218-730-4130

Work by city staff to upgrade the water distribution system reduced electricity use at the City of Duluth’s water plant, reducing carbon emissions. Celebrating success stories is one way to encourage further action and buy-in from staff.

12 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Department On-line training (videos, webinar) Optional 1-hour workshops

Graphic 3: Summary of a Sustainability Staff Survey, conducted in August 2020, to inform future internal communications and efforts.

with added capacity in a sustainability officer position, we will have greater ability to both show up where the community is already organizing around sustainability. Along with inviting folks to be part of city processes, it is important for sustainability staff to listen and meet people on their home turf as well. Strong relationships with community groups and innovators, including nonprofits, local foundations, and university partners, create vital connections and can channel innovative ideas to city staff and departments.

To be successful in our efforts, sustainability will need to be part of every department’s work and culture. Communities don’t need one person working on one sustainability solution; we need lots of people motivated to work on a wide variety of solutions.

The ability to create shared goals and strategies can be an exciting opportunity for many city staff.

To help identify existing efforts and future opportunities, along with staff motivations around sustainability, we conducted a short sustainability staff survey, which garnered input from every department across the organization. The responses will inform our internal communications, projects, and programs. A brief summary of the survey responses is in Graphic 3.

and an engaged Western Lake Superior Sanitary District have championed these efforts. Our local utility provider, Minnesota Power, has made investments in clean energy and is headed to 50-percent renewable energy by 2021. From 2009 to 2019, the Sustainable Twin Ports nonprofit worked to inspire action within the operations and strategy of local businesses and organizations.

Strong partnerships will be needed to achieve lasting change. Embrace the adaptive networks within the community. Often, nonprofit and foundation partners can be swifter and nimbler when working on sustainable change, and collaboration can help bring those ideas and pilot project results to integrate into the more rigid and systematic setting of city governance.

Partnerships within the community can also open up new opportunities for resources and capacity-building grants. Recent sustainability collaborations and leveraged resources in Duluth include:

New Opportunities: Pursue Projects and Partnerships for Sustainable Change

An AmeriCorps VISTA member for 2020–2021:

Sustainability has long been an important value within the Duluth community, and collaborations between numerous environmental and social systems–oriented nonprofits, three higher education institutions, several active community foundations,

Minnesota GreenCorps member for 2020–2021: The

city was awarded a full-time college graduate for one year to assist on waste reduction projects and outreach, with particular focus on organics recovery and improving recycling at Bayfront Park.

The city will host a full-time college graduate for one year to focus on equity issues and energy, building capacity, researching energy disclosure and benchmarking programs and policies, and assisting our gas utility’s Conservation Improvement Program staff in developing and delivering new outreach mechanisms.

Mellon Environmental Grant: As part of a project to

develop local water education and outreach projects with an indigenous culture and history lens, a partial salary stipend for city staff and funding for signage will be provided. The project is led by colleagues at the University of Minnesota Duluth in education, environmental science, and the medical school.

Great Lakes One Watershed:

Relationships with staff from Minnesota Sea Grant, Ecolibrium3, the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, and the city of Duluth provided a pathway for two grant applications for infrastructure and neighborhood projects.

College and university partnerships: Short-term

internships for class credit or course projects can help investigate sustainable opportunities. Interns from Lake Superior College and the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) helped develop initial stories and fact sheets about city sustainability efforts within the first six months, working with the sustainability officer.

Coursework partnerships can also help; the Duluth Shines program connects students from UMD with local businesses and organizations to investigate energy and sustainability actions. 4 The University of Minnesota Twin Cities also hosts a Climate Smart Municipalities program that connects city staff with colleagues from around the state and from German communities to accelerate progress toward a cleaner and more efficient energy footprint.

Although many of the partnerships above focus on short-term projects, they build

critical long-term relationships between the city and local partners for sustainable change.

Start Smart for Maximum Impact

Every community will have different challenges and opportunities, and each will have to consider which actions, measurements, communications, and partnership opportunities they want to pursue. No matter what course you choose, integrating sustainability within your organization can reap multiple benefits. Whether you’re interested in saving money and resources over time, protecting open space, or building a more resilient economy, sustainability is about aiming to provide a high quality of life in a community for all of its residents.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

Population Vulnerability Assessment and Climate Adaptation Framework, provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. https://static1.squarespace.com/ static/53fbb928e4b0eafa4734317f/t/ 5b75b4238a922d0db065c 8c6/1534440516909/Duluth+Vulnerable +Populations+Report+053118.pdf 2 https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/citydetail/11981 3 https://kbjr6.com/2020/07/30/yourgreen-life-duluth-reaches-sustainablemilestone/ 4 Shines! University Engineering Students Advancing Duluth’s Sustainable Development at https://www.liebertpub. com/doi/10.1089/sus.2017.0014 1

MINDY GRANLEY is the sustainability officer of Duluth, Minnesota, responsible for improvement of city policies, programs, and initiatives in support of local environmental, economic, and social systems. She works to incorporate sustainability into decision-making, measure and communicate progress, and build partnerships for change. mgranley@duluthmn.gov

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 13

INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY, LEADERSHIP, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (IDEALS)

Neurodiversity

The Next Phase in the Diversity Discussion

BY BEVERLI A. MARSHALL

We all want

Email us your thoughts on the issues of equity, inclusion, race, and social justice to speakup@icma.org.

BEVERLI A. MARSHALL is currently working toward her doctorate in business administration. She has over 20 years of administration and management experience in the public sector in human resources, labor relations, and contract negotiations for cities and special districts. As a late-in-life diagnosed neurodivergent (ND), she began advocating for and speaking on diversity, acceptance, and inclusion of NDs in the public sector workforce.

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Kateryna_Kon/stock.adobe.com

Speak up, ICMA!

respected, supported, and valued.” inclusion, diversity, If you look around and you equity, and acceptance have a visibly diverse workforce, (IDEA) in our workplaces. congratulations. However, Corporations are creating you might still have one that is and hiring diversity and not inclusive. To know if your inclusion positions to help workplace culture is inclusive, you address issues related to really need to ask employees if they racial, ethnic, and gender feel their contributions are valued Yulia Buchatskaya/stock.adobe.com diversity and inclusion. and respected equally. You might In 2018, California passed legislation requiring be surprised with the answers. that boards of directors have at least one woman Beyond racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, another on them and at least two no later than December area where IDEA is lagging is neurodiversity. What is 31, 2021. On August 31, the state legislature neurodiversity? This is the idea that people of all neurological passed a bill requiring boards to have at least processing types are included and accepted in the workplace one board member from an underrepresented culture. The idea of neurodiversity started with the Autism community (Black, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, movement to get away from the medical model of “broken” Pacific Islander, Native American, Native and needing to be fixed or medicated. Instead, it embraces Hawaiian, or Alaska Native) by that same deadline the differences and strengths that these neurodivergent and two no later than December 31, 2022. It is individuals (ND) have from their neurotypical (NT) now awaiting the governor’s signature. counterparts. This concept has broadened to include But legislating diversity is not enough; we need attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning to move toward inclusion. Inclusion is not just processing disorders, bipolar, and Tourette’s. It is often being represented on a board or in a workplace. thought of as the invisible disability because to the average According to the Society for Human Resource person, NDs look like everyone else. However, the world Management (SHRM), inclusion refers to the looks very different in the eyes of an ND. efforts you use to embrace the differences. It is How does this affect workplace diversity if you canmindset that starts at the top and actively works not see the differences? NDs make up approximately toward every employee feeling “welcomed, 10 percent of the population. As of February 2020, the U.S. labor force was 164.6 million, which means approximately 16.5 million individuals are ND. Many of these have higher-than-average skills and abilities, such as pattern recognition, memory, or advanced math skills. Unfortunately, many do not fit the prospective job applicant profile. They may struggle with interviewing or maintaining eye contact, have erratic work histories, or have difficulty filling out job applications. If they are hired, they are more likely to be underemployed and working well below their education or abilities.

Companies that specifically seek out ND applicants, such as SAP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise,

Microsoft, Dell, Deloitte, and Google, Those with ADHD can be incredibly imaginative, It is often have established special programs to help see the “big picture,” are high energy, enjoy change and thought of as the support them to improve their success chaos, and are risk-takers. These natural tendencies make invisible disability for successful entrepreneurs, inventors, and CEOs, such as employees. ND employees often need accommodations such as support services as Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, David Neeleman, Paul because to the (buddy programs), physical environment Orfalea, Alan Meckler, and James Carville. Employees average person, changes (quiet rooms), flexible working who have learning processing disorders (LPDs), such neurodivergents arrangements (evening shifts or working as dyslexia and dyscalculia, had to work hard in school look like everyone because their brains are wired differently from NTs. In from home), and technology. So, with these types of support needs, why would a fact, they typically develop unique ways of acquiring else. However, company seek out NDs knowing they will knowledge and solving problems. Many may not have the world looks come with “baggage”? been successful in college, but that did not stop them very different The benefits of hiring and working from being successful in business. Such NDs include in the eyes of a with ND employees far outweighs the Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab, Bill Hewlett, Jacques cost and effort. For example, those on the Dubochet (Nobel physicist), and Carol Greider (Nobel neurodivergent.

Autism spectrum often excel at pattern molecular biologist). recognition and memory retention. They So, the next time you are preparing for a can become fantastic developers and programmers, which recruitment, focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) is why SAP, HPE, Microsoft, Dell, and Google have that you need and not the package they come in. Go out of your sought them out. Their natural skills also enable them to way to look for someone who does not fit the mold and may have tolerate the monotonous tasks, such as those found in acquired those KSAs in an unusual or circuitous path. You just accounting and auditing. These fledgling programs have might be surprised at how looking for a square peg to fit the round primarily focused on Autism spectrum individuals, but hole might solve more than just your vacant position. these programs can be expanded to include all types of Neurodiversity can be one more tool to achieving a truly neurodiverse individuals. inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accepting workplace.

PROFILES OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN ACTION “The ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program helps me stay in a growth mindset throughout the year. The requirement to attain 40 hours of professional learning each year means I make it a point to plan for and schedule time to continue to develop skills to best serve my community and my organization.

I am proud to be among more than 1,400 credentialed managers recognized for a commitment to continuous professional growth and improvement.”

Alisha Jeter Reis, ICMA-CM Deputy County Manager, County of Adams, CO Credentialed since September 2016

Demonstrate your commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. Join the growing number of those who have earned the ICMA-CM designation.

ICMA Credentialed Managers are viewed with growing distinction by local governing bodies and progressive, civically engaged communities.

For more information, visit icma.org/credentialedmgr

View a list of credentialed managers and candidates at icma.org/credentialed

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 15

Recycling AS A WORK OF

BY BROOKE BEARE

ART Beautifully designed solar recycling units in Southern California aid in sustainability as well as placemaking

Photos courtesy of Brooke Beare

16 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

In a downtown space that’s been waiting to take the plunge for what feels like forever, each time the city of Indio, California, puts a toe in the water, it tends to make a splash.

That’s true for each work of art that goes up in a public space, each banner hung, and most recently, each time a trash can is installed. Wait, a trash can?

Recycling and waste container might be the more accurate term, but it hardly describes the 20 new receptacles peppering the promenades of the Coachella Valley’s largest and oldest city.

With their sleek and shiny designs, the Bigbelly units sparkle like gems on the sun-soaked streets. Each unit features a different design meant to represent the colorful, vibrant community surrounding it. From cactus greens to earthy oranges, locally grown fruits and veggies, and photo panoramas so strikingly similar to their surroundings, it’s hard to tell a Bigbelly apart from the scenery itself.

“The Bigbelly at the east Indio trailhead may be my favorite,” shared Sara Toyoda, Indio’s environmental programs coordinator, referring to a gorgeous desertscape design that melds sand and sky with the natural horizon.

Toyoda spent hours going back and forth with a local design company, the city’s public art and historic preservation management analyst, and the city’s director of communications and marketing on wraps for the Bigbellies that would not only add aesthetic appeal, but last in the extremely hot,

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 17

often windy desert climate.

“Temperatures can reach more than 120 degrees in the summer,” said Toyoda. “We didn’t want the wraps to fade or look old. We wanted them to add to the placemaking efforts in developing the downtown area.”

Of course, and most importantly, the Bigbellies have practical purposes. Bigbelly markets the systems as “smart, solar-powered, sensor-equipped waste and recycling stations,” and in Indio, the hope is to eventually save the city money and manpower, and through the eye-catching designs, encourage sustainability.

“One of the sustainability commissioners brought a photo to one of our meetings of a waste can in the downtown area,” explained Toyoda. “He noted that there was not a recycling container next to the waste can, and asked if we could do something about that.”

The simple request led to a months-long fact-finding mission into how to feasibly add recycling units without taxing Indio’s street crew, which would be tasked with monitoring and maintaining them.

As solar-powered monitoring stations, Bigbellies generate digital reports, alerting crews if something is wrong and

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IN INDIO, THE HOPE IS TO EVENTUALLY SAVE THE CITY MONEY AND MANPOWER, AND THROUGH THE EYE-CATCHING DESIGNS, ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABILITY. when specific units need to be emptied. This important feature alleviated much of the manpower issue, since crews would only have to service the stations “when called.”

The stations also compacted trash to maximize content and minimize workload on staff.

“We never have trash cans that overflow, and we never have crews sent out to check trash cans that don’t need to be emptied,” explained Toyoda. Real-time status can

be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Fewer trips to empty recycling and waste containers mean reduced greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, fulfilling the city’s sustainability goals.

Unfortunately, at $8,000 to $9,000 each, the cost appeared prohibitive. “Shortly after, CalRecycle released a competitive grant to increase collection of cans and bottles,” said Toyoda. “Purchasing waste and recycling containers that are permanently attached was an allowable project for the grant.”

In September 2019, Indio was approved for the second round of funding, and the city council approved the grant in November 2019.

Additional costs were funded through AB939 funds, which are specifically earmarked for waste diversion.

Once the funding process was approved, Toyoda worked with public works and planning staff to decide on Bigbelly locations around Indio. “We wanted to put them in areas with persistent litter problems, and in areas where the city expected to have growth, for example, around the campus of the expanding College of the Desert. With a large campus and a lot of students, we decided to place several of the Bigbelly stations downtown.”

The newly opened East Indio Hills Trail was another prime location for a Bigbelly station. “You have people coming off the trail who have plastic water bottles that need to be recycled. Plus, you don’t want to litter this pristine environment,” said Toyoda.

Kelsey Tustin, manager of Channel Partners for Bigbelly, said Indio’s stations are fifth generation models. To her knowledge, they are the only such models in the Coachella Valley, the geographic area of just under half a million people also known as greater Palm Springs.

Tustin said more and more municipalities are using the design wraps, replacing previous Bigbelly models, which were beige or brown. “The wraps are getting more popular because they deter graffiti and allow cities and communities to incorporate elements associated with the area, like logos and photos.”

The models installed in Indio include foot pedals, a fifth generation feature that is especially timely in the era of COVID-19.

“You can just put your foot on the pedal and it will open up,” explained Toyoda, who said the response to the Bigbellies has been overwhelmingly positive so far. “People don’t feel squeamish about touching a trash can when they have a hands-free option,” added Tustin.

“One of Bigbelly’s core values is not only beautification, but public health and quality of life. We are increasingly moving to hands-free and contactless in the way it supports public health at large.”

The units even attracted the attention of the local news station, which ran a story on the Bigbelly solar system within hours of their installation in early July; and a local radio station, which featured an interview encouraging people to look for the unique designs and choose their favorites.

“Indio is known as the City of Festivals,” said Toyoda. “It’s also known as the City of Sustainability, so keeping our streets and communities clean and making sure people are aware of their recycling capabilities is really important.”

BROOKE BEARE is director of communications and marketing, Indio, California. Known as the City of Festivals, Indio is the largest and most populous city in southern California’s Coachella Valley. She is also an Emmy winning journalist, who had a successful first career as a television news anchor and reporter.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 19

The Contours of Evictions in a Midwestern First Suburb

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The remnants of a physical eviction during Summer 2020. Most of these items remained on the front lawn and were lost because of rain, theft, and abandonment. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM CARROLL.

T

he Centers for Disease Control issued an unprecedented moratorium stopping most residential evictions throughout the United State in early September.

While necessary to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the moratorium expires December 31. Unless additional federal action is taken, millions of tenants will face eviction over the winter and landlords will suffer huge economic losses from unpaid rents. The United States faces a staggering eviction crisis in the upcoming year.1 Even before the pandemic, millions of Americans were evicted each year. Sociologists have demonstrated that evictions are as much a cause of poverty as a result of it.2 A family with an eviction record will likely be forced to settle for inferior housing or experience homelessness. If the family is physically set out, they often lose personal possessions from weather, theft, or abandonment. Evictions trigger job losses and a loss of neighborhood childcare options. Children from an evicted household often are forced to transfer to different schools and lose ground academically. Pulling out of this eviction-induced downward spiral can take years or may never happen at all. Evictions are devasting for the families that experience them.

Disproportionately and overwhelmingly, those facing evictions are black, women-led households with children.3 As millions more Americans who would not ordinarily face eviction now face this threat because of COVID-19, it is critically important that local government managers understand what evictions mean for our communities. Because of the suburbanization of poverty, more and more ICMA members manage communities with vulnerable populations.4 And because evictions cause poverty and poverty is a growing concern for America’s suburbs, we believe

BY TOM professional local government managers should develop policies that CARROLL reduce the frequency and impact of evictions.

AND DEIRDRE But what we do must be informed by an understanding of how CARROLL evictions work, who the parties are in the process, and how big the eviction problem is. City managers need to understand the contours of evictions in order to implement effective policy solutions.

This article presents a case study of evictions between 2014-2017 in one municipality, Silverton, Ohio. Silverton (4,788) is a first suburb of Cincinnati (296,943), and is one of 49 separate political jurisdictions in Hamilton County (802,374). Nearly evenly split between black and white residents since the 1970’s, Silverton was inclusive long before it become fashionable to be so. But Silverton also has experienced 50 years of

Mr Doomits/stock.adobe.com

Addressing structural racism through public policy can help reduce poverty-inducing events like eviction

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 21

steheap/stock.adobe.com

The remnants of a setout from a Silverton physical eviction in July 2020, only two weeks after Hamilton County courts resumed hearing eviction cases during the pandemic. Almost one out of every five eviction cases in Silverton leads to a setout under the supervision of a court-appointed bailiff. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM CARROLL.

gradual population loss, an increase in the percentage of residents experiencing poverty, and a decline in property valuation since 2008. Silverton is one of the 22 declining Hamilton County innerring suburbs out of 33 examined in a recent ICMA report.5 A July article in Public Management showed that eviction filings before the COVID-19 pandemic take place in Hamilton County’s inner-ring with disturbing frequency.6 Evictions, poverty, and first suburban decline are all bundled together in a complex knot that causes harm to communities inside the I-275 beltway. Silverton’s eviction filing rate of 7.61% is in between the national average of 6.3% and the Hamilton County average of 8.7%.7 Silverton is thus an informative case study.

The Contours of Evictions in Silverton

The authors made a public records request seeking access to all documents associated with evictions in Silverton between 2014 and 2017. The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, Aftab Pureval, was extremely helpful in fulfilling this request. The authors gathered and reviewed data on 325 eviction cases over these four years. This included reading court documents ranging from the initial legal filing by a landlord to the final judgment entry of the court. Data were collected on all eviction cases, coded into a database, and analyzed by the authors. The authors consulted with attorneys to ensure accurate interpretation of procedural and legal matters.8 The analysis showed that 12 corporate landlords were responsible for more than half of all Silverton evictions (51.69%) during the period of analysis, and four corporations filed 29.23% of all evictions. Landlords were represented by an attorney in 253 of the 325 cases, or 77.85% of the time. The average eviction filing cost the landlord $202.40 in court costs not including attorney fees, so merely filing an eviction case is expensive for landlords.

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According to court records, the average monthly rent of a Silverton rental unit subject to an eviction case between 2014 and 2017 was a modest $556.90 per month. Tenants in Silverton were represented by legal counsel in only 17 of the 325 eviction filings, or a mere 5.23% of the time. The tenants facing evictions were clearly of modest means.

The amount of back rent expressed in dollars owed was discernable from the court records in 265 of the 325 Silverton eviction cases over the four-year period. In almost half of the cases (49.91%) between 2014 and 2017, the tenant faced eviction for back rent of less than $1,000. Evictions take place over relatively small amounts of owed money—amounts which for the tenant are probably insurmountable but which are modest by middle-class standards.

The amount of back rent expressed in months of rent owed was discernable from the court records in 250 of the 325 Silverton eviction cases. In more than half of the cases (53.28%) between 2014 and 2017, the tenant faced eviction for less than two months of back rent. The courts granted a writ of restitution in 202 of the 325 (62.15%) Silverton eviction cases between 2014 and 2017, but in most of the other cases the landlord simply drops the case because the tenant leaves before the court issues a ruling.9 Physical evictions took place 60 out of 325 cases, or 18.46% of the time in Silverton.

A setout is one of the most visible, devastating signs of the eviction process for the community as an entire household’s positions are moved to the curb.

The economic losses of evictions are truly substantial in one small first suburb. Landlords spent more than $65,000 in court costs alone to file and prosecute evictions over four years. Landlords collectively claim more than $400,000 in lost rental income and over $1.3 million in damages to their property over the four-year period of the study.10 More than three out of five tenants facing an eviction filing will face a court order to vacate their home with an enduring stain on their credit record. And almost one in five of the tenants will be forcibly set out of their home. Only one in 20 Silverton tenants are able to face the complex eviction process with the assistance of an attorney.

Even though landlords prevail in almost all the eviction cases, evictions are clearly an expensive solution for landlords. This case study confirms tenants are almost certain to be on the losing side of an eviction case.

What can we as city managers learn from this case study of one first suburb? How can this case study guide new policies and ordinances to reduce the frequency and impact of povertyinducing evictions? We offer three suggestions. We also welcome additional ideas from ICMA members and hope this article stimulates policy exploration.

Eviction Prevention Grants

Silverton renters are often being evicted for less than $1,000 and for being behind less than two months of rent. If these renters have suffered a financial setback that has made them unable to pay rent but are otherwise financially stable, local governments should consider offering eviction grants to help the renter clear their back rent. Landlords should be willing to accept a municipal grant to pay off some or all of a tenant’s back rent obligation if the tenant has a decent chance to get back on her or his feet. Everyone benefits if a modest grant allows the tenant to clear their obligation and stay in their home.

We propose professionally run local governments start pilot programs by setting aside $2 to $5 per resident per year to fund emergency eviction prevention grants. In Silverton, this would equate to $10,000 to $25,000 annually. Given that the sum of all back rent in Silverton eviction cases averages almost $100,000 per year, these grants would provide enough funding to reduce Silverton evictions by between 10-25% annually. If this public funding were leveraged with investment from nonprofit and philanthropic partnerships, the eviction prevention benefits could be greatly magnified. Creating even a modest ICMA benchmark that local governments should set aside annually holds the promise of reducing the frequency of evictions.

Pay to stay ordinances

Few legal contracts are as one-sided as a typical residential lease.

In Hamilton County, landlords can use even slightly late rent payments as the pretext to evict tenants for other reasons. Even if a tenant presents slightly late rent plus late fees, a landlord can refuse it, continue forward on an eviction, and prevail.

Pay to stay ordinances would reduce the frequency of evictions in first suburbs. A pay to stay ordinance requires a landlord to stop an eviction process if a tenant presents rent late but in full, including reasonable late fees. Local regulations should be crafted that will allow tenants a reasonable amount of time to cure a late payment without having their financial records stained by an eviction and requiring them to move for being a few days or weeks late.

Rental registration

Municipalities should require all residential rental properties to register with the local government. This is important to developing working relationships with landlords for eviction prevention grants. It also will help jurisdictions gain a better understanding of the rental market in their communities.

Increasingly, single-family homes that were once owneroccupied are now owned by out-of-state hedge funds. These corporate landlords bring Wall Street’s efficiency to local rental

markets and have a higher rate of evictions.11 Cities may also require registered landlords to notify the municipality about a physical eviction before it takes place.

Final Thoughts

Reducing the frequency of evictions is not just about stopping a poverty-inducing event from occurring. It is about reducing structural racism through public policy. Sociologist Matthew Desmond compels our attention when he notes the evictions of black women create injustices similar to the over incarceration of black men in the United States. Desmond states, “Poor black men are locked up while poor black women are locked out.”

Simply put, the eviction system is a component of structural racism in the United States. We as leaders in local government have a duty under ICMA’s Code of Ethics to reduce structural racism.

One way we can accomplish this is by developing policies that reduce the frequency and impact of evictions in our communities.

This is the right thing to do in order to reduce poverty in our communities, and it is the right thing to do to advance racial equity in the United States.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

This article was completed in September. Between its completion and its publication, these comments about the CDC moratorium may be superseded by federal actions. The authors sincerely hope so, but it seems unlikely with a sharply contested presidential election and a Supreme Court justice nomination battle looming.

2 Desmond, Matthew. 2016. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. New York: Crown.

3 Ibid.

4 Kneebone, Elizabeth and Berube, Alan. 2013. Confronting Suburban Poverty in America.

Washington, D.C. The Brookings Institution.

5 Carroll, Tom. 2020, in press. Revitalizing First Suburbs: A Manager’s Manual. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association.

6 Wolfe-Johns, Elaina & Carroll, Tom. “Evictions Outside the Central City: Poverty’s Cause and Effect in Suburban and Smaller Communities.” Public Management, July 2020, Volume 102, Number 6.

7 The eviction filing rate is the number of available rental units in a community divided by the number of evictions filed annually.

8 Thanks to Nick DiNardo of The Cincinnati Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati and Virginia Tallent of the City of Cincinnati City Solicitor’s Office for their guidance.

9 A writ of restitution is a court order for the tenant to leave the rental unit and return possession of it to the landlord.

10 The damage claims were rarely pursued by the landlords in court and appear to be so inflated as to be unbelievable. If the amount of landlord-claimed damages were actually occurring in rental units in Silverton, the Village would be able to measure the damages in its building permit filings. This is not the case.

11 Raymond, Elora, Duckworth, Richard; Miller, Ben; Lucas, Michael; and Pokharel, Shiraj. 2016. “Corporate Landlords, Institutional Investors, and Displacement: Eviction Rates in Single-Family Rentals.” Community & Economic Development Discussion Paper No. 04-16.

1

TOM CARROLL, ICMA-CM, is village manager of Silverton, Ohio, and was an ICMA research fellow in 2018–2019. He is the author of Revitalizing First Suburbs: A Manager’s Manual.

DEIRDRE CARROLL was a summer research assistant with Public Sector Performance Metrics and created the database for all the Silverton eviction cases between 2014 and 2017. She is an aspiring student of economics and political science with interests in social justice and climate policy.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 23

RECONNEC

Petersburg,

Virginia

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BY CLAY HAMNER

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TING

A Town’s Recovery through Tourism and Other Economic Development Opportunities Petersburg, Virginia, was settled in the Seventeenth Century and incorporated in 1748. After the American Revolution, Petersburg became a hub for railroads and by 1860, it was the second largest city in Virginia.

The city is located approximately 100 miles from Washington, DC, and 25 miles from Virginia’s capital, Richmond. The city is connected by six major highways and a port on the Appomattox River.

Although tobacco was the main product derived from the region, Petersburg also housed the Appomattox Iron Works, a major cause for the Siege of Petersburg during the Civil War between 1864 and 1865.

It was vitally important that the

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Union Army cut off one of the largest artillery supply chains in the south.

The charm and beauty of Old Towne Petersburg remains to this day and gives visitors the feeling of stepping back in time. Much of its architecture is nearly the same today as it was from the 1600s through the late 1800s. This has not gone unnoticed by Hollywood.

The city has been used as a backdrop in multiple movies and television series, such as Harriet, Lincoln, Turn, Mercy Street, and recently, The Good Lord Bird, starring Ethan Hawke.

2016 Crisis

In 2016, the city of Petersburg experienced a major financial crisis. The city realized it only had $75,000 in funds and a million dollar payroll looming just two weeks away.

Tax collections were below 60 percent, water utility rates were below competitive market rates compared to other Virginia municipalities, and

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 25

the Treasurer’s office, which is a constitutional office in the Commonwealth of Virginia, was under scrutiny by the FBI. The tax base was on a serious decline due to the loss of jobs.

The city had a $6 million deficit and a Standard and Poor’s bond rating of BBB-.

How Did This Happen?

In 1985, tobacco giant Brown and Williamson moved its corporate headquarters from Petersburg to Macon, Georgia, resulting in a loss of approximately 4,000 jobs.

A major pharmaceutical chemical company, Boehringer Ingelheim, decided to shut down operations at its Petersburg plant in 2014, resulting in a yearly revenue loss of $3 million and a loss of nearly 500 jobs. The firm cited excessive capacity in the pharmaceutical market from foreign-produced materials.

As a result, meals tax, sales tax, and property tax revenues plummeted, leaving many plots of land abandoned and deteriorating.

Stabilization

The city council realized it had to act quickly. In early 2016, council hired an outside consulting firm, PFM Consulting, which recommended draconian measures to stop the financial bleeding. The group recommended a 10-percent pay cut across the board for all city workers, including police, fire, and EMT. As one might expect, the results were disastrous.

All departments began to lose employees to surrounding areas and the city received a great deal of criticism from a variety of citizens and business owners.

Council hired the Robert Bobb Group from Washington, DC,

to step in immediately. The first priority was funding the immediate upcoming payroll.

The Commonwealth of Virginia knew from tax reporting that Petersburg had reached a crucial point in its financial well-being.

Because Virginia’s General Assembly does not permit its cities to file for bankruptcy, the secretary of finance worked with the Bobb Group to secure the needed funding. Working with the Virginia Resource Authority, the commonwealth’s finance department, and the private management firm of Davenport and Associates, the city of Petersburg found enough cash to operate for another month.

Within ten months, the city was upgraded to a bond rating of BBB+. The government employees, as well as police, fire, and EMT employees, had their salaries restored to 100 percent.

Tourism had been one of the major sources of income for the city, but in 2016, council decided to shut down its three city-owned museums. The city still had many historical locations that were privately owned. Seeing the need to reopen the museums, a group of citizens, business owners, and docents formed a temporary nonprofit to operate the museums on the city’s behalf.

With the help of this group, the chamber of commerce, and some businesses, Petersburg successfully applied for tourism grants through the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), a public-private partnership, to bring visitors back to the museums, shops, and restaurants.

City council, led by Mayor Sam Parham, took advantage of 2019 state legislation allowing a city manager to take over the duties of tax collector. This change gave the city the power

26 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

to require financial education and certifications not required from a constitutional office, such as the city treasurer. This decision was pivotal for the city from a financial perspective.

City government no longer had to rely on estimates and budgets proffered by inexperienced individuals and could now rely on trained finance professionals.

Recovery

The initial stabilization begun during the first half of 2017 allowed for hiring a permanent city manager. Ultimately, this was Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, former city manager of Glenn Heights, Texas. She accepted the job of managing a city with approximately $75 million in annual revenues and expenses. City council knew almost immediately that Ferrell-Benavides was the right person for the job.

Benavides began reconnecting with former associates in Texas and Washington, DC, and brought in experienced leaders to fill the positions of deputy city manager for community affairs and deputy city manager for development.

Another major shift in structure was combining management of both the fire and police departments with the creation of the managing director of public safety position. This change removed layers of unnecessary management and gave more responsibility to the deputies. The city manager now had more control and more information for monitoring daily, weekly, and monthly operations.

Results of restructuring can be measured by how the city collects taxes and manages its finances. Finance Director Patrice Elliott recently informed

council of an $8 million positive fund balance for the fiscal year ending in June 2020. Elliott said, “The city is operating at a $4 million per year positive cash flow. This upturn prevented the need for a Revenue Anticipated Note (RAN), thus saving the city nearly a quarter million dollars in high interest charges.”

A RAN is equivalent to a payday loan with higher than normal interest rates.

When Budget Director Robert Floyd arrived in Petersburg in 2017, there was no centralized budget control system for the city. He

stated, “I worked through each department and each position to find what needed to be included in the budget.” As a result, positions that had been included in previous budgets but never filled were eliminated.

Davenport and Company, the city’s financial advisor, praised the city for a turnaround “as great as any we have witnessed in 40 years.”

Economic Development and Tourism

In March 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Benavides hired

former city of Richmond Economic Development Director Carthan Currin, and began to expand his economic development team to bring more business to the city.

Benavides noted that hiring a director for this department was absolutely vital to the future success of the city. The position had not been filled since 2016. The economic development team has grown to four positions as of this writing.

Currin, who had been the former director of the Virginia Tobacco Commission and Tobacco Foundation, is from

Petersburg. Benavides added that, “Bringing knowledgebased businesses to Petersburg is paramount to its ongoing success both financially and socially. These new businesses attract skilled and educated workers to further contribute to the essence of what makes Petersburg Petersburg.”

External Contributors Manufacturing

There are many factors contributing to the positive operating balance. Recently, the city of Petersburg did something that many would

have thought impossible just a few years ago. It welcomed a major manufacturer, AMPAC Fine Chemicals (AFC), to the city. City Councilman Darrin Hill stated, “This is a huge economic benefit to the city, filling the former Boehringer Ingelheim campus with new business and especially one that has the opportunity to create and manufacture drugs that may one day save the world from future pandemics.” Mayor Parham met with AFC back in 2016, when the city was under its most difficult financial stress.

He said, “We owe a debt of

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 27

gratitude to Rene Chapman of the Virginia Gateway Region for introducing my city and me to Doctors Malik and Gupton, who led this pharmaceutical project. I refer to Dr. Gupton as the godfather of the project.” Patrick Park, AFC spokesperson, observes that “the COVID-19 crisis has clearly demonstrated that the U.S. is highly dependent on foreign countries for its drug supplies. The U.S. government is working to provide government-funded initiatives that will bring drug manufacturing back to the United States.” Park notes that among the reasons his firm chose to invest in their Petersburg facility were its “qualified workforce and the willingness of the city of Petersburg to work with AFC.”1 Municipal

SMART SCALE is a prioritization process focused on investing limited tax dollars into projects that best

meet critical transportation needs for Virginians. Jennifer Mitchell, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, seeks to provide safe, reliable transportation alternatives for travelers in the commonwealth and is partnering with localities and transit agencies to accomplish this goal. The project is a state-of-the-art park and ride facility that will provide safe, well-lit, and easily accessible parking to Petersburg residents, commuters, and visitors to this historic city.”

The facility will house over 200 parking spaces and is strategically positioned at the transit station, which will allow workers to travel to a variety of nearby areas, including Richmond.

As previously mentioned, Petersburg has many major roads running through it.

Interstate 95 and 85, Routes 360 and 460, Route 1, Route 301, and Route 36.

Neighboring towns Emporia,

28 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Waverly, Sussex, and Dinwiddie will benefit from the new commuter service. This project reconnects the city of Petersburg to all its surrounding

neighbors. The funds from this project are derived from the Commonwealth’s SMART SCALE Program. Because of this new facility’s direct connection to public transit choices, it received the highest SMART SCALE scores for economic development and accessibility.

The city, along with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), has begun a new project of repairing a section of road under the I-95 overpass that has long separated two parts of Petersburg. The VDOT-funded project is expected to cost approximately $1.3 million and is to be completed within a year. The bridge, which was closed in 2006, will reconnect two disconnected areas of the city. This needed infrastructure feat would not have been possible without the city’s positive fund balance.

Petersburg completed its police accreditation this past September; its first in the 210-year history of the bureau. The city manager,

along with the deputy city manager of public safety, Kenneth Miller, envisioned this goal when they both started working in Petersburg on the same day back in 2017.

This accomplishment opens the door for more grants and funding by state and federal agencies.

Tourism

Another aspect of economic development is planning for increased tourism after the COVID-19 crisis. Although no one could have predicted a global emergency of this magnitude, the city manager and her team decided against announcing a budget amendment in spring 2020.

Benavides, in her preparation for the pandemic, stated, “Although we were ahead of projections for 2020, we decided to wait until the end of the fiscal year on June 30 to see where we would end up with

both revenues and expenditures.

The pandemic affected both sides of the equation. We did experience a brief reduction in revenue in March and April, but we also reduced our expenses.”

The city moved ahead with expanding its tourism team within the economic development office and hired a former Petersburg employee who had been the tourism director over 20 years ago. The independent group currently operating the museums did not receive grant funding for marketing during the pandemic, but plans are being made for expanded tourism efforts in 2021.

One feature of the 2021 tourism plan is creating a customer service center in Old Towne Petersburg. It will be headed by the city’s public information officer, Kemi Osoba, and will be devoted to making visitors to Petersburg feel the same warm welcome as

if they were entering an upscale hotel. The center will be located at City Hall.

A major renovation project, the Hotel Petersburg, is underway. It will be completed in late 2022. The city has operated without an upscale hotel for years. Tourism efforts have been aimed at visitors within a 100-mile radius of Petersburg. The hotel will alter tourism efforts from as far north as New York and as far south as Florida and will give the area a footprint for marketing similar to that of VTC. Many have said that reconnecting Petersburg was an impossible task. To the city manager, it is an ongoing moral duty to bring an entire population back to the glory it once realized. “I’m proud of the work my team and I have done over the past three years.

Connecting former colleagues, former and new residents, and new ideas with creative new

approaches are leading to a grand diversification of Petersburg that it hasn’t seen since the 1800s. My goal is to inform and educate the people of our country on what a charming and productive city we have,” said Ferrell-Benavides.

“I invite everyone to make plans to visit our museums, dine in our restaurants, shop at our antique stores, and experience Petersburg.”

ENDNOTE

Part of this investment is from the federal government’s $350 million grant to produce pharmaceuticals inside the United States, as cited in Politico.

1

CLAY HAMNER is economic development manager, Petersburg, Virginia (chamner@ petersburg-va.org).

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 29

Taking

BY GABRIEL RUSK AND DENA DELAVIZ

SOLAR

FURTHER

30 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

F

or over 10 years, ICMA has worked with a variety of partners to help make solar energy adoption easier and more affordable for local governments across the United States.

mandritoiu/stock.adobe.com

Local governments are making it easier for residents and businesses to access solar energy and its many benefits.

Most recently, to assist more local governments in achieving their large-scale goals, ICMA has partnered with the American Planning Association (APA) on Solar@Scale, a new U.S. Department of Energy–funded project to help cities, counties, and special districts understand and realize the potential benefits of large-scale solar development. The project will provide resources to help local governments create catalytic impact in communities of all sizes across the United States with scalable procedures and tools for the efficient implementation of large-scale solar energy facilities.

Solar@Scale is convening public and private stakeholders to assist in developing a comprehensive large-scale solar guidebook. This guide will help planners and local officials take advantage of opportunities to site solar projects on public lands and to update plans, zoning regulations, development review procedures, and assistance programs to make context-sensitive, large-scale solar development on private sites easier. Beginning in 2021, the guide will be shared through trainings, workshops, webinars, and conference sessions for years to come.

While technological developments have dramatically reduced the cost of installing solar photovoltaic systems in the United States, soft costs or “nonhardware costs,� such as permitting, inspection, interconnection to the electric grid, and customer acquisition, still represent significant financial barriers to the growth of the solar market.1 Differences in permitting and regulatory procedures, for example, can result in price differences from $3,200 to $4,700 for a typical residential solar installation. By taking steps to reduce these soft costs, municipalities can help homeowners, installers, and even their own local government save money.2 In order to better understand and address how local governments can take action to reduce soft costs, ICMA launched the Solar Outreach Partnership in 2010. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by ICMA from 2010 to 2016, the project sought to increase the use of solar technologies and lower the cost of solar power by sharing best practices among local governments, funding research and DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 31

Solar Garden at the Public Works and Park Maintenance Facility in Edina, Minnesota.

PHOTO: CITY OF EDINA

development, and reducing common barriers to solar energy adoption. As part of the project, the ICMA team developed and distributed a guidebook and implemented national and regional workshops designed to help local governments overcome barriers to solar development in their communities that reached over 2,300 local government professionals. To analyze changes in the priorities and activities of local governments relating to solar, ICMA conducted surveys of communities across the United States in 20103 and 2016.4 Based on these survey data, ICMA identified significant growth in local government engagement with solar.5 SolSmart

In 2015, in an effort to build on these promising signs of growth in the solar market, ICMA, in partnership with The Solar Foundation, launched SolSmart a national designation and technical assistance program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that assists local governments in their efforts to reduce barriers to the adoption of solar energy systems. SolSmart provides no-cost technical assistance to local governments working to improve solar energy market conditions. As of November 2020, nearly 91 million U.S. residents live in a SolSmart community.

More than 380 city, county, and regional organizations nationwide have been awarded SolSmart designation in recognition of their efforts to make it easier and more affordable for residents and businesses to install solar energy systems.

In addition to addressing soft cost barriers to solar through SolSmart and the Solar Outreach Partnership, ICMA aims to expand solar access to underserved segments of the market, specifically low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. To that end, ICMA supported the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office by managing and administering the Solar In Your Community Challenge, a $5 million prize competition.

The challenge was designed to incentivize the development of new approaches to increase the affordability of electricity while expanding solar adoption across America through grant cash prizes and services in the form of seed prizes, final prizes, coaches, general consultants, and expert technical assistance services.

32 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

The Grand Prize of $500,000 was awarded to The Care Project, created by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA), who developed, owned, and operated offsite solar arrays to power DHA’s multifamily affordable housing buildings. As the guarantor of the power purchase agreement, DHA was able to ease financiers’ potential concerns about lending to projects comprised of LMI households.

DHA worked with Xcel Energy, the local utility, to develop the projects and apply the savings to the energy bills of LMI residents in DHA’s buildings.

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Much like Denver, the city of Ypsilanti has also capitalized on services that ICMA offers to help local governments pursue their solar energy goals.

Over the past 15 years, Ypsilanti, Michigan (pop. 20,995), experienced tremendous growth, from producing zero megawatts (MW) of solar power to producing 1.38 MW—enough to power over 210 homes.6 How did this happen? According to City Manager Frances McMullan, “It all started with a local resident, Dave Strenski, who had a passion for implementing solar power in Ypsilanti.” In 2005, a volunteer grassroots initiative called SolarYpsi, led by Strenski, installed a four-panel solar array on the roof of the Ypsilanti Food Cooperative. Since that project, the group of volunteers utilized grant funding and innovative thinking to advance the use of solar energy in the community. In 2013, the city of Ypsilanti adopted a resolution to install 1,000 solar rooftops by 2020. City officials even collaborated with SolarYpsi to install panels atop the municipality’s city hall. Today, the city stands among the top 20 municipalities nationwide for solar power production on a watts-per-capita basis, alongside the likes of San Francisco, Austin, and Hartford. “Our success has come from a ‘stop talking and just do it’ attitude,” said McMullan. That decisive attitude has been bolstered by the city’s effort to reduce soft costs of solar installation by streamlining the permitting and inspection process through the SolSmart program.

In 2017, the city received Gold designation from SolSmart Since designation, Ypsilanti has continued to learn more about how permitting can be improved. According to Strenski, “One lesson we’re experiencing now is tracking data for the 70+ solar installations in the city. We should have changed the permitting process for solar to record and track total system wattage, panel wattage, panel and inverter type, and a few other details.”

Local governments are not limited to demonstrating support for the residential rooftop solar market. As costs for utility scale solar have declined, large-scale solar projects have experienced a new surge in market share. In 2012, with the assistance of SolarYpsi and the Highland Cemetery Association, the city of Ypsilanti worked to build a 844-kilowatt array consisting of 2,520 panels in unused cemetery space, enough to power over 130 homes.7 Understanding these market drivers ultimately helps communities make informed

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

decisions in evaluating renewable energy proposals and crafting plans about how future development could happen.

Another SolSmart Gold designated community, West Palm Beach, Florida, achieved faster approval rates to install solar arrays by establishing an expedited, one-day solar permitting process for photovoltaic systems of 10 kW or less, becoming the first city in the state of Florida to do so. By expediting the permitting process, the community has been able to add more than 665 kW of solar energy since mid-2018, representing 50% growth year over year. West Palm Beach has also enrolled in Florida Power and Light’s Solar Together program, a shared solar subscription plan that increases municipal use of solar energy. The subscription allows West Palm Beach to offset nearly 12 MW of electricity through large-scale solar farms, enough to power about 1,440 homes.9

Edina, Minnesota

Solar Makes Cents

Communities are benefitting from the fastest growing energy source in the world.10 According to a study published in November 2020 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar energy is expected to account for as much as 60% of new clean energy capacity and generate 27% of the world’s electricity in 2020.11 The United States led the second-largest market in cumulative and annual PV installations in 2019, with the first quarter of 2020 setting the record for the most PV installations in history in both residential and utility markets.12

A Timeline of ICMA Solar Programs

2010

2015

2016

2017

2018

2020

Solar Outreach Partnership Begins

SolSmart Begins

Solar Outreach Partnership Ends

Solar In Your Community Begins

Solar In Your Community Ends

Solar@Scale Begins

samuii/stock.adobe.com

The city of Edina, Minnesota, is a prime example of how a local government can use that understanding of market drivers to develop innovative large-scale solar proposals that meet their community’s energy needs. In 2015, in response to calls from city residents for a more environmentally friendly city, Edina’s Energy and Environment Commission proposed to establish a subscription-based community solar garden. The solar garden accomplished financing by committing 68 households to subscribe for 25 years. The community solar garden serves households at any income level thanks to a collaboration that included Cooperative Energy Futures, a local solar developer that served Edina’s Community Garden beneficiaries with power at a rate lower than traditional electricity bills. Completed in 2018, the Edina Community Solar Garden consists of 1,926 solar panels generating 618 kW of solar power for the community.8 During the implementation of this project, Edina worked with SolSmart to review the city’s permitting, inspection, and ordinances to remove barriers to residents and businesses interested in installing solar. For over a year, city staff and SolSmart technical assistants critically evaluated Edina’s processes and ordinances. Edina recreated the city’s Photovoltaic Roof-Mounted System permitting process that produced permits within three days, launching an online scheduling platform for inspections. These efforts, combined with the completion of the Community Solar Garden, led to Edina earning the prestigious SolSmart Gold designation in early 2019, with special awards in permitting and inspection.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 33

The recent boom of solar installation can largely be attributed to significant declines in solar hardware and panel costs. Furthermore, the drop in solar costs made solar energy competitive without subsidies with fossil fuels across the United States for residential consumers, which saw a 57% drop in PV price estimates; commercial purchasers with a 76% drop; and local utilities with a 78% decrease in prices.13 Solar power is now the cheapest energy source in history, surpassing coal and gas in most countries.14 The affordability of solar presents an attractive investment opportunity to municipalities for a number of reasons. Firstly, municipalities can simultaneously take advantage of plentiful sunny real estate on public buildings rooftops or publicly held land, while cutting down on the second largest expenditure for local governments—energy bills. Moreover, net metering provides incentives for residents to contribute to the energy supply and collect energy credits to lower their own utility costs later.15 Finally, municipalities can reinvest more money locally when they reduce electric bill payments to outof-state utility holding companies. This investment is often realized in terms of tangible economic growth.

Solar energy drives economic growth by creating local jobs and stimulating the local economy. Since 2010, solar jobs in the United States have grown by 167%, almost 250,000 jobs. In the past five years, solar employment has increased five times faster than job growth in the overall U.S. economy.16 Increasingly, local governments are taking a leading role in the growth of the global solar energy market. By addressing soft costs of solar energy, local governments can make access to solar more feasible and reduce expenses for residents and businesses through the streamlining of permitting and inspections. They can act as a catalyst for their communities and local utility companies to institute large-scale energy solutions.

If your local government is interested in making your community “solar friendly,” your local government can find solar resources and additional case studies at solsmart.org, or simply set up a

Solar Array in Aurora, Colorado

consultation call through SolSmart.org to receive free technical assistance from a solar expert. Furthermore, if your community is interested in utility-scale solar, stay tuned for the Solar@Scale guidebook, expected in the second half of 2021. With a keen understanding of the challenges that communities face in enhancing solar growth, ICMA stands ready to assist local governments in achieving their energy goals.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2019/nrel-partners-with-solsmart-to-bring-solarto-more-than-300-us-cities-and-counties.html 2 https://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/tackling-solar-energy-s-soft-costs.aspx# :~:text=Solar%20soft%20costs%20are%20the,solar%20photovoltaic%20(PV)%20system.

3 https://icma.org/sites/default/files/301646_ICMA%202010%20Sustainability%20 Survey%20Summary.pdf 4 https://icma.org/sites/default/files/308499_17-030%20Solar%20Survey%20 Results%20Summary%20Report.pdf 5 https://icma.org/sites/default/files/308640_Solar%20Survey%20Snapshot.pdf 6 https://www.seia.org/initiatives/whats-megawatt 7 http://www.solarypsi.org/CemCremArticle.pdf 8 https://solsmart.org/case-study-edina-minnesota/ 9 https://solsmart.org/solsmart300/ 10 https://www.c2es.org/content/renewable-energy/#:~:text=Solar%20photovoltaics%20 are%20the%20fastest,percent%20of%20the%20world’s%20electricity.

11 https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/10/world-could-add-more-than-900-gw-ofsolar-by-2025-if-politicians-grasp-the-nettle-iea/ 12 https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2085905/0/en/ The-United-States-solar-energy-market-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-CAGR-of-17-32during-2020-2025.html#:~:text=%2D%20In%202019%2C%20the%20United%20 States,the%20significant%20share%20(61.05%25).

13 https://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ SolarJobsCensus2019.pdf 14 https://www.carbonbrief.org/solar-is-now-cheapest-electricity-in-history-confirmsiea#:~:text=Multiple%20Authors,-Simon%20EvansJosh&text=The%20world’s%20 best%20solar%20power,Agency’s%20World%20Energy%20Outlook%202020.

15 https://www.solarunitedneighbors.org/go-solar/solar-for-municipalities/ 16 https://www.thesolarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ SolarJobsCensus2019.pdf 1

GABRIEL RUSK’s passion for sustainability is reflected in his work on the SolSmart Program and Solar@Scale as an assistant program manager II at ICMA. Gabriel graduated from Xavier University with a master of arts degree in private interest and the public good in 2019. (grusk@icma.org)

Two SolarYpsi volunteers stand by the solar array installed at Ypsilanti’s Firehouse.

34 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

DENA DELAVIZ earned a master of public policy degree from Carnegie Mellon and is an assistant program manager for ICMA, working on the SolSmart Program. She has worked in the solar industry since 2018. (ddelaviz@icma.org)

Join ICMA, the Environmental Protection

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staff to leverage blight and unutilized assets for redevelopment, environmental protection, public health, and increased tax revenue.

Raising TAXES?

BY KIM BRIESEMEISTER

There’s a Smarter Solution to Balance Your COVIDBattered Budget

Is raising taxes the only solution for cities perched on a fiscal cliff due to COVID-19? For many, it appears to be the default option. But I believe there is an alternative, one that provides greater stability and is far more palatable to your residents and businesses. By professionally managing your own real estate assets, your city could potentially generate millions of dollars of new revenue, stabilizing your general fund and increasing the tax base. Untapped possibilities reside in your city’s land and property holdings, and now is the time to mine them!

Lack of Asset Management

Imagine a new revenue stream that could be used to fund new capital projects, relieve existing debt, or provide upgraded services to residents.

That goal is obtainable with a comprehensive real estate strategy, but many cities miss this opportunity because of poor asset management.

Since the pandemic hit, we have been advising our city clients to immediately analyze their real estate holdings—land and property,

which are tremendous assets that are often overlooked and mismanaged. Once a city has determined the valuation of publicly owned land, dialogue can begin on how to better manage or increase the value of those assets.

Another source of potential tax growth can be found on privately owned lots or assemblages that are underutilized or undervalued.

It behooves a city to find a way to encourage development on those sites or support some other form of improvements

36 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

to increase the taxable value of surrounding land. This has been a long-running problem for municipalities that focus on zoning and land use, but do not pay attention to the value of the land, real estate, and its impact on the general revenue fund.

Lack of management of a city’s real estate holdings is not a new issue. A GAO report in 2012 discussed the need to improve management of excess and underutilized property in great detail.1 In our consulting practice today, we recognize this is an

obstacle that ultimately must be overcome and is now mission critical. It is imperative for city leaders to allocate the time to do the work of analyzing where potential growth in their tax base can be harvested.

Rising from the Red

According to recent reports in many publications, including US News and World Report, the pandemic will drastically reduce local government revenues, and this downward trend will continue well beyond 2021. Even cities that were

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in good financial shape, with reserve funds, are considering employee layoffs, reduced services, budget slashing, and of course, raising taxes.

The toll that COVID-19 is having on municipal budgets will continue to unfold, and many city leaders will be walking a tightrope for quite some time. Recent reports are anticipating revenue shortfalls of approximately $360 billion over the next three years.2 These shortfalls are impacting local economies and families across the country as city leaders

consider furloughs, layoffs, and cutting investments in infrastructure and services.

And while some municipalities hoped that aid from the federal government would lend assistance, severe restrictions on the funding have left little in substantive help.

This is devastating news for communities as local governments play an integral role in funding critical services, including law enforcement, fire stations, and everyday municipal services such as trash collection. In addition, cities

Analyze and chart where the bulk of your city’s taxable value comes from; these are key sources of revenue to carry the city through the pandemic and beyond.

and counties tend to be a major employer in many cities.

While all these jarring reports and the declining tax base numbers themselves could easily send city leaders into a panic response, by taking a proactive, instead of a reactive stance, cities can make an enormous difference in their long-term financial stability.

A Better Game Plan

In my 30 years of experience of working with city leaders in real estate redevelopment and city- sponsored economic DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 37

development, I have seen the success of cities that create step-by-step action plans and understand how to implement them. Here’s an outline for developing a successful real estate for government strategy.

1. Evaluate Taxable Values

Analyze and chart where the bulk of your city’s taxable value comes from; these are key sources of revenue to carry the city through the pandemic and beyond. This exercise is extremely beneficial—do not put it off.

Case in point: At the peak of the pandemic in South Florida, cities were desperately trying to figure out how to assist struggling businesses, so they quickly created programs to distribute public funds to local retailers. On a first-come, firstserved basis, businesses could receive anywhere from $2,500 to $20,000. The problem was twofold; first, there was no

indication the business would survive, or that the funding would have an impact, let alone have any measurable result. Second, the larger issue was a lack of connection to where most of the city’s tax base was generated from. The city we analyzed had over 73 percent of their taxable value coming from the residential properties—not commercial—so they were more cautious in distributing the spread of public funds for COVID-19 relief. This is proving to be a wise decision as they have not lost many retailers, and still have funds available if needed for residential programs.

While this example relates to the COVID-19 crisis, a similar approach is required for cities to target and proactively prime the pump on specific real estate parcels, industries, or land uses that are generating the bulk of the wealth for the city.

38 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

A city’s control over its land use and zoning is one of the easiest routes to creating public wealth.

2. Create an Inventory of Developable Parcels

Target both public and privately owned land and prioritize development goals according to future taxable value.

In an International Monetary Fund article from 2018, titled “Unlocking Public Wealth,” it was stated, “National and local governments own a potential gold mine of assets, mostly in the form of real estate and government-owned companies.

With better governance, many of these assets—such as outdated buildings, undeveloped land, brownfield spaces, and air rights—could generate value and a revenue stream to fund government budgets, lower taxes, or pay for vital infrastructure.”3 The IMF article also points out how some cities have used their larger assets, such as ports and major development sites to generate review. Those are excellent examples of how

USantos/stock.adobe.com

to reevaluate and potentially reuse existing assets to create revenue.

Understandably, many cities do not have the luxury of owning such large assets; however, most have accumulated more real estate than they realize. Once an inventory has been taken and publicly owned assets have been mapped out, a valuation exercise will reveal where opportunities exist for an increase in revenue.

The city of Pompano Beach owned a five-acre site across from the beach that was being leased to a private company to operate a surface parking lot for a paltry rental agreement of $10,000 a year. We suggested they terminate the lease, build their own garage, and consider adding a limited number of restaurant and beach-oriented retail uses. A master developer

was selected through a bid process and the site was master planned into eight parcel ground leases keeping the property and the revenue in the city’s hands. While the project is not yet completed, the current revenue to the city exceeds $700,000 per year and continues to grow.

Even more impressive, the parking revenue stream from the city-built garage and on street parking has increased from $500,000 a year to over $2.5 million per year. The valuation of the parking assets was a secondary analysis that revealed tremendous revenue gains and was enabled by creating a parking enterprise fund. Now, the city is in an enviable position of being able to fund additional parking garages throughout the city through the parking enterprise fund.

3. Identify Issues with Sites

Parcels of land are often bypassed for development due to several key reasons. If you feel your city is consistently being overlooked while your neighboring communities are attracting key developments, review this checklist.

• Investigate zoning obstacles.

• Review lack of development rights.

• Evaluate your city’s brand and image.

• Check for environmental issues.

• Assess the political climate; the private sector will avoid contentious commissions.

While all of these elements are equally critical, not all of them are quick fixes. However, a city’s control over its land use and zoning is one of the easiest routes to creating

public wealth. Similar to the real estate analysis previously mentioned, a review of the city’s zoning can lead to tremendous opportunity with a few revisions. Land use and zoning are the low hanging fruit that any city can use to generate new revenue.

Here are three immediate action scenarios: • Zoning provisions that hinder restaurants from opening due to excessive parking or other requirements should be immediately changed or removed.

• Develop zoning rules to encourage specific types of business to create special districts, including culinary, arts, and culture.

• Expand the zoning regulations to allow alleys, small pocket parcels, side roads, or other public spaces to become locations for outdoor food and beverage activity.

4. Develop a P3 Strategy

Public-Private Partnerships (P3) require technical expertise, but every city parcel has the possibility of becoming a successful P3 project if managed correctly.

P3s are simply an agreement for the public sector and private sector to collaborate on the development of a site to create new value.

The strategy is not a new one. In fact, both the Erie Canal and Transcontinental Railroad were pioneering P3s of the nineteenth century.4 The model has remained intact and is experiencing a renaissance as more cities are seeking alliances in solving the toughest challenges in their communities. In 2014, Chicago used a P3 to invest

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 39

Once this foundation is firm, any parcel—public or private—can become a P3.

5. Create a Marketing and Communications Campaign

If you want to attract the private sector, they need to know you are open for business through targeted 40 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Images courtesy of Kim Briesemeister

in its Riverwalk, a downtown area that once unused and neglected, and today, this area has seen major revitalization and economic development.5 To be attractive to the private sector, a city must have all the elements for success in place. It is imperative that the initiatives below have been carefully executed: • Analyze the current valuations within a city.

• Identify public- or privateowned parcels that are undervalued.

• Ensure that the correct land use and zoning are in place.

promotional materials.

Probably one of the most overlooked initiatives from city management is marketing itself effectively. Every city has a brand and an image, whether good, bad, or indifferent. An honest evaluation of how your city is perceived is a critical step in attracting the right partners to invest in your city.

Aspirational marketing is one of our main reinvention tools. In one particular case, we were able to completely reposition the city of Oakland Park’s image from a tired, outdated bedroom community with a blighted Main Street, to one of the hottest real estate markets in the county.

Another marketing success story was North Miami, a city desperate to emerge from the shadow of the famed destination to the south. We developed the “To NoMi is to Love Me” campaign to enhance the community’s unique character and vibe, focusing on its authenticity with descriptive words such as “tasteful,” “rhythmic,” and “eccentric” featured on an array of marketing collateral.

the lessons learned during this time will create more resilient communities for the future.

RESOURCES

https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2020/aug/11/covid-19coronavirus-us-cities-budget-cuts https://www.innovations.harvard.edu/ sites/default/files/2848538.pdf https://www.usnews.com/news/ cities/articles/2020-07-30/nextcovid-casualty-cities-hit-hard-by-thepandemic-face-bankruptcy https://www.newsbreak.com/florida/ tallahassee/news/1585192935171/ desantis-likens-upcoming-budget-cutsto-gots-red-wedding-downplays-rise-incovid-19-cases https://citiesspeak.org/2020/06/01/ local-budget-pressures-are-real-so-whydont-cities-just-raise-taxes/ https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/ research-and-analysis/blogs/ stateline/2020/07/17/tax-hikes-in-apandemic-some-states-cities-say-yes https://www.brookings.edu/blog/theavenue/2020/03/31/when-will-yourcity-feel-the-fiscal-impact-of-covid-19/ https://www.innovations.harvard.edu/ sites/default/files/2848538.pdf ENDNOTES

United States, Government Accountability Office, National Strategy and Better Data Needed to Improve Management of Excess and Underutilized Property, (GAO, Washington: 2012).

2 Citispeak.org 3 https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/ fandd/2018/03/detter.htm 4 www.govtech.com 5 Citispeak.org 1

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the mettle of every municipal leader. Responding with compassion to the health crisis, while managing the business and economic fallout, continues to be a tremendous responsibility. As the global emergency ebbs and flows, this period of disruption also provides an opportunity for innovation and reinvention.

City leaders who capitalize on

KIM BRIESEMEISTER is co-founder of Redevelopment Management Associates (rma.us.com) and has won numerous awards for her management of some of the largest most complex CRA districts and redevelopment projects in the state of Florida.

She co-authored the book, Reinventing Your City-Eight Steps to Turn Your City Around.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 41

ICMA’S Minorities

in Management Program and

African American

City and County Managers THE FIRST 50 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE PUBLIC MANAGEMENT PROFESSION

BY TA D MCGALLIARD, MICHAE L RO G E R S , A N D L E N N E A L H E N D E R S O N , P H . D.

Honorees, staff, and others attending a reception in 1979, during which African American city and county managers, as well as ICMA’s MEM/ MEPP, were recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives.

42 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

The 1970s we often say was the decade to be good to minorities, especially African American minorities . . . several the rights that we fought for in the 1960s, we got them in the 1970s.

—Sy Murray, former city manager, Cincinnati, Ohio, and the first African American President of ICMA

A

gainst the backdrop of social upheaval and change, ICMA established a Task Force on Race Relations in 1969 that described a series of actions that the association should consider for the 1970s and beyond.

The decade that was ending had ushered in new policies and programs; social movements and campaigns that began the process, which continues today, of breaking down and eroding the sinews of segregation and social injustice.

Like other institutions and associations, ICMA was evolving with the social changes; much too slow as some would argue, while others felt the pace was far too quick. With the 1969 task force, the association’s leadership, as ICMA’s president noted in an editorial three years later, “made a clean break with the apologists, and we established for our profession an activist role—activists ready to correct injustices and eliminate inequities.”1 Tucked into the task force report was the recommendation to support the inclusion of more African Americans (as well as other underrepresented populations) in urban management. Coupled with some welltimed funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and strong partnerships with several councils of government and universities, ICMA started a new Minorities in Management program.

This article looks back to the formation, operation, and evolution of ICMA’s Minorities in Management job placement programming, which launched in 1970, and continued in various forms for several decades.

1960s: Courage, Skill, and Good Will Needed

ICMA records indicate that the association’s conversations on race relations, social justice, and inequality began to increase throughout the 1960s. One 1964 article in PM magazine noted, “It is the duty of city managers to provide community leadership in a difficult period of time.” This same article, which was derived from a keynote presentation at ICMA’s 1963 annual conference stated: It is the urgent deadly serious business of you as the dedicated, professional officers of

the peace to lead your communities through one of the most difficult and dangerous periods of transition this nation has had to face. It will largely depend on your courage, skill, and good will as to how the country fares.2

Throughout the 1960s, additional content was published and events organized as the civil unrest in America’s cities continued to grow.

A 1967 edition of PM focused on the summer of riots and civil unrest that happened throughout the United States. In 1969, ICMA launched the Urban Data Service, for which the first edition was titled, The American City and Civil Disorders.3 Guest editorials by leading voices of the era— including Otto Kerner, governor of Illinois and chairperson of the U.S. Riot Commission Report, the final output of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders—appeared in PM and as part of ICMA’s conferences and events.4 Indeed the Riot Commission Report had several criticisms of local government management, particularly in areas that were home to large populations of socioeconomically challenged populations.

Specifically, the report called out the need for more U.S. Riot Commission Report, diversity in city hall, suggesting that “(l)eadership led by Otto Kerner, thenby city government in this vital area is of urgent governor of Illinois DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 43

priority.”5 At the time of the Kenner Commission, only three African Americans had been appointed to lead cities: James Johnson (1968, Compton, California); Gladstone Chandler (1970, East Cleveland, Ohio); and Sy Murray (1970, Inkster, Michigan).

THE 1970s: A Brighter Future?

ICMA’s Minorities in Management program was started with a modest grant from HUD. The funding was part of HUD’s 701 Planning Grant program that was overseen by Assistant Secretary Samuel Jackson, a prominent African American in the Nixon Administration and former civil rights activist.

Initial partners included the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, the

Members of the Minority Executive Placement Program advisory committee in 1979

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Howard University, and the University of Michigan. During the program’s first year, six students were selected for participation in both Michigan

(Left to right): Michael Rogers, Elijah Rogers, and Richard Monteilh 44 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

and Washington, DC. In 1971, regional councils in Denver, Colorado, and Maricopa County, Arizona, joined the program, providing additional placement opportunities.

Additional funding was

received from the Ford Foundation to advance the program as well.

During the first three years, 30 participants matriculated through the placement program, including not only African Americans but also Hispanic Americans as well.

The program did not lead to an immediate spike in the diversity of city managers. In most cases, graduates were hired into other local government positions; however, several graduates, as well as those from other programs, would soon become professional managers. By 1974, the program had a total of 40 participants, of which 28 had been placed in various positions with local government.6 ICMA’s first director for the program was Richard Monteilh. After leaving ICMA in the mid-1970s, Monteilh served in highly distinguished public and private sector roles, including time as the city administrator for Newark, New Jersey; the award-winning director of Washington, DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development; and as the executive director of the

Metropolitan Atlanta Olympics Games Authority.

In 1975, the Minorities in Management effort was renamed the Minorities Executive Placement Program (MEPP). As part of this change, ICMA began expanding the services offered by the initiative. State associations were recruited to help place candidates. According to a 1976 ICMA Newsletter, the profiles for 360 active candidates were included in ICMA’s MEPP database.7 Similarly, the numbers of African American city managers in the profession had grown, but remained frustratingly small. In the year that the United States celebrated the bicentennial, there were only a small number of African American city managers in the profession, including Robert Bobb, Kalamazoo, Michigan;

Ronald A. Davis, Riviera Beach, Florida; Melvin Farmer, Benton Harbor, Michigan; Richard Knight, Carrboro, North Carolina; Edwin Robinson, East Cleveland, Ohio; Elijah Rogers, Berkeley, California; and David Williams, Inkster, Michigan.8 In 1977, the MEPP was led by ICMA project director Michael Rogers, who would later become the first African American executive director of a council of government when he was hired to lead the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in Washington, DC. Rogers came to ICMA from a position as assistant city manager in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Under Rogers’ leadership, the MEPP evolved in strategy and services. By November 1977, the program had helped place more than 350 minorities and women in local

Black managers emerged in part because there was a need—a need for responsiveness to an increasingly important faction of the population, which had become a major political force in our major cities, as well as a moral need to involve blacks in the process of self-governance throughout the country.

government management and made more than 700 referrals.

Additionally, the number of cities participating in the program grew from 85 to more than 200.9 By 1979, the program had successfully helped place more than 500 professionals in local government positions, even as the number of African American city managers remained smaller than anticipated. Rogers would eventually join the ranks as the city administrator for Washington, DC. To congratulate the program, the Honorable Ron Dellums,

representative from California, addressed the House of Representatives, saying: Mr. Speaker, professional management of our Nation’s cities is more crucial today than in the past because of the myriad of urban problems we face. Due to the dedication of these appointed administrators, city problems are being tackled and solved … I think it is appropriate that we recognize the newly appointed managers and wish them well in their

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 45

task of helping our cities run better thus insuring a brighter future for all citizens.10 Throughout the latter part of the 1970s, other notable milestones occurred. In 1978, Alfred E. Smith became the first African American county manager, when he was hired

by Surry County, Virginia.

Later that same year, Sherry

Suttles, who at the time was the executive assistant to the city manager of Long Beach, California, was elected to the ICMA board. Frank Wise, the assistant city manager of Savannah, Georgia, joined her that year on the board. A year later, Sherry Suttles was hired by the city of Oberlin, Ohio, and became the first female African American city manager in the profession.

1980s and Beyond: Evidence of Change

ICMA’s minority placement programming continued into the 1980s. The first generation of African American city and county managers were now seasoned professionals overseeing jurisdictions in different parts of the country; however still not in very large numbers. Writing in PM Magazine, Elijah Rogers and

In 2020, ICMA’s full membership ranks include nearly 250 African American city and county managers (including deputies and assistants).

John Touchstone, however, presented an optimistic outlook on the future for African Americans in the profession: As we enter the 1980s, there is evidence of change in the historical trend for blacks to enter the profession primarily in urban areas with majority nonwhite people. Cities such as Berkeley, California, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Cincinnati, Ohio, show that black managers are beginning to be hired in cities with a white majority, based on their experience and competence in the overall management of local governments.11 By 1982, ICMA’s external funding from HUD and the Ford Foundation had dried up. At this time, the MEPP— now known as the Minority Recruitment and Placement program—was funded through a combination of annual dues from subscribing communities and individuals that paid to enroll in the talent bank placement service. Some still expressed concern that the pacing and momentum of African American men and women entering the profession 46 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

could remain stagnant or slow.

Lenneal Henderson, ICMA’s 2020 Local Government Research Fellow, notes in a PM article 28 years prior: The future of black participation in the urban management profession will depend upon the generation of more financial and human resources for training and developing such professionals. … Without renewed and increased resources, the increasingly arduous struggle of minorities to penetrate and advance in the urban management profession will suffer a bleak future.12 In 1983, several alumni of ICMA’s minority placement programming helped to establish the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), which continues to this day as a voice of African Americans in state and local government. Additionally, 1983 was the year that Sylvester

Sherry Suttles (left) and her mother after Sherry was named city manager in Oberlin, Ohio

Murray was elected ICMA president, becoming the first African American to hold that position in the history of the association. Also joining the ICMA board that year was John P. Bond, a founding member of NFBPA.

By 1986, ICMA’s diversity in management efforts had become the Talent Referral Service, which continued to offer placement support for an increasingly diverse pool of candidates aspiring to work in local government management.

As the 1990s loomed, ICMA’s board once again authorized a task force on minority and women recruitment for local government management. A final report was requested for presentation no later than the September 1990 meeting of the executive board. At the request of the committee’s participants, the project was renamed the Task Force on Diversity.

By the end of the 1980s, ICMA’s primary means of job placement services evolved again, becoming the Job Opportunities Bulletin (J.O.B.).

Started as a partnership with NFBPA, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), and the American Public Works Association

(APWA), J.O.B. was printed and distributed until 2006, and then available digitally through 2012. At that time, all ICMA newsletters were consolidated into a single weekly update with jobs for all candidates.

Conclusion

While the election of Sylvester Murray and the establishment of NFBPA in 1983 may not have been the end of ICMA’s efforts, it can be argued that these two milestones may have been the “end of the beginning”13 of ICMA’s efforts to directly support the placement of more diverse populations in the profession.

The association’s efforts to promote diversity continues even to the present day, but the activist role described by ICMA President Graham W. Watt in PM’s 1972 edition devoted to “minorities in management” had reached a noon-tide moment by the early to mid-1980s.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 47

The death of George Floyd and other African Americans in 2020, the global pandemic, and other social and economic challenges have awakened familiar passions and stoked the balefires of change once again in a way that an earlier generation easily recognizes.

From its earliest days, the Minorities in Management program was not solely about placing African Americans.

Hispanic Americans and women from all backgrounds were receiving attention as well from the association through grant funding, task forces, and affiliate organizations.14 There are many other stories to tell about diversity in the profession.

It can be argued that ICMA’s investment in

placement programming 50 years ago provided help in paving the way for an increasing number of managers from diverse backgrounds, creeds, and races. Funding from the Ford Foundation and HUD also provided needed stimulus.

Other larger forces were coinciding as well. The number of jurisdictions with nonwhite populations were growing, as were the number of African

48 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

American elected officials becoming mayors and council members. These dynamics also helped to increase the number African Americans in local government public administration.

Writing in 1982, Rogers and Touchstone suggest that: The future of black managers is unalterably tied to the history of how and why they emerged, where they are, and the skills they possess. Black managers emerged in part because there was a need—a need for responsiveness to an increasingly important faction of the population, which had become a major political force in our major cities as well as a moral need to involve blacks in the process of self-

Sy Murray at his desk as the city manager of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1973

governance throughout the country. However, for minorities to maintain the wealth of management expertise that has developed, we must find a way to ensure that there will be a continuous influx of new talent into the system.15 In 2020, ICMA’s full membership ranks include nearly 250 African American city and county managers (including deputies and assistants). Many of the firstgeneration African American managers of the 1970s were in communities with elected councils and populations that were majority African American. Current African American managers have been appointed in a diversity of cities, counties, and suburban communities with fewer African Americans in the community or on the council.

A substantial number of these men and women have had long careers serving in multiple communities. Almost all have joined the profession without the benefit of ICMA’s aggressive early investments in placement programming. This is a tribute to their public administration, management, and leadership skills, and evidence that while change has happened slowly, it has in fact occurred.

ICMA’s and the profession’s diversity journey continues.

In 2016, Marc Ott became the first African American hired to serve as ICMA’s executive director. In 2019, ICMA’s membership passed constitutional amendments making it easier for younger, and consequently, more diverse affiliate members that meet certain length of service criteria, to be selected for the ICMA executive board.

Whether there will be a need for future “activist” eras to increase diversity in the profession remains to be seen.

The death of George Floyd and other African Americans in 2020, the global pandemic, and other social and economic challenges have awakened familiar passions and stoked the balefires of change once again in a way that an earlier generation easily recognizes.

What today’s challenges illustrate for the profession and diversity remains unscripted and ongoing for new generations to write. Those stories, however, may begin

with something like the following. On August 6, 2020, 50 years after launching the Minorities in Management program, the ICMA Executive Board elected Troy Brown, city manager of Moorpark, California, and an African American, as the association’s president-elect for a three-year term.

This article is part of a series of content produced to celebrate the first 50+ years of African Americans in the city and county management profession. It has been produced almost exclusively from written records and published materials maintained

by ICMA. Edits and comments have been provided by several persons noted in this article, including Michael Rogers, Sherry Suttles, and Lenneal Henderson.

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

Watt, Graham, W. 1972. “Editorial.”

Public Management. Volume 54, Number 4. Page 2.

2 Long, Norton E. 1964. “Local Leadership and the Crisis in Race Relations.” Public Management (January 1964), Page 2.

1

ICMA, 1969. The American City and Civil Disorders. Urban Data Service Report, Volume 1, Number 1.

4 Kerner, Otto (Chairman), 1968. The U.S. Riot Commission Report. Bantam Books.

5 Ibid, page 294.

6 Borut, Don. 1974. ICMA Training Programs. Public Management. Volume 56.

Number 4. Page 17.

7 ICMA, 1976. January 15, 1976, ICMA Newsletter.

8 ICMA, 1976. November 22, 1976, ICMA Newsletter.

9 ICMA, 1977. November 7, 1977, ICMA Newsletter.

10 U.S. Congress, 1979. Congressional Daily Record, February 27, 1979.

11 Rogers, Elijah, and John Touchstone, 1982. “Black Administrators—An Historical Perspective,” Public Management. Volume 64, Number 6, Page 14.

12 Henderson, Lenneal, Dr. 1982. “Beyond Equity: The Future of Minorities in Urban management,” Public Management. Volume 64, Number 6, Page 2.

13 Winston Churchill said after victory in the Torch Landings by Allied Force in North Africa in World War II: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

14 De Hart Davis, Leisha et al 2020.

“Near the Top: Understanding Gender Imbalance in Local Government Management,” Local Government Review, February 2020, Volume 5.0.

15 Rogers, Elijah, and John Touchstone, 1982. “Black Administrators—An Historical Perspective,” Public Management. Volume 64, Number 6, Page 14.

3

TAD MCGALLIARD is director, research and development, ICMA, Washington, D.C. (tmcgalliard@icma.org).

With substantial support and contributions from: MICHAEL ROGERS is the former director of ICMA’s MEPP (1976-1979); and currently managing partner, Michael C. Rogers Consulting, LLC, Washington, DC (michaelcharlesrogers@ outlook.com).

LENNEAL HENDERSON, PHD, is a professor, Virginia State University (lhenderson@vsu.edu).

SHERRY SUTTLES was the first female African American City Manager, Oberlin, Ohio, and is now retired.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 49

UNITE: A Digital Event In light of the COVID-19 health crisis

and to prioritize the well-being and safety of our members, exhibitors, sponsors, and partners, ICMA launched its first-ever digital event, UNITE, which took place September 23–26.

UNITE was a great success, bringing together more than 4,500 local government leaders from across the globe to learn from each other and address the new realities of our world today. COVID-19 and the impact it has had on our communities and those who are working tirelessly to protect, support, and lead their communities through this crisis was one of the key topics discussed during the event.

UNITE kicked off Monday, September 21, with pre-conference opportunities, including the League of Women in Government Symposium with featured speaker Glennon Doyle, as well as several other live sessions focused on equity in criminal justice, redefining leadership when battling two pandemics, and gathering opinions of hard-to-reach residents, to name a few.

The main event began on Wednesday, September 23 and ran through Saturday, September 26. Programming throughout the week focused on the most pressing local government topics including COVID-19, racial equity and social justice, financial recovery, policing, and more.

ICMA Executive Director Marc Ott kicked off Wednesday’s opening general session, sponsored by ICMA-RC, with a rousing speech to attendees. His powerful words come at a time when local government leaders are facing extraordinary challenges, and he reminded us all why we chose this profession and what it demands of us. His encouragement and reassurance set an inspirational tone for the conference.

Nadja West—Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General, and former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Nadja West presented on Leading Through Uncertainty during her Wednesday keynote session, sponsored by ICMA-RC. “I believe these are more uncertain times than ever,” West began. A global pandemic. Economic insecurity. A turbulent political landscape. Institutional racism. Environmental concerns. West acknowledged there is no shortage of large-scale, destabilizing challenges that create nearly incalculable uncertainty.

Good leadership is needed to overcome this.

Dr. Manuel Pastor—The author of State of Resistance, Dr. Pastor is an expert on racial equity and sustainable development, as well as social, economic, and environmental justice in urban areas. Pastor opened his remarks by acknowledging race, racism, and racial equity are difficult subjects: "The central message is that when we talk about race and racism, we have to be sure that we’re not just going to the lowest common denominator. That we actually have the hard conversations about why there’s such a persistent pattern of racial disparity in terms of policing, the economy, and homeownership, the very air we breathe. Uncommon common ground is the way to make real change.”

50 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Kristen Cox— Having spoken at the 2019 ICMA Annual Conference, Cox returned to UNITE with further insight into the use of data for local government managers, gained from helping lead the state of Utah through the COVID-19 crisis as its executive director of the Office of Management and Budget. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Cox was buried under countless projections based on data we didn’t have nor had ever experienced before. It became imperative that Cox learned to look past all the “noise” to focus on Utah’s vision for the future. Likening her process to the cane travel method taught to her as she became blind, Cox used data to help her discover the path forward for Utah through quick adaptation and management.

Robin DiAngelo—“I want to start by drawing your attention to my race. Right out of the gate. It’s a very uncomfortable thing for me to be doing.” Robin DiAngelo, PhD and affiliate associate professor of education at the University of Washington, Seattle, wasted no time jumping right into the sensitive and controversial topic of white fragility (also the title of her bestselling book) during her Thursday keynote session, sponsored by Tyler Technologies.

UNITE By the Numbers

4,500+ ATTENDEES

230 SESSIONS ACROSS 40 FOCUS AREAS

78 EXHIBITORS 52 Countries Represented

12

Sponsors Top Five States in Attendance:

653+

Global Attendees

CALIFORNIA TEXAS FLORIDA NORTH CAROLINA VIRGINIA

2,131 First-time Attendees 299 Student Participants

Photos from the UNITE Photo Booth submitted by attendees

DiAngelo said everyone has an opinion on race and racism, but that does not make it informed. Furthermore, she explained it is difficult to have an informed opinion when these issues are not openly talked about, when we aren’t given good information in school, and when we don’t know our own history.

Vijay Gupta—Captivating. Moving. Human. These are just a few words to describe Vijay Gupta’s Trailblazer session on Thursday night, sponsored by Cigna. Vijay Gupta is a violinist, educator, and activist whose efforts to merge music with mental health are changing the world, note by note. His organization, Street Symphony, serves to connect with individuals recovering from homelessness and incarceration through music. He divided up his session by playing several movements composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and sharing anecdotes from his time playing music at the Patton State Hospital and Skid Row, both in Los Angeles, California.

Richard Florida—In the aftermath of the Great Recession, best-selling author and leading urbanist Richard Florida offered his thoughts on how new ways of working and living would drive economic recovery from an historic crash in his book, The Great Reset, in his Friday keynote, sponsored by Buxton. A decade after popularizing the term, he observed, “We are looking at the greatest of the ‘great resets’ of our time.” Echoing themes heard across UNITE’s agenda, Florida acknowledged the intersections of multiple complex and devastating challenges facing communities. “This pandemic has caused a cascading series of economic and fiscal issues,” and these impacts, he said, have fallen along race and class lines.

Chris Gardner—Saturday’s General Session speaker, Chris Gardner, spoke about “Hard Pivots, Atomic Times and A New Vision of the American Dream.” An entrepreneur, bestselling author, and award-winning film producer, Gardner’s autobiography, The Pursuit of HappYness, became a New York Times #1 best seller, and he is the inspiration for the critically acclaimed film “The Pursuit of HappYness,” starring Will Smith. Born to a childhood of poverty and violence, Chris overcame incredible odds to become a world-class stock broker. In his remarks, Chris talks about how ideas and attitude can change your life, and what it means to be “world-class.”

To learn more about the keynote speakers, trailblazers, and featured speakers, along with the Wednesday and Thursday evening events, and more, visit unite.icma.org to watch the wrap-up video. In addition, search "UNITE 2020" on the icma.org homepage to find recaps and wrap-ups of all the general session speakers and other speakers of note.

UNITE: Continuing the Conversation

The September event was such a success that ICMA wanted to “continue the conversation” with another day-long event of live sessions and Q&A on November 13. We find it more important than ever to foster discussion about the ever-changing issues in our communities. To that end, UNITE: Continuing the Conversation explored three different themes: bridging the digital divide, resilient leadership, and racial equity and social justice.

Rio Hondo, Texas, Wins Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative—

The Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative and social responsibility campaign was a distinctive feature of ICMA’s UNITE: A Digital Event, and we, along with the sponsor of the initiative, ICMA-RC, are proud to have awarded $15,000 in funding to help one small town increase broadband internet access in their community. At UNITE: Continuing the Conversation on November 13, the initiative winner was announced. The review process made by members of ICMA’s Smart Communities Advisory Board was challenging, as they had received 16 competitive submissions from communities across the United States sharing their stories on the barriers to—and planned solutions for—broadband internet access.

The Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative and its $15,000 in funding courtesy of ICMA-RC was awarded to the city of Rio Hondo, Texas, and city administrator and ICMA member Ben Medina Jr. Read more about the winner at icma.org/digital-divide-winner.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

ICMA sincerely thanks our sponsors for supporting our mission and making UNITE possible!

Title Sponsor

Conference Sponsors

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 51

INSIGHTS

Is Your Municipality Ready for a Chief Strategy Officer?

It might be time for a gatekeeper for your plans and strategies

BY KEL WANG

How many plans or strategies

does your municipality have? Don’t get me wrong.

They are all necessary. We need a systematic approach in economic development, arts and culture, poverty, and many other issues that are complex and are much needed for the long-term prosperity and vibrancy of the community. So here is the million-dollar question: how can we ensure those plans and strategies are aligned and they collectively build a better community?

Each plan or strategy is effective on its own.

They are specific to issues. But when your municipality has multiple plans or strategies in place, collectively they may have unintended consequences. Oftentimes, their development requires engagement both within and outside the administration, so they unintentionally compete for stakeholders’ attention and time. The implementation or action plans are developed separately from the original plans or strategies, further compounding the problem. Therefore, there is an ongoing need to monitor holistically and resolve conflicting implications and impacts as they can be hidden or unclear when plans or strategies are developed. This is further complicated when they rely on the same pool of funding and must compete for resources. When plans or strategies are approved at different times, those decisions are made in insolation. Over time,

KEL WANG is corporate performance lead, Edmonton, Canada (kel.wang@ edmonton.ca).

52 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

Monster Ztudio/stock.adobe.com

they become competing priorities and unintendedly force decision-makers to make uninformed, siloed, and contradicting decisions.

How can we address these issues? The answer is simple: you need gatekeepers on your plans and strategies.

They may not be a subject matter expert in economic development, in arts and culture, or in eliminating poverty. But they are experts in facilitating a process that develops plans or strategies and oversees them collectively. In the private sector, this role is called chief

• Through enforcing a consistent approach to creating and executing plans and strategies.

• Through bringing a unique lens to shared outcomes that identifies and activates synergies between plans and strategies.

• Through effective communication that influences all levels of the organization.

Change is constant and the need to address change in communities is ongoing. A proactive planning approach that brings an integrated lens to the community, the

A good chief strategy officer is deeply trusted by the CEO, a master of multitasking, an influencer comfortable with communicating effectively at all levels, and a jack of all trades, able to navigate between strategies and operations. strategy officer (CSO), a C-level executive responsible for the company’s strategic planning process, forging synergies across the organization and establishing greater transparency and accountability for those carrying out the company’s strategy.

trends and research, and the organization allows you to manage individual issues well.2 It is important that this approach is applied consistently across issues throughout your organization. As a result those plans or strategies are aligned, collectively building a better community.

Private Sector Context

Conclusion

The role started to emerge in the best-run private sector companies in the early 2000s. Companies started to add CSOs to their management team due to the changes in the business landscape—complex organizational structures, rapid globalization, new regulations, the struggle to innovate—that make it even more difficult for CEOs to be on top of everything.1 According to the study, 84 percent of CSOs were internal hires and on average they had been with their companies for nearly eight years.

A good CSO candidate is deeply trusted by the CEO; a master of multitasking; a jack of all trades, being able to navigate between strategies and operations; a doer, not just a thinker; an influencer, communicating effectively at all levels; and also comfortable with ambiguity. While the role varies in each company, they share similar focuses: engender commitment to strategic plans; drive changes, particularly in the short term; and drive decision-making through all levels of the organization.

Our uptake in strategy has been growing. You rarely see a municipality that doesn’t have a strategic plan or any sort of strategy. So here is the question to you as the manager: are you confident with the way your organization introduces multiple plans or strategies to the council and implements them in the community? A plan or a strategy on its own leads to better community engagement, employee engagement, and prioritization.3 But when you have multiple plans or strategies and they are not in sync, they may lead to over-engagement with the community and within the organization, confusion among stakeholders, or even competing priorities. It has been almost 40 years since strategic planning was introduced to the public sector as an innovation.4 Maybe it is time for us to “borrow” from the private sector again and to adopt the chief strategy officer role. Is your municipality ready for a chief strategy officer?

ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES

“The Chief Strategy Officer,” R. Timothy S. Breene, Paul Nunes, and Walter E. Shill, Harvard Business Review, October 2007.

2 “Proactive Planning: Where Art Meets Science,” K. Wang and M. Sambir, Public Management, February 2020.

3 “Strategic Planning in Edmonton,” K. Wang, Public Management, August 2019.

4 “State Agencies’ Experience with Strategic Planning,” Findings from a National Survey by F. Berry and B. Wechsler, Public Administration Review, March/April 1995.

1

Municipal Context

Similar roles have already emerged in some municipalities. Take the city of Edmonton as an example—the planning, performance, risk, and service improvement functions that are essential to providing oversight and alignment to plans and strategies are under one umbrella, reporting to a senior leader of the organization. This role was once a standing member of the administration’s executive team. The role adds value to plans and strategies in several ways:

I want to thank Vida Ramos for making this article as simple and clear as possible.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 53

ICMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD SPOTLIGHT

From Waste Product to Valuable Resource: The Warrior Project Biogas Facility Dodge City, Kansas—2020 Recipient, Program Excellence Award, Community Sustainability (10,000 to 49,999 Population) The South Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTTP) in Dodge City is a nondischarging facility that treats 5.7 million gallons of wastewater a day and irrigates 3,000 acres of cropland. The plant treats 1.7 billion gallons of water a year—a combination of municipal waste and industrial waste from National Beef Processors.

As part of the treatment, the anaerobic digestion process produces raw biogas at an average rate of 1.6 million cubic feet per day, which, once processed, translates to an equivalent of 3.5 million gallons of gasoline per year.

In the 14 years since the completion of the expansion of the South WWTP, Dodge City staff has been looking for ways to utilize the raw biogas created by the treatment process. From 2006 to 2009, the city had discussions with several potential partners that might reuse the biogas, and again in 2014, the city, along with National Beef Processors, requested proposals for biogas reuse. After negotiations proved unsuccessful, the city decided to manage the project on its own, assuming responsibility for the design and construction of the facility and marketing and sale of the purified biogas.

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The total project cost was $10.75 million, and the funding was made possible through an extension of a current low-interest loan from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The Warrior Project facility began operation in March 2018. It is registered with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) in Europe and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States.

The upgraded biogas from the municipal digesters is sold to KWIK Trip, a convenience store chain in the upper Midwest, and generates Renewable

Identification Numbers (RINs) per EPA rules and regulations under the Renewable Fuel Standard Program. The upgraded biogas from National Beef’s waste stream is sold to OCI Fuels, which converts the gas into methanol and ships it to Europe, where it is used as an automotive fuel additive.

On average, the Warrior Project produces 1,040

MMBTU of purified gas per day (an MMBTU is 1 million British Thermal Units). It projects a net revenue of $5 million annually from the sale of renewable natural gas. The revenue helps the city pay down existing debt, fund deferred maintenance of infrastructure and future capital improvements, and reduce property taxes. In

addition, the Warrior Project serves as a way for Dodge City to use resources in a way that furthers its stewardship of the environment by decreasing greenhouse emissions and reducing dramatic odor.

As public servants, Dodge City leaders were committed to looking after the best interest of their community. In this case, through innovative local govern-

ment efforts, they turned what is considered a waste product into a valuable resource that is environmentally friendly and also generates revenue for the city. The Warrior Project has the potential to be adapted and utilized in other communities, where it can have a positive impact on the environment.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 55

Mariia/stock.adobe.com

LEADERSHIP

Leadership Is Too Often Lacking in Our Profession Introducing a New Series in PM Magazine Our profession has done a marvelous job

EDWARD EVERETT, ICMA-CM, is a consultant and former city manager, Redwood City, California, and a recipient of ICMA’s award for career excellence in 2007 (everetted@ comcast.net).

teaching management skills. Unfortunately, we have not paid enough attention to leadership and, when we do, we often restrict our focus to the “bosses” within an organization. Anyone in any organization can be a leader. Leadership is in no way restricted to bosses and some bosses are not leaders.

Leadership has never been more critical as we now face a triple crisis: financial, COVID-19, and racial justice. During a crisis, people change in one of two ways: Some experience fear and recede into the safety of inaction or the known, while others have the courage to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Use this crisis to lead, regardless of your present position!

Our profession has a well-deserved reputation of being risk adverse with too many city managers

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BY EDWARD EVERETT

afraid of being fired. This fear impacts their ability to be an effective leader. Unfortunately, our profession doesn’t encourage us to talk about our fears—either how our fears have an enormous impact on our mindset and actions, or how to muster the courage to confront our fears.

Leadership requires a certain mindset. Although my title was city manager, my mindset was that my job was as the “city leader.” My job was to lead the organization, the council, and the community. I completely understood and respected the manager-council relationship; however, that never prevented me from trying to lead the organization, the council, and the community without violating that relationship. Our mindset dictates our actions.

Leadership is challenging, soul-fulfilling, and essential to making positive changes in yourself, your organization,

Leadership is a very personal journey. To be a good leader you must be willing to truthfully look at yourself and understand yourself. You can’t lead others until you can honestly lead yourself.

and your community; however, discussions of leadership are often too generalized or oversimplified. Many leadership programs have a narrow and limited focus, with program titles like, “The 10 Most Important Things Leaders Must Do.” Others become a theoretical and boring academic thesis, which are devoid of applicability to the real world.

Leadership is a very personal journey. To be a good leader you must be willing to truthfully look at yourself and understand yourself. You can’t lead others until you can honestly lead yourself. My passion and fascination about leadership has been formed by my: • 35 years in the profession, with 24 years as a city manager.

• Nontraditional research on the topic of leadership.

• Development of a leadership program to train, coach, and mentor young professionals, as well as inmates in the county jail.

This is the introduction to a series of six practical articles about leadership, each with specific action steps you can take to become a leader or significantly improve your leadership skill set. I will cover topics that most of you haven’t encountered in articles about leadership.

Are you courageous enough to be a leader and make the world a bit better?

Overview of the Leadership Articles to Follow:

Session 1: What Is Leadership? Who Are Effective Leaders? Myths about Leadership. We will explore different types of leadership, including leadership with and without organizational authority. We will also bust some leadership myths. What is one of your leadership myths?

Session 2: Leaders Know Themselves Well. Leaders know and can articulate their strengths, weaknesses, and fears. If you don’t know your weaknesses, faults, and the dark side of your personality, you will fail as a leader.

I will recommend some novel and enlightening assessment instruments that will help you more fully know yourself. Do you know how the dark side (which we all have) of your personality affects you?

Session 3: Leadership Is a Series of Paradoxes.

Leadership is an art, not a science, and is riddled with paradoxes. Leaders understand these paradoxes and which ones cause them trouble. Do you know some of the leadership paradoxes and which ones will trip you up? Leaders can modify their behavior without compromising their integrity. Even successful leaders struggle with 20 percent of the most important traits of a leader. How is that possible?

How do they deal with that?

Session 4: Leaders Acknowledge Their Fears with Courage. We all have fears. If you cannot identify your fears, then they will manipulate you in negative ways. All leaders have fears, but they also have the courage to face their fears and act in spite of them. Do you know your fears and which ones paralyze you?

Session 5: Leaders Are Grounded and Passionate.

Great leaders are grounded in values, core principles, integrity, and confidence. All leaders are deeply passionate about a few things. Can you clearly articulate your basic core values/principles? What are you truly passionate about?

Session 6: A Brief Summary and Some Takeaways.

I will discuss some additional suggestions to help you on your leadership journey. I will provide some nonacademic book recommendations that are unique, motivating, and fun to read.

I hope you are intrigued enough to join me on a leadership journey. Great leaders mentor new leaders.

Do you? Please share this article throughout your organization to encourage leadership.

I pledge to coach anyone who wants to be a leader.

Let’s do this and make good trouble.

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 57

CAREER TRACK

“We’ve Always Done It That Way”

Is Over—

WHAT’S NEXT?

Sergey Yarochkin/stock.adobe.com

PART 4: Innovating Your Future

BY PATRICK IBARRA

“Sometimes it’s not how hard you row the boat, it’s how fast the stream is moving” —Warren Buffet This is the fourth in my four-part series in

PATRICK IBARRA and his consulting firm, the Mejorando Group, are passionate about unleashing human potential (patrick@ gettingbetterallthetime.com)

which I focus on the effects from the numerous changes impacting local government and the “we’ve always done it that way” mindset as a relic of the past. Leadership-asusual and government-as-usual is over. Relying on the status quo is not a viable option in a fast-changing world.

You must transition from the status quo to the status go.

Remember, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got and today (and tomorrow) that’s not nearly good enough—not by a longshot! In this edition, I share that innovation is a verb, not a noun, and I focus on the role of leaders and the “how” of innovation.

Government is trying to make progress with the emergency brake on. Important for you to recognize is that in the attempt to make your organization more efficient and predictable, you have pushed out the opportunity for creative thinking and imaginative solutions. The more tightly managed organizations are, the less adaptable they are. The uncomfortable reality for leaders is that innovation requires variability. This is

58 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

the reason I coined the term the “Innovation Paradox” as it concerns local government—be innovative; just make sure it works every time, all the time. In short, a guarantee is expected. The pursuit of innovation is riddled with mistakes and while mistakes are bad, what’s worse is a culture that doesn’t tolerate them. A great way to not make mistakes is by not trying anything new.

If your organization thinks of itself only as a government, it behaves in only one way. But if it begins to think of itself as a community builder, quality of life advocate, and service provider, then it starts to behave differently. And that’s where innovation surfaces because to innovate is to implement change that creates a new dimension of performance. An absence of innovation leads to your services becoming less relevant to consumers, whose needs are always evolving. Local government is in the business of building communities and adding value to peoples’ quality of life; focus less on your functions and more on the benefits and outcomes.

Innovation focuses on creating the future rather than relying on past successes. Innovation matters because

it fosters growth; it excites employees by focusing on what can be; it anticipates customer requests and delights customers with what they did not expect; it responds to disruption with a positive impact; it builds confidence with elected officials and residents by creating intangible value by strengthening your community.

If you want to realize your organization’s and community’s full potential, you need to practice creative thinking. Creativity means new ideas; innovation means that new ideas have impact.

Indeed, innovation is the fuel for renewal and isn’t a game of chance, but one of skill.

An absence of innovation leads to your services becoming less relevant to consumers, whose needs are always evolving.

Local government is in the business of building communities and adding value to peoples’ quality of life; focus less on your functions and more on the benefits/outcomes.

Current Situation

Uncertain times are exactly the moment for innovative solutions, yet they are also exactly when many organizations bury their heads in the sand and adopt a defensive posture. Sometimes leaders think that frequent, abrupt change makes people more flexible. But instead, this makes people turn passive. Why bother working on anything new, or anything that will take time to develop, when the organization could change direction unexpectedly at any moment with no time to

“WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY.”

prepare for it? Ambiguity is exhausting and can direct people to their default of “this is the way we’ve always done it” because it’s most familiar.

Uncertainty makes people anxious. The most familiar path is always the status quo.

Resources are no substitute for resourcefulness. The gap between the knowledge, critical thinking, problemsolving, and creativity needed to survive the challenges and exploit new opportunities and the insistence on doing things as they’ve always been done is referred to as the imagination gap. And to move forward requires imagination: infusing your work with a disciplined capacity to go beyond what you know and conceive is possible. And that starts with a shift in mind-set. Belt-tightening goes only so far—sometimes you have to “change your pants.” You must give yourself permission to imagine a new future and act on it. I contend that curiosity illuminates our imagination, which drives creativity that results in innovation.

Here’s a table to compare and contrast the mindset shift necessary to be fluent in innovation:

“LET’S TRY A DIFFERENT WAY.”

• Event

• Process

• If it’s not broken, it’s fine

• Break lots of things

• Settling for standard answers

• Questioning

• Failure

• Mistake

• Suggestion box

• Traffic in ideas

• Committee

• What’s new, what’s next

• Comfort

• Curiosity

• Conformity

• Creativity

• Predictability

• Progress

• Leaders responsible for new ideas

• Everyone is responsible for new ideas

• Empowerment is a program

• Empowerment is a principle

• Bureaucrats

• Pirates

• Compliance

• Commitment

• Risk averse

• Risk tolerant

• Rules

• Results

• Policies

• Principles

• Best practices

• Next practices DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 59

Innovation is not just an act of putting systems and processes in place to create new things. Innovation is an act of leadership.

It comes down to the behaviors that leaders are modeling (chief example officer) and building in others to shift the organization’s culture. The more that leaders are creating a culture of innovation, the more people are energized and innovating, creating a living ecosystem that builds on itself. Keep in mind that innovation is way more than the sole responsibility of your IT department.

The Role of Leaders

“It is fairly easy to produce heat, but very tough to produce light.” —Jim Lehrer Innovation has always been a primary challenge of leadership.

Today we live in an era of such rapid change and evolution (some might say revolution) that leaders must work constantly to develop the capacity for continuous change and frequent adaptation while ensuring that identity and values remain CONVENTIONAL

constant. They must recognize people’s innate capacity to adapt and create—to innovate. For sure, creative people come in all shapes and sizes and fields.

Leading creative people in this age of diverse work arrangements and digital relationships requires leaders themselves to be thoughtfully innovative. I suggest that periodically you have a virtual meeting to explore the unknown—to pose thoughtful, provocative questions to employees without being focused on the “correct” answer. If you were to host a monthly session on rotating topics, what would the next two topics be? The role of leadership is to unlock the door to release creativity by amplifying peoples’ imagination.

Innovative leaders think differently about the business of continuous improvement and invariably talk about it differently as well. Conversations are the oxygen of priorities, and if organizations truly want to adopt and practice more innovative approaches, they begin by inserting new words into daily discussions and steering people into new ways of thinking. For instance, refer to the following table of typical language in local government and contrast that with a vocabulary to spur innovation: TO SPUR INNOVATION

• Elected officials

• Passion

• Public meeting

• Imagination

• Ordinance

• Pride

• Budget

• Discretion

• Unions

• 100 things 1% better instead of 1 thing 100% better

• Citizens

• Explore

• Compliance

• Innovation

• Report

• Results

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Nothing at all wrong with the conventional vocabulary as it’s an effective shortcut that’s helpful, but it can also be a barrier to the introduction of new ideas. Now, if all of a sudden you start using the language in the “to spur innovation” column, some might say to you, “did you just read an article or “attend training?” In other words, they might be skeptical of your motives so be deliberate, intentional, and purposeful in using those words, just don’t overwhelm your staff with them because they may be ready to wait you out!

The leader behaviors outlined below are crucial to creating and sustaining an environment in which employees are motivated and enabled to innovate.

Inspire Curiosity: Innovation leaders encourage employees to expand their understanding of both internal and external stakeholders: who they are, how they are interdependent, and the unique contexts in which each one operates.

Challenge Current Perspectives: Innovation leaders help employees view problems and opportunities differently and

Keep in mind that innovation has to do with new value, not necessarily new things—and comes in many flavors. For example, there are three types of innovation: • Efficiency focuses on identifying new ideas for improving what already exists. This strategy for efficiency innovations is usually to shorten cycle time, improve quality, or attract new customers.

• Evolutionary focuses on identifying ideas that represent something distinctly new and better. Instead of duplicating what already exists, you and your team must look for new ways to bring value to the customer.

• Revolutionary focuses on radically new and better ideas that don’t operate within the existing structure of the organization and marketplace.

Waiting for serendipity to occur with innovative solutions as the outcome is entirely too random and unreliable—and exceedingly risky in today’s climate. Instead, you must unlock the straitjacket

What limits innovation in established organizations isn’t a lack of resources or a shortage of human creativity, but the absence of pro-innovation processes. envision alternative possibilities. Think about those teachers you had in school who showed an interest in you and your desire to learn more, maybe when you were struggling with a subject, but he or she was patient, kind, empathetic and helped you “think” differently. Remember: while all teachers aren’t leaders, leaders must be teachers.

Create Freedom: Innovation leaders empower experimentation, risk taking, learning from mistakes, and valuing effort over perfection.

Drive Discipline: Innovation leaders help employees identify execution implications early and often and align efforts to ensure successful implementation of innovative solutions.

Leaders who have a high degree of self-awareness realize their behavior that was associated with yesterday’s results may not be the behavior that is needed to achieve tomorrow’s innovation.

Innovation—The “How”

“At Apple, we never invented anything, we just happened to find it.” —Steve Jobs What limits innovation in established organizations isn’t a lack of resources or a shortage of human creativity, but the absence of proinnovation processes. The most innovative organizations are usually the ones that are uncomfortable with the status quo. Innovation cannot survive when individuals believe that everything worthwhile has been done; also known as the “not invented here” syndrome.

To improve the quality of your innovation pipeline, you have to improve the quality of your innovation thinking.

You must do more than think “outside the box.” Rather, you must learn to think in new boxes, which means deliberately creating a range of fresh mental models and methodically exploring them.

and unleash leaders and their employees to engage in real talk about real change and introduce an innovative approach that disrupts the status quo. In fact, I argue that government increases risk by not taking risks or chances.

Your objective is to come up with a new way of examining the problem or situation, something unfamiliar that forces a shift in perspective. Ask yourself these questions and determine where your organization is in relation to being innovative on purpose: • Does my organization have a legitimate and acknowledged mechanism through which employees can dedicate a certain percentage of discretionary time to innovative projects?

• Do we “require” employees to bring a solution when they present a problem? Sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? Revise this unwritten practice immediately because every time an employee encounters a problem, they feel obligated to bring forward a solution. But when they don’t have one, guess what? They don’t bring you the problem. Now, you’re touching velvet!

• Does my organization have formal programs, perhaps organization-wide, for teaching people the principles, skills, and tools of innovation?

• Does top management reserve time for regular meetings where the sole purpose is to discuss the organization’s growth and innovation efforts, reflect on new strategic insights and ideas, track ongoing innovation projects, set priorities, and allocate resources?

• Do we have a significant number of people in the organization who officially work on a full- or part-time basis on innovation activities?

• Would a large percentage of our employees say that innovation is part of their job or role? (You might want to scan job descriptions for your workforce members and find out if innovation is even mentioned).

DECEMBER 2020 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 61

I believe that it is completely possible to increase government’s innovation performance in a remarkable and lasting way, but it can only be done if you are prepared to make innovation a systemic organization-wide capability. Nobody can hope to achieve anything by throwing a light switch and saying, “Okay, beginning Monday morning we’re all going to be a lot more innovative.” Despite the enormous nature of the challenge, building a deep, systemic capability for innovation is now the inescapable imperative for every

• Rename conference rooms in your building to DaVinci, Beatles, Sinatra, and other people from the arts and decorate the room accordingly. It’s more hip (I’m such a boomer) to have a meeting in the Sinatra room than the conference room on the second floor.

• Organize virtual field trips to fascinating places.

• Start a book club, but please don’t require members to provide a PowerPoint presentation covering certain chapters.

That’s a buzzkill.

Innovation is a social activity. One person’s ideas build on another’s. Someone else reframes it through the eyes of the customer. It’s never clean or linear. Innovation is often iterative, so not every idea generated will appear as perfect, polished, and packaged. government and it won’t be realized by over-relying on a series of brainstorming sessions that some of your employees feel are a waste of time, because nothing productive ever comes out those discussions. Innovation isn’t about programs; it’s about principles.

Numerous theories speculate about what makes people and organizations innovative leaders in their fields. One concept nearly every researcher and practitioner studying innovation agrees on is the need for ideas—lots of ideas. In fact, the more ideas, the greater the chances for innovation. The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Whereas effective leaders’ traffic in trust, innovative organizations traffic in ideas.

People often underestimate the influence of the physical environment in the workplace as helping creative thinking.

Factoring in the physical environment along with a healthy workplace culture, here are some proven ways to generate more ideas in your workplace: • Create a virtual idea lounge—an unstructured place for employees to hang out and exchange ideas.

• Provide virtual training/learning opportunities on innovation as the means to developing your employees’ capabilities.

• Bring in guest speakers.

• Attend a webinar.

• Host a group of employees from another jurisdiction and have an open-ended conversation on how they’re handling COVID-19 related operational issues.

• Encourage employees to invest 15 to 20 minutes each day writing down questions that challenge the status quo in your organization, then schedule a conversation to explore what people captured.

Innovation is a social activity. One person’s ideas build on another’s.

Someone else reframes it through the eyes of the customer. It’s never clean or linear. Recognize that innovation is often iterative, so not every idea generated will appear as perfect, polished, and packaged.

Essential to understand is that you’re trying to infuse energy into the idea generation realm. Idea generation isn’t efficient, and it’s not supposed to be. There are no guarantees as you pursue innovative solutions, but I can guarantee you with 100-percent success that nothing will change if you don’t try.

Innovating organizations believe the potential for good ideas is in every corner. This does not mean that every person in their organization is capable of innovation. But it does mean that they are ready to bet that a good idea could come from just about anywhere.

By refusing to anoint the special few, they open themselves to the possibility of innovation from anywhere.

Innovation isn’t about a leader’s ideas; it’s about enabling great ideas to be born and to flourish. The essential role of the leader is to shepherd creativity through to impact.

AYAimages/stock.adobe.com

Closing

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Unfortunately, the future seldom lines up with the organization chart. We can’t make uncertainty disappear. But we can change the way we respond to it. Every uncertainty is a new potential future.

Seen through that lens, uncertainty doesn’t need to be a cause of unease; it can be a sign that it’s time to change. The importance of your future success will depend on your ability to manage your organization with a focus on innovation.

I’ll be authoring additional articles on innovation in 2021. Please email me at patrick@gettingbetterallthetime.com with aspects of innovation you’d like me to explore.

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64 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2020

ICMA’s Career Guides are local government professional toolkits to help you thrive, from finding a position to succeeding as a first-time manager, or how to break into the profession from another field, and preparing the next generation through internships and Fellowships.

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ARE YOU READY TO SERVE ON THE ICMA EXECUTIVE BOARD? Nominations for Regional Vice-Presidents accepted November 3, 2020–January 8, 2021.

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DON’T LET YOUR COMMUNITY BE THE NEXT CYBER ATTACK HEADLINE Protect Your Organization and Residents by Joining the ICMA Cybersecurity Collaborative With new cyber threats emerging every day, ICMA has partnered with the National Association of Counties (NACo) to strengthen local governments’ cybersecurity efforts. The ICMA Cybersecurity Collaborative will provide access to top tier technology security professionals, information, intelligence, best practices, and other resources to help local government leaders prepare for, prevent, and mitigate cybersecurity threats.

Features and Benefits of the Collaborative •

Daily security news and security alert portal.

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Peer-to-peer exchange through community discussion.

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Online training, webinars, and live tech demos.

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Incident Response (IR) Team comprised of the membership pool to help identify, assess, and remediate an incident within 24 hours.

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Direct communication with industry leading chief information security officers (CISOs).

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Security research and report repository.

Leverage industry leading expertise. Improve cybersecurity readiness.

Resource saving collaboration.

Learn more at icma.org/cybersecurity-collaborative.