LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Post-COVID Era Presents Opportunities for Transforming Local Government The possibilities for innovation exist across every aspect of local government operations BY MARC OTT
The topic for this month’s PM is gnarly issues and our
MARC OTT is executive director of ICMA, Washington, D.C.
contributors have done a great job of addressing some of the most “wicked” of these, especially in the wake of a global pandemic. But I thought I would turn that around a bit and focus on what I think of as a kind of rebirth that I am seeing in cities, counties, and towns all over the world. We are reacquainting ourselves with what it means to be alive right now, finally seeing the light shining at the end of this long, dark tunnel of the past 18 months. We are taking a breath and looking at what is new and what has changed— what new opportunities have arisen in sometimes totally unexpected ways. In fact, the theme of this year’s conference in October is “Restart.”
people who perform frontline jobs; jobs that have been historically undervalued. In many cases, we saw that our very survival depended on the dedication of these workers to show up for their shifts. We are finding new ways of treating the people better who occupy these jobs through compensation, benefits, and heartfelt appreciation.
New Ways of Working
Building Back Better
We have found new ways of working together and that indeed we can work together even if we are not physically in the same room or even in the same part of the world. Leveraging new and existing technology has enabled teams to become more agile and collaborative, which led to whole new ways of working. Our staffs have found healthier approaches to the age-old issues of work/life balance that might never have occurred had we not been thrown into the need to quarantine. As local governments head back to a physical office, it has become possible to offer flexible work for many positions, a perk that can better attract the best and brightest to public service. The pandemic has brought a new appreciation for the
In the early days of the COVID crisis, I connected with Richard Florida, renowned author and urbanist, to help advise our members and other local government leaders around the world on how we could plan, in the midst of responding and reacting, for the future. He asked a provocative question: Will we take the opportunity of this period to build better, more inclusive, healthier, and sustainable communities? It is exciting to see how many of you are answering that question and creating new models from the ashes of the old. Here are a few examples: Racial equity and social justice: There has been more energy and focus on racial equity and social justice than ever before. The discussions are far different and on
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