What I’d Do Differently . . . Looking back to help managers move forward By Steven Spina Local government professionals do not always have the opportunity for a do-over on the job. Managers learn from their mistakes, often reading about them in print and online websites, and vow to do better next time. An important part of being a professional is to mentor others and to help them avoid the mistakes made by their predecessors. As a retired city manager who now serves as a visiting instructor of public administration, I have looked back at some of the more practical issues that happened during my management career. Here I offer insights to what I learned so others might benefit from my experiences. I also want to include how I could have improved my decision-making processes, as well as my relationship with elected officials. This review involves three major areas: taking the advice of the city or county attorney, dealing with council conflict,
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and managing employee relations. I also offer a brief synopsis of some things I got right while on the job. The Legal Realm City attorneys are an integral part of the local government management team, yet their presence is not often discussed in management seminars or academic literature. I found attorneys I worked with to be helpful for several reasons. First, they are removed from the day-to-day operations of a local government and thus, can be removed from the daily frictions that might occur between managers and elected officials or managers and staff. Also, based on their training, attorneys are often more detached from the emotional aspects of arguments that may surface in a local government. In the legal analysis by an attorney, something is legal or it is not and meets statutory requirements of an ordinance or it does not. A calm head in a heated debate is always welcome, especially when the person offers insight and clear guidance based on facts, not emotion.
SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
