TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
Civic Unrest Kurt Wilson, Local government advocate, researcher, and educator
2 Addressing Racial, Structural, and Systemic Inequities Siri Russell, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Albemarle County, Virginia 3
Economic Restoration Sheryl D. Bailey, PhD, Visiting Professor of Practice, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech
4
The Future of Work Paul Martin, City Manager (Chief Executive), London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond
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Leading Through Disruption Tanisha R. Briley, City Manager, Gaithersburg, Maryland
8 Strength to Power Through the Unprecedented: A Poem in Tribute to 2020 and Beyond Renée N. Wilson, MPA, Grants and Governmental Affairs Manager, Miami Lakes, Florida
6 Police Governance and Service Delivery Division Chief George A. Perez, Miami-Dade Police Department
Threats and Emergencies Jay Gonzalez, PhD, Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration, Golden Gate University
INTRODUCTION Before 2020 began, we asked ourselves, “What will the year ahead look like?” Our predictions certainly didn’t match the outcomes. As Executive Director Marc Ott said in the 2020 ICMA Annual Report, “This year defies the boundaries of the traditional.” So how do we plan for the year ahead after a year like no other? We’ve asked seven local government experts for insight into the challenges of 2020, how best to adapt in 2021, and how to find opportunity among uncertainty. Seemingly a central theme of this past year has been “leading through disruption.” Tanisha Briley remarks in her piece, “It has been exhausting to manage the manic cadence of decision-making with life and livelihood consequences for the communities we serve while balancing day-to-day operations, fiscal distress, issues of inequity, and planning for a post-pandemic future.” Of utmost importance is the continuing need to address racial, structural, and systemic inequities—and the resulting civic unrest—in our communities. “The unrest of 2020 showed that even the most well-managed organizations don’t always get to set the agenda.” Kurt Wilson discusses this and more. Siri Russell contends that “local government has an opportunity to make promoting equity in our communities more than a moment. We can make it the new normal.” Along those same lines, when it comes to local government management of threats and emergencies, Jay Gonzalez says, “We need to recognize that the most severely impacted residents are those from marginalized populations. We cannot just read and think about them. We must walk our talk.” Given the concerns facing police governance and service delivery, Division Chief George A. Perez says that “these challenges are not insurmountable, but rather solid opportunities for current and future police and government leaders to embrace.” And as these concerns have changed the way we do business—as an organization and as individuals—we’re exploring the future of work itself. While many have been working from home, “the pandemic has generated a reinvigorated sense of neighborhood and community,” says Paul Martin. “Local government must harness that passion for place, even as we revive our damaged economies.” Economic restoration is now top of mind as we begin to rebuild. Sheryl D. Bailey discusses “the pandemic’s significantly uneven impacts and the accelerated transformations in business operations and consumer behavior.” While the challenges and uncertainties of 2020 still persist, we can go into 2021 resilient and strengthened by our resolve to lead our communities into a better tomorrow. We’re all in this together. Executive Director Marc Ott said it best in his opening remarks of ICMA’s UNITE digital event in September: “As with all of the challenges we face, we can accelerate progress by learning from each other.”
i | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JANUARY 2021 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
