LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Regardless of Title or Form,
Professional Local Government Management Works BY MARC A. OTT
The role of the professional manager transcends politics and focuses on getting the job done. Reading the article, “Authority Versus Power,” by Jason Grant, ICMA’s director of advocacy, sparked a memory for me. There was a time in my career when, after serving for several years as city manager and in other roles in council manager jurisdictions, I was offered a city administrator position in a community with a strong mayor form of government. I would be lying if I didn’t say I approached the position with trepidation. From my first experience as an intern in the city manager’s office in Southfield, Michigan, I could see how the work that I was doing affected the everyday lives of people in powerful ways. As I completed 6 | P U B L I C M A N A G E M E N T | M AY 2 0 2 2
Most of us have been faced with situations in our careers that are less than ideal. Those are the times when our profession sustains us.
my education and continued on with my career in local government, I came to understand the differences between the forms of local government and ultimately became a strong advocate for the council-manager form. As a number of studies have demonstrated, councilmanager jurisdictions are less likely to engage in corruption,1 are more creditworthy,2 and are more innovative. So, in some ways, I felt like taking on the role of city administrator in a strong mayor city was like walking into the lion’s den. But this town happened to be the home of my alma mater and I felt a strong connection to it. The mayor was a popular and charismatic man. But I explained to him that I would be doing the job as I had always done it—by applying my professional knowledge and experience to the challenges in front of us. In addition, I explained I
