Plainville, Connecticut, USA
Read more on page 22.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STABILITY
Michael Paulhus Town Manager
February 26-28, 2025 | Denver, Colorado, USA
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April 2-4, 2025 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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in the Face of Political Polarization
Research-based guidelines for addressing controversial sustainability policies
Riley Barlett, with Rob Melnick and Braden Kay
Addressing Language Barriers in Community Engagement
Ensuring your communication efforts reach everyone in your community — no matter their language.
Tricia Thomas
Building
transparency, and community engagement through your social media strategy
Michael T. Paulhus
Acting Ethically Is Easy, Until It Isn’t
How to avoid failing your ethical responsibilities when you have a lot at risk.
BY KEVIN DUGGAN, ICMA-CM
KEVIN DUGGAN, ICMA-CM, is a senior advisor for ICMA; former director, ICMA West Coast Region; and former manager of Mountain View, California (kcduggan@ katesbridge.com).
It’s a fair assumption that most people view themselves as ethical. They believe that they will do the right thing when confronted with an ethical challenge. Unfortunately, it is very common for individuals who believe with great confidence that they would always act ethically to fall victim to an ethical misstep.
This can be for a variety of reasons, including not identifying the ethical implications of a particular circumstance; underestimating the likelihood that we can be confronted with an ethical challenge; and generally becoming complacent and therefore lacking sufficient sensitivity to our vulnerability to making an ethical misstep. In their book, Blind Spots, Max Bazerman and Ann Tenbrunsel reinforce the
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notion that it is common for individuals to overestimate how ethical we are (versus how ethical we think we are) and how we compare to others in regard to their ethical conduct.
However, quite possibly the greatest threat to fulfilling our ethical obligations is when we are put in a position to lose or gain something important to us based on the ethical choices we make. Consider the following. What if:
• One or more councilmembers threaten your job if you don’t take a personnel action they desire.
• You or the organization makes a mistake that will be embarrassing or detrimental if it becomes known.
• One of your department heads, who is a talented and valued contributor, makes a significant ethical misstep that would normally cost someone their job.
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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 13,000 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.
• Doing the right thing in a particular circumstance will cost you a long-term friendship.
• Doing the right thing will ostracize you from a group with whom your relationship is important.
Why is it that many organizational leaders fail in the ethical responsibilities? This can be for a variety of reasons, including as previously noted, not being sensitive to the ethical implications of our decisions and actions. However, one of the most common reasons we fail to do what is right is because we don’t want to deal with the ramifications of doing the right thing.
PRESIDENT
Tanya Ange*
County Administrator Washington County, Oregon
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Michael Land*
City Manager Coppell, Texas
PAST PRESIDENT
Lon Pluckhahn*
City Manager
Vancouver, Washington
VICE PRESIDENTS
International Region
Colin Beheydt
City Manager Bruges, Belgium
Doug Gilchrist
City Manager
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Lungile Dlamini
Chief Executive Officer
Municipal Council of Manzini, Eswatini
Midwest Region
Michael Sable* City Manager Maplewood, Minnesota
Jeffrey Weckbach
Township Administrator Colerain Township, Ohio
Cynthia Steinhauser*
Deputy City Administrator Rochester, Minnesota
Mountain Plains Region
Dave Slezickey*
City Manager The Village, Oklahoma
Pamela Davis
Assistant City Manager Boulder, Colorado
Sereniah Breland City Manager Pflugerville, Texas
Northeast Region
Dennis Enslinger
Deputy City Manager Gaithersburg, Maryland
Steve Bartha*
Town Manager Danvers, Massachusetts
Brandon Ford
Quite possibly the greatest threat to fulfilling our ethical obligations is when we are put in a position to lose or gain something important to us based on the ethical choices we make.
Under such circumstances, it is often easy to rationalize that the issue in question is not really that big a deal and that making a hard decision, taking a difficult action, or confronting someone is not really required of us. Perhaps we convince ourselves that it is someone else’s responsibility. We can overestimate the negative impact of acting while underestimating the potential negative consequences of not taking action. Many organizational leaders have permanently damaged their own reputations and the reputations of their organizations by failing to take action that they perceived would be personally or organizationally embarrassing.
Assistant Township Manager Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Southeast Region
Jorge Gonzalez*
Village Manager Village of Bal Harbour, Florida
Eric Stuckey
City Administrator Franklin, Tennessee
Chelsea Jackson
Deputy City Manager Douglasville, Georgia
West Coast Region
Jessi Bon
City Manager
Mercer Island, Washington
Nat Rojanasathira**
Assistant City Manager Monterey, California
Elisa Cox*
Assistant City Manager
Rancho Cucamonga, California
*ICMA-CM
** ICMA Credentialed Manager Candidate
Acting ICMA CEO/ Ray Baray
Executive Director
Managing Director, Lynne Scott lscott@icma.org
Brand Management, Marketing, and Outreach; Director, Equity & Social Justice and Membership Marketing
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One of the most common reasons we fail to do what is right is because we don’t want to deal with the ramifications of doing the right thing.
A few ideas to help you avoid failing your ethical responsibilities when you have a lot at risk:
Decide in advance where your ethical “lines” are drawn. As noted, it can be difficult in the moment to make the right decision when you have a lot at stake and/or you feel under pressure. If you take the time to consider the types of issues you may face in the future and determine in advance what you are willing or not willing to do when faced with those circumstances, it helps prepare you to make the right decision when confronted with this challenge.
Remain vigilant of potential ethical implications of issues or circumstances you may encounter. Just because you haven’t had to confront an ethical issue previously is no assurance that one isn’t about to emerge. Resist complacency that can come from having avoided an ethical crisis previously. Rid yourself of the notion that only dishonest or clueless people make ethical mistakes. Being humble in our vulnerability will help us avoid overconfidence and making a bad ethical choice.
Appreciate that many fall into an ethical trap without fully comprehending the ethical implications of an issue they are dealing with. Understand that many ethical dilemmas may not be as apparent as we expect. If we think that all ethical issues are clear “black and white” or “good or bad” choices, we can fail to identify the many ethical issues that inhabit the “gray areas.”
Be vigilant of ethical missteps in your organization. Many leaders fail in their ethical obligations not because they personally did something ethically wrong, but through a failure to either identify or appropriately deal with the ethical missteps of others in the organization.
Recognize that accepting minor missteps makes it increasingly easy to accept more serious ethical lapses. Rationalizing away what you might consider to be minor ethical violations can reduce your sensitivity to identifying and appropriately responding to increasingly more serious ethical challenges.
Be prepared to accept the consequences. Understand that suffering undeserved negative personal or professional consequences does not absolve you of failing your ethical obligations—particularly as a leader.
Be sensitive to the potential for exhibiting a sense of entitlement when faced with achieving a beneficial outcome. It is possible to convince yourself that you can take advantage of your position for personal benefit. Some unfortunately convince themselves that they deserve some benefit (not otherwise authorized) based on personal or organizational achievements, uncompensated hours worked, lack of appropriate compensation, etc. Such actions can destroy a career or even put you in legal jeopardy.
Understand that the negative impacts of doing the right thing are quite often less than the negative impacts of not doing the right thing. When confronted with a serious ethical challenge, recognize that doing nothing is in fact a decision for which you are likely to be held accountable.
Enlist the help of others. Take advantage of the perspective of trusted individuals who do not have anything to lose or gain from a particular course of action to help you discern whether your decision-making is being clouded by your perception of how a course of action will impact you.
The true test of our ethical judgement and integrity is not when the issues are clear and have no direct impact on our personal well-being. The true test is living up to our ethical obligations when it is difficult and we have something important to lose or gain based on the decisions we make and the actions we take. Are we willing to stand up and do the right thing when the end result will quite possibly have a negative impact on us?
True ethical leaders do the right thing when it is hard— not just when it is easy.
Calendar of Events
Invest in Your Organization: Bring ICMA’s Training to Your Organization! In-Person and Online Training for Your Team
Bring ICMA’s Certificate and Micro-Certificate programs to your jurisdiction. Offered live online and in-person, we will bring the training to you. Choose from 13 topics. Schedule the perfect training for your team at a time convenient for you.
UPCOMING EVENTS
A Practical Guide to GenAI in Local Government
February 12 | Webinar
Solace Wales Conference 2025 February 13, 2025
Local Government Reimagined Conference
February 26–28 | Denver, Colorado, USA
Athenian Program 25
March 30 - April 4 | Leadership Development Program | Lake City, South Carolina, USA
Leadership ICMA 2025
April 1 | Leadership Development Program | Hybrid
VI World Forum of Local Economic Development
Invest in your organization today! Scan the QR code to learn more. Plan your training for 2025!
April 1–4 | Seville, Spain
Local Government Reimagined Conference
April 2–4 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Gettysburg Leadership Institute 2025
April 9–11 | Leadership Development Program | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Midwest Leadership Institute
April 28–May 2 | Spring 2025 Seminar | Naperville, Illinois, USA
Modernizing Budgeting: A Transformational Shift to Priority-Based Budgeting
May 8–22 | Certificate Program
Economic Mobility and Opportunity Conference
May 21–23 | Baltimore, Maryland, USA
51st CAMA Conference and Annual General Meeting
May 26–28 | Mont Tremblant, Québec, Canada
Gettysburg Leadership Institute 2025
June 11–13 | Leadership Development Program | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Taituarā Annual Conference 2025
September 3–5 | New Zealand
ICMA Annual Conference
October 25–29 | Tampa/ Hillsborough County, Florida, USA
For a full listing of events and details, visit icma.org/events. Shop all courses at learning.icma.org.
Community, Connection, and Unwavering Professional Support
ICMA’s growing membership of local government professionals across the globe is truly what makes the association what it is today.
ICMA’s 14,000-plus members from around the world joined ICMA for various reasons, including networking opportunities, ethics advice, professional development, timely resources and content, stateof-the-art in-person events, and more. ICMA members gain unparalleled value from being a part of this community of local government professionals dedicated to good governance. Hear from two ICMA members about why they are ICMA.
Taylor Lough
Assistant City Manager, Anna, Texas, USA
My journey to local government feels like a Goldilocks story: the federal government was too big, the state government was still too big, but local government was just right. I first joined ICMA while attending graduate school at Indiana University, where I was part of a small cohort interested in local government. Professor Orville Powell (author, city manager, and lifetime member) introduced me to ICMA student membership as a way to explore the profession and potential career paths. After transferring to the University of North Texas, I remained close friends with other ICMA student members, and they continue to be part of my professional network.
Cameron McIntosh Chief Executive, Southland District Council, Southland, New Zealand
Attending my first ICMA conference in Boston as a graduate student was a pivotal experience. The depth of the field and the unwavering support ICMA offers to members at every stage of their careers is both inspiring and energizing. Early in my career, I immersed myself in learning about the various lines of city business. ICMA’s Emerging Leaders Development Program became foundational to my professional growth.
ICMA has provided me with a global network of mentors and peers who have supported and encouraged me. Programs like the High Performance Leadership Academy and Regional Conferences (now known as Local Government Reimagined Conferences)—even one I attended with my three-month-old in tow—have profoundly shaped my development. I’ve applied my experience serving on the San Antonio conference planning committee to my work on the Texas City Management Association’s professional development committee. Today, I am proud to give back through ICMA’s coaching program and the assistants committee. Supporting others as I was supported brings my journey full circle. As a welcome ambassador, I hope new members find the same sense of fulfillment and passion for public service that I have, thanks to ICMA’s enduring impact on my career and life.
Like many others, I came to local government work from the private sector. My experiences in the manufacturing and food business were useful, but the rhythms of local government were unfamiliar and, quite frankly, a bit hard to figure out. My first local government role was in infrastructure and services—the intersection between contractors, council, and the public. Over time, I learned the technical and procedural requirements of operating at a senior level in local government, but I was struggling to connect the specific work to a sense of purpose. I had joined the New Zealand association of local government managers, Taituarā (an ICMA strategic ally), who provided excellent support, and through that membership I got the opportunity to attend the ICMA conference in Milwaukee.
In ICMA I found an organization dedicated to the support and promotion of city managers. The role of city manager is unlike the private sector chief executive or the head of a government department. What I particularly value about being part of ICMA is the Code of Ethics to help navigate the manager/governance interface and the celebration of the public service ethos. Above all else, being part of ICMA is to be part of a global organization that is dedicated to serving our communities, now and into the future.
These ICMA members have found value in an array of different areas and enhanced their careers as a result. It’s members like you that strengthen the fabric of ICMA every day. So, why are you ICMA?
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
2025 ICMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE AWARDS
ICMA recognizes the many achievements of its members to highlight extraordinary accomplishments as well as dedicated service to the profession.
Nominate a colleague who has made a significant difference in your community or to the profession or has implemented an innovative program that addressed a critical community need.
Nominations are open to U.S. and Global peers or programs.
To learn more about the ICMA Local Government Excellence Awards program, visit icma.org/awards.
NOMINATION PERIOD
January 13, 2025–March 10, 2025
icma.org/awards
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
• Advocacy for the Profession
• Career Excellence
• Development of New Talent
• Excellence in Leadership as an Assistant
• Early Career Leadership
• Academic Contributions to the Profession
PROGRAM AWARDS
• Community Equity and Inclusion
• Community Health and Safety
• Community Partnerships
• Community Sustainability
• Strategic Leadership and Governance
True Community Connection
Meaningful community engagement meets people where they are and brings their voices into the heart of decision-making. BY SHANNON DELONG
Tenet 9 of our ICMA Code of Ethics calls for keeping the community informed on local government affairs. As highlighted in the recent series, “Confronting the Local Government Trust Dilemma,” by Rick Davis, ICMA-CM, many local governments face trust deficits that can lead to community conspiracies, turnover, low voter turnout, and general upheaval. Mr. Davis’s series began as I was preparing to write an article for ICMA about the challenges local government leaders face in applying Tenet 9. In an era where transparency tools such as websites, social media, and e-newsletters are often equated with community engagement, it’s vital to recognize the difference between transparency and true community connection.
While a social media following of 30,000 may seem like engagement, true connection requires much more. True connection demands meaningful, ongoing engagement that meets people where they are and brings their voices into the heart of decision-making. Recognizing the difference is the entire point of engagement: creating stronger communities through connection.
Why Engagement Matters
engagement goes further. Beyond obvious outreach— such as online surveys or an announcement in the local paper—we need to ensure that residents see the people behind their government, ask questions, and provide meaningful input. At your last community event, whether a concert in the park, a holiday tree lighting, or a parade, did you and your team have an opportunity to ask residents about park amenities or roadway conditions near the parade route? I have, at times, been hesitant to solicit feedback at events, fearing it might amplify unrealistic expectations. So how do you structure your outreach to avoid these pitfalls? With thoughtful preparation, outreach can transform these moments into opportunities for meaningful dialogue.
Preparing to Engage Your Community
Community engagement fosters thriving, resilient neighborhoods. Engaged residents help shape policies and weigh in on challenging decisions, like regulating short-term rentals or constructing a new park, and then are more likely to trust the outcomes even when they don’t agree with the entirety of the recommendation. Engagement connects residents to the decision-making process, offers policymakers diverse perspectives, and fosters a sense of belonging. Additionally, face-to-face interactions with city staff build trust and dispel perceptions of city hall as an out-of-touch “ivory tower.” Understanding the importance of engagement is the first step, but the next challenge is developing a strategy to meet residents in spaces where they feel comfortable and heard.
Meeting People Where They Are
Effective outreach means meeting residents in their everyday lives and doesn’t rely solely on social media posts, government cable channels, or e-newsletters. While these may suffice for routine projects, meaningful
While a social media following of 30,000 may seem like engagement, true connection requires much more.
What questions could you ask to gather actionable feedback that your agency can realistically implement? If this is your team’s first foray into community engagement, start small. Is there an organized activity or event at a park that you could attend, and ask attendees about something small, like overlays for existing sports courts to accommodate new activities like pickleball and paddle ball? At a street fair, could you show off before and after pictures of the roadway (or a nearby street improvement project) and ask community members about their interest in litter cleanups or community planting projects to help keep the area clean? Consider visuals and tools that are approachable and invite feedback, such as historic photos, open-ended posterboards, or post-it notes for anonymous suggestions.
I was surprised to see a recent community branding kickoff where the consultants encouraged residents to select paint chips and music playlists to help get a feel for the personality of the community. Nothing says togetherness like a room full of strangers unconsciously singing Sweet Caroline under their breath as they wander from station to station. If your outreach venue is more of a traditional, sit-down meeting, you can use various free smartphone apps for instant-polling on options or sentiments.
SHANNON
DELONG is assistant city manager of Whittier, California, USA.
Sustaining Engagement Efforts
Your initial engagement efforts won’t solve community trust issues overnight. Similarly, launching meaningful outreach for a major infrastructure project won’t suddenly change hearts and minds. But regular, incremental engagement helps community members connect with staff and helps keep staff grounded in their original purpose: service to others. It’s a chance for residents to meet city/county staff outside of paying bills or receiving tickets. It builds trust, humanizes city/county employees, and shows that their local government listens to individual needs. Engagement may reveal new supporters and opportunities to enhance the community’s quality of life.
It can be incredibly daunting for a new staff member to address upset park patrons over playground equipment removals, or attending a neighborhood watch group upset over a new property use in the area. Flexing those “listening muscles” is the first part of building trust and communication, though. It’s an opportunity for seasoned staff to lead by example in preparing for tough questions, modeling curiosity about residents’ concerns, and staying objective when different points of view are offered. This reflects a fundamental truth of engagement: people trust when they feel heard and trust is the foundation of collaboration. Send staff (and yourself!) out first to listen to the concerns,
I was surprised to see a recent community branding kickoff where the consultants encouraged residents to select paint chips and music playlists to help get a feel for the personality of the community.
complaints, and sometimes the compliments, and ask more questions to get to the heart of what your residents care about. When people feel they have been heard, they’ll be ready to start listening to options and offer recommendations for our policymakers to consider. While these tools and strategies can help kick-start engagement efforts, the true value lies in making connection and collaboration an ongoing priority.
Engaging with the community in the community—whether in parks, libraries, community events, or even their front yards— can ensure your outreach efforts are both effective and meaningful. These interactions do more than gather input; they offer moments that remind us why we chose to serve in local government: to positively impact lives.
Bonding with residents over an old school cover band at a summer concert or witnessing the joy of kids at a playground opening puts a human face on government. These moments foster trust and reaffirm that our work matters. Community engagement goes beyond policies and projects—it builds relationships and fosters a shared pride in our communities. By making engagement a fundamental part of our work, we not only embody good governance but also empower residents to shape their neighborhoods and transform public service into a shared journey of trust, collaboration, and meaningful impact.
Public Policy and Surveillance Tech
There’s a lot to think about
MARC PFEIFFER, an ICMA Life Member, is a marginally retired New Jersey town administrator and state agency manager. He is currently a senior policy fellow and assistant director at Bloustein Local, a unit of the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University.
(marc.pfeiffer@ rutgers.edu)
BY MARC PFEIFFER (WITH SOME EDITING AND WRITING HELP FROM CLAUDE.AI)
I asked Claude.ai to define surveillance technology. In response, it replied, “devices, systems, or software that are used to monitor, track, and collect information on people, places, or things.”
Municipalities use a wide range of surveillance technologies on a regular basis. How many of the following typical use cases does your agency use?
☐ Body-worn cameras used by law enforcement officials and in some cases, by firefighters, and others.
☐ Security cameras used in public building facilities (offices, garages, parking lots), and outdoor facilities (parks and recreation facilities streets, public events).
☐ Mobile video cameras and GPS (location) trackers mounted in public safety and public works vehicles (and perhaps others). This category includes fixed location and mobile automated license plate readers (ALPRs). They have the ability to identify vehicle owners, roadways, pedestrians, and driving habits along with license plates.
☐ Traffic and right-of-way cameras, including those that may record pedestrians.
☐ Video camera-enabled drones available to police, fire, emergency management, construction code officials, and others, such as recreation departments to record public events (and post them online).
☐ Recordings of phone calls (public safety, 9-1-1 emergency lines, and 3-1-1 information lines).
☐ Use of privately made video recordings in police investigations, from retail locations and residential internet-hosted cameras (e.g., Ring, Nest, etc.).
☐ Multi-purpose “Internet of Things” data collection points. These are sensors mounted in public spaces such as along streets, on traffic lights, in parks, or embedded into infrastructure. They can record vehicle and pedestrian counts, collect environmental data (e.g., air quality, weather, noise levels), supply video, if enabled, and provide public Wi-Fi connections (that can also track cell phone numbers).
☐ AI facial or voice recognition applications that can identify people using biometric visual or auditory cues in live or recorded videos (e.g., 9-1-1 call-taking or automated phone attendants/chatbots.
☐ Use of commercial AI databases to identify people (facial recognition) who may be involved in illegal activity.
☐ Software used to monitor employee work activities (particularly for remote workers).
Knowing how this technology is used in your organization is a form of risk management. There is
significant value in understanding potential issues and risks surrounding them in order to address them effectively. There may also be value in periodically informing elected officials of any issues that may warrant action. This could include an assessment of the public’s perception of their use.
Create a Surveillance Tech Policy and Use Inventory
Take the time to conduct (and then maintain) an inventory of the various sources of surveillance data. It can be useful to know what data is collected, who maintains it, how access is controlled and stored, and the costs involved. Having explainable policies in place when something happens can lower the temperature during what might be a stressful situation.
It will serve you well when the evitable questions pop up about your practices. For example, understanding your use of commercial databases now will prevent distraction later. The same applies to ensuring that law enforcement agencies have written policies covering the use of privately owned video doorbell camera recordings and commercial property surveillance video footage.
The use of AI-driven facial recognition software to identify individuals is particularly challenging. These systems carry the potential for false positives (misidentifying someone in a photo) and can create significant liability and litigation risks. Depending on the circumstances, individual civil rights and constitutional protections need to be respected when these resources are used as part of an investigation.
Your policies should ensure that confirmation practices are used whenever any AI-driven decisions are made, otherwise known as having a “human-in-the-loop.”
Given the tenor of today’s times and your community, there may be value in a public discussion when adopting a new surveillance tech.
Managing Surveillance Data
Review your data storage and management procedures to ensure that your practices are consistent with state laws and policies. When there are discretionary local options, adopt practices that address how data is used, how long it is kept, who has access, and if and how it will be publicly available.
Municipalities should have a sense of the technology’s costs (financial, societal, and reputational) versus its benefits. Financial costs include staff management time and storage fees; they will rise with the volume of data stored. Societal and reputational costs may come into play when
deciding what physical locations warrant surveillance and if the technology is obvious or invisible to those affected by it.
Drone Video-Collected Data
Drones and their multiple capabilities are becoming ubiquitous in government. Absent any state policies about drone data retention, agencies should retain their data based on context and content.
Apply comparable retention rules for surveillance footage or short-term retention rules for incidental videos (e.g., keeping them for 30 days before destroying them). Consider privacy and security issues when releasing drone data through public record requests. Retaining records that exceed retention requirements adds costs and risks that may offset the possibility of future value.
Having explainable policies in place when something happens can lower the temperature during what might be a stressful situation.
Ensure that any video sources, including drone data transmission and data storage methods, are kept secure. Keep critical facility information and sensitive data confidential within the agency and comply with federal laws on storing data outside the United States. Practices are evolving, but governments can consult resources like the CISA drone privacy and data protection guide for assistance.1
In this case, time spent on preparation will be worth the effort when you have an incident that involves these areas, and the public wants immediate answers. Be proactive instead of reactive.
ENDNOTE 1 www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/secure-your-droneprivacy-and-data-protection-guidance
Moving Grand Island Forward
How one community developed a robust economic mobility initiative that provided a framework for connecting multiple threads of activities, linking low-income residents to employment, education, and empowerment
BY STEVE KING, KIMBERLEY SIRK, JUSTIN CHU, AND CELESTE BENITEZ GALICIA
Recognized as the highest-ranking metro area in Nebraska for economic growth, the city of Grand Island stands on the brink of unprecedented prosperity. Major employment sectors such as agriculture, education and healthcare have contributed to the steady population increase. However, Grand Island’s growth trajectory has had disparate impacts on its residents. For the roughly 12.5% of residents living at or below the poverty line, accessing economic and educational opportunities can be difficult. Many of the largest employers are not within walking distance of Grand Island’s areas of highest poverty, and weather extremes and a high dependency on personal vehicles inhibit mobility.
An exploration of poverty in Grand Island reveals a complex interplay of economic, social, demographic, and geographic factors. Over the past decade, the city has experienced significant population growth, especially among the Hispanic community. Hispanic residents currently make up 35% of the population with approximately 21.1% living below the poverty line. Neighborhoods in the northeastern region of the city also experience higher levels of poverty and lower access to quality education and employment opportunities.
opportunity. The basis for those priorities was the result of months of community engagement. This along with a series of grants led to the development of a robust upward mobility initiative that provided a framework for connecting multiple threads of activities, linking low-income residents to employment, education, and empowerment. This work was championed by city administrator Laura McAloon and anchored in the recognition that local governments can play an important role in tackling these issues. Following the adoption of these plans, the city has launched a range of programs and activities aimed at bridging gaps in mobility for residents without personal vehicles and fostering inclusive growth by supporting small businesses, especially those owned by minorities.
McAloon’s connection to her community runs deep. Growing up in Grand Island, she witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by residents, particularly those from low-income or minority backgrounds. This personal connection instilled in her a strong desire to improve the community’s economic prospects. Additionally, her professional experiences outside of Grand Island provided
STEVE KING is a senior program manager at ICMA.
KIMBERLEY SIRK is a senior program manager at ICMA.
JUSTIN CHU is a program manager at the National League of Cities.
CELESTE
BENITEZ GALICIA is an assistant program manager at ICMA.
In 2015, the city was designated as a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Community, allowing it to receive an annual allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for housing and redevelopment in high-need neighborhoods like those in the northeast. With abundant opportunities for residents and businesses alike, the city is poised to capitalize on its growing economic momentum. Today, local leaders continue to identify gaps in services and strategize methods to uplift all Grand Island residents.
Key Strategies in Grand Island
Equitable Access to Transit and Economic Opportunity
In 2023, the Grand Island city council approved two community plans (Transit Master Plan and CDBG Consolidated Plan) that included efforts to ensure residents have equitable access to transportation and economic
Community Profile: Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Population (2020): 53,131
Demographics:
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 57.2%
Black alone: 4.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.1%
Asian alone: 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino: 35.4%
Other: 10.3%
Persons in Poverty: 12.5%
Median Household Income (2019–2023 est.): $62,439
her with a broader understanding of economic development tools and strategies.
Proving the Problem
Understanding the important role data can play in helping to justify investments in public programs, McAloon and her team knew they would need more comprehensive data to effectively convince stakeholders about the need to tackle these challenges. In 2023, staff successfully applied to participate in ICMA’s first Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort 1 Through support from the Gates Foundation, this program seeks to raise awareness among local decision-makers about growing research and newly developed tools that can be leveraged to identify innovative solutions. McAloon, along with members from her coalition, attended an in-person meeting in Washington, D.C., USA, as part of their participation in the ICMA Economic Mobility program where they were exposed to the Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework.2 The Mobility Metrics data presented provided the necessary insights to substantiate the problems and develop targeted solutions.3 As part of participating in the program, Grand Island received a grant of $30,000 to conduct a study on transportation inequities.
Although there had been a series of previous efforts to study transit in the region, the Grand Island Jobs, Education, and Technical Training (G.I. J.E.T.T.) study placed a priority on gathering input from those most impacted by the current car-centric infrastructure, particularly low-income individuals and families without reliable access to personal vehicles.4 The study was available in English and Spanish, ensuring that most residents were able to provide their input.
The study’s key findings reinforced those of previous studies and highlighted the limitations of their existing public transportation options. The study found that nearly 20% of residents were without a personal vehicle, and that 29% of respondents reported having to walk 1-4 miles to commute to work, with 40% having to walk 1-4 miles to commute to school. Additionally, the study found that nearly 70% of residents have commutes of 30 minutes or less by vehicle, but the length of time was double or triple for those commuting by foot. Although public dial-a-ride service is available by booking 24 hours in advance through the city’s public transit program, known as CRANE Transit, the study found that less than 1% of respondents reported using public transportation, but that 60% of respondents reported they would use public transportation if it was available and convenient for them.5
Armed with an additional set of data, Grand Island continues to push for the creation of a limited fixed route or flexible fixed route intercity bus service that would connect residents to employment opportunities in Hastings (26 miles south) and Kearney (42 miles west).
Partnership and Collaboration
Local governments cannot move the needle alone. The city has created an interagency and interdisciplinary team to enhance impact through coordination and co-investment. The team consists of representatives from the city, the city administrator’s office, Grand Island School District, Central Community College, Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, and Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation. While there had been pre-existing partnerships between the participating organizations, this effort was unique given its explicit focus on identifying and reducing economic barriers for historically disadvantaged populations.
Strengthening Small Businesses
The city identified another opportunity to improve the economic mobility of its residents through strengthening their small food business environment. Leveraging rapid grant funds in the Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative through the National League of Cities, the city was able to provide $2,000 in direct assistance for nine entrepreneurs who wanted to grow their food production businesses in the Community Kitchen Pilot Program.6
The fund infusion allowed entrepreneurs to expand their operations through activities such as renting a city-secured shared commercial kitchen space, purchasing supplies, or creating marketing. Many of the materials, such as easy access to an existing local commercial kitchen space that was built for the annual state fair but underutilized by the public at other times, directly resulted from feedback from local business owners. By alleviating some of the typical challenges for local small businesses, the city positioned their food entrepreneurs for success.
As a part of the direct assistance, the entrepreneurs attended four training courses and received expert guidance from Central Community College Entrepreneurship Center staff. The courses helped the entrepreneurs learn more about the nuances of owning and expanding their own small food production businesses. In addition to the courses, the city applied a cohort model to connect the entrepreneurs with peers and mentors who would be able to help provide guidance on typical small food production business
challenges. By combining the education and networking connections, the entrepreneurs were able to immediately kickstart their businesses for future growth.
Opportunities for Local Government Managers
Integrate Cost-Effective and Diverse
Initiatives
Local government decision-makers have a unique vantage point that affords the ability to see the connective tissue among disparate parts that can lead to building a broader coalition for greater impact.
Integrate upward mobility activities into local government plans and strategies. Codifying your intention across various community plans helps to establish a shared and consistent community vision and mission. Local government initiatives have been successful in using these lower-cost strategies to promote upward mobility.
Engage underrepresented communities in designing solutions. Giving voice to audiences who are often underrepresented in most community decision-making processes helps to bring about other critical aspects of upward mobility, such as dignity, belonging, power, and autonomy. The insights gained from G.I. J.E.T.T. helped to contextualize the pronounced impact and limitations of their existing transportation options. Mitigate excessive red tape to unleash community potential. Before proceeding to costly interventions and programs, consider which internal policies, procedures, and fees can be modified to address potential barriers. To mitigate some of the traditionally biggest barriers to receiving financing and resources, Grand Island limited the eligibility requirements of their entrepreneur grant program to just a few essential components: (1) that the entrepreneurs sold their products within city limits, (2) they focused on food manufacturing, and (3) the households made under 200% of the federal poverty line. “We have so many opportunities for economic growth, and for people to take advantage of that, we just need to figure out how to deliver those services to our residents,” explains McAloon. Using research and data tools can help pinpoint areas of focus and provide a way of measuring progress over time. Building a common language can go a long way in establishing common goals and shared narratives. The terms economic mobility and opportunity and upward mobility are relatively new. Although they may not be regularly used as part of common local government nomenclature, they provide a way to articulate a broad range of initiatives intended to improve residents’ quality of life. “We use
the data to make our case for all of our grant applications,” says McAloon. Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp has begun using the data from Opportunity Insights7 and the Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework8 to help inform business recruitment efforts, demonstrating the versatility of these resources. Leveraging your position to raise awareness on upward mobility challenges and opportunities can help to attract private and philanthropic funding to support and expand programs and activities. Pool limited resources with local businesses, schools, and nonprofits to create mutually beneficial programs that support employment and educational access.
Lessons Learned
Speak to both hearts and minds. Barriers faced by residents seeking to improve their economic standing may not be obvious to those with greater access to opportunity. When seeking stakeholder support it is crucial to effectively communicate the benefits for that respective audience. When asked about her approach, “I try to tie it to something that I know they care about,” explained McAloon. “I don’t think we would have been able to tackle these issues if we had not had people willing to change their thinking.”
Don’t let perfection hinder progress. The opportunities to move forward on economic mobility–related issues can be limited. Undeterred by a setback in obtaining state and federal funders for a fixed-route bus system, Grand Island actively pursued viable alternatives such as vanpools, bike/scooter share programs, and multimodal path systems. Furthermore, the increased collaboration between the city and Central Community College also led to the development of a new plumber apprenticeship program to help combat local workforce shortages and rising housing costs. “If we’re going to solve our local problems, we’re not going to be able to look to the state to help us,” says McAloon, “so, we just have to figure out how to solve the problem ourselves.”
ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES
1 https://icma.org/page/icma-economic-mobility-and-opportunity-2023cohort#:~:text=ICMA’s%20Economic%20Mobility%20and%20Opportunity,to%20 fund%20us%20in%202025
2 https://upward-mobility.urban.org/framework
3 https://upward-mobility.urban.org/mobility-metrics
4 https://icma.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/Connecting%20Grand%20Island%20 to%20Jobs%2C%20Education%2C%20and%20Technical%20Training%20Report.pdf
5 https://www.grand-island.com/o/cgi/page/transit-study
6 https://www.nlc.org/post/2024/08/07/national-league-of-cities-award-12-u-s-citieseconomic-mobility-funding/
7 https://opportunityinsights.org/
8 https://upward-mobility.urban.org/framework
Grand Island was a member of the 2023 ICMA EMO cohort program. Information about applying for the 2025 cohort will be available soon at icma.org/local-government-leadership-economic-mobility-opportunity.
Laura McAloon, city administrator
LEADERSHIP BOOKSHELF
You can rely on these ICMA publications to guide and inform your leadership and learning.
Future-Proofing Local Government Essays on Innovation
ICMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT
REIMAGINED INITIATIVE
A collection of essays written by local government practitioners, academics, and industry professionals that inspire readers to consider the future of local government, innovative approaches to common challenges, and impacts on service delivery. 2025.
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Managing Local Government Services: The Challenge of Change (4th Edition)
BY KIMBERLY H. NELSON AND CARL W. STENBERG
This revised edition provides an overview of practices and strategies for effective service delivery in a complex and at times chaotic environment, along with additional resources. 2024.
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Effective Supervisory Practices, (6th Edition)
EDITED BY MICHELLE POCHÉ FLAHERTY
Boost your leadership skills, gain a thorough understanding of your role as a manager/ supervisor, and increase your productivity through quality management and more effective teamwork. (To learn more about ICMA’s companion training series, contact jlamphear@ icma.org.) 2023.
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ICMA is the leading publisher of books, reports, survey research, training materials, and other resources used by local government management professionals, municipal and county associations, and colleges and universities. These and other ICMA print and digital publications and data sets can be purchased at bookstore.icma.org
Tax Increment Financing: A Practical Guide for Analyzing TIF Risks, Benefits, and Outcomes
BY JOHN KOVARI AND JOSEPH E. GROMAKI
This book presents a practical approach to analyzing TIF projects by offering a step-by-step guide alongside real-world case studies that help readers unpack and decipher the complexities of TIF. With your purchase comes several downloadable digital excel files allowing you to use this resource to its fullest potential! 2024 Available in print and digital.
ICMA Member Price: $55.95
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Managing Local Government Services: Cases in Effectiveness (2nd Edition) BY KIMBERLY H. NELSON AND CARL W. STENBERG
Features 27 real-world scenarios tackling today’s most pressing local government issues. Pair it with Managing Local Government Services, The Challenge of Change. 2025. Available in print and digital.
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The Effective Local Government Manager (4th Edition)
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Learn how to navigate dynamic, complex 21st Century forces: helping elected officials provide effective leadership, building a bridge between the community and local government, helping the community design its future, leveraging resources, and promoting quality service delivery. 2023.
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Sustainability in the Face of Political Polarization
Research-based guidelines for addressing controversial sustainability policies
Sustainability. It’s one of the latest buzzwords being thrown around by political leaders in campaigns, activists pushing for a brighter tomorrow, and occasionally, the upset resident at a city council meeting. But what does it actually mean for those working in local government? Why is it so controversial: tree-hugger
BY RILEY BARLETT, WITH ROB MELNICK AND BRADEN KAY
idiocy to those on the right, yet a nonnegotiable to those on the left? How does this ever-growing concept fit into a finite budget already funding the most basic of city/county services, such as police, fire, and transportation? These are the questions local government officials nationwide are asking themselves or soon
will be. After a deep dive into what academics are concluding on the matter and a series of in-depth interviews with city officials and business executives, it becomes abundantly clear that sustainability isn’t going away as a local government matter. However, there are specific strategies that local
government officials interested in implementing sustainability programs can use to make them less political and more appealing to elected officials and the public, regardless of political identity.
Why Is Sustainability so Controversial?
The most accepted definition
of sustainability—“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations Brundtland Commission, 1987)—is not inherently political or controversial. Arguably, all people are interested in protecting and improving the future. Nevertheless, the term “sustainability” has become strongly associated with liberal politics and, therefore, opposed by conservatives. In our current polarized political landscape, this means that policy discussions labeled as “sustainable” immediately become acrimonious and disliked based on the association of this term with a liberal political agenda. While there is research supporting that most Americans are not that divided when it comes to shared values, most Americans value partisan identity more than policy preferences. As such, sustainability policies often fall victim to political polarization and fail to get enacted.
Sustainability Is Multidimensional at the Local Level
Sustainability issues are inherently multifaceted, often requiring simultaneous consideration of environmental, economic, and social factors. At the local level, the dynamics of sustainability issues and initiatives often manifest across municipal departments and budgets. For example, a city or county converting to an electric vehicle fleet from a gas-powered one has implications for air quality, infrastructure, and longterm cost savings. Likewise, local tree and shade plans affect a local government’s water usage, resident equity, and heat
islands. It is imperative that local government officials understand how to move sustainability policies forward in a way that limits political controversy so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the impact of related issues.
Navigating the Political Minefield
Supporting or implementing sustainability policies and programs by city/county officials requires objective data from well-respected sources, especially regarding ways of explaining the vaunted “return on investment.” This helps prevent such initiatives from being associated with a particular political agenda alone. It is especially important for local government officials to use local data, when possible, since national and global data may not resonate well with local residents.
While it may seem obvious that facts and data can minimize polarization, facts have become negotiable and politicized in today’s political climate. As such, local government officials need to employ a variety of strategies to reduce polarization and political stalemates on sustainability programs of importance to community wellbeing, such as public transit, air quality, energy affordability, heat island effects, and many more. Based on extensive research with practitioners, the following strategies are recommended:
1. Emphasize potential cost savings and other co-benefits of sustainability initiatives. In many cases, sustainability initiatives can boil down to simply promoting greater efficiency and being smart
business decisions. For example, policy objectives that encourage renewable energy can be also discussed in terms of their economic development benefit and operational savings. This can encourage those who oppose sustainability based on environmental or social benefits to support the policy anyway.
2. Engage the public.
If the public advocates for sustainability actions, elected officials—who most always want to court favor with voters—may ultimately champion them. As such, local government officials may need to bolster their communication efforts to fully explain the benefits of a proposed or enacted sustainability initiative to garner public support.
3. Use politically neutral language. To prevent sustainability programs from being pigeonholed in one political identity, sustainability issues and initiatives should be framed and discussed in a politically neutral way. For example, “resilience” may be used in place of “sustainability” to appeal to a more politically diverse audience and prevent them from tuning out. Local government officials should thus be strategic in the terms they use to describe sustainability initiatives.
4. Encourage everyone to champion sustainability. Because sustainability is, ultimately, about ensuring a better future, all city and county departments should consider embedding sustainability into their mission. Even if there is a dedicated office of sustainability, policies and initiatives should not be structured in ways that burden
other departments existing work. Rather, they should be crafted with a holistic approach, complementing the ongoing efforts already underway with the help of other departments.
5. Build Bipartisan Relationships.
Sustainability at the local level requires cooperation across departments, budgets, and political identities. To achieve this cooperation, trust is key. Local government officials should look to build trusting relationships with coworkers across the aisle so that there is more potential for objective conversations regarding sustainability. When individuals in government only have relationships with those on the same side of the political aisle, groups become further polarized and the likelihood of sustainability solutions being implemented is substantially reduced. This is by no means an exhaustive list of strategies to help overcome the political polarization that typically accompanies potential sustainability policies and programs. However, the strategies mentioned can aid in getting important sustainability initiatives implemented, despite political connotations associated with sustainability in today’s divisive political arena.
RILEY BARLETT is a former research aide at Arizona State University and is currently participating in NASA’s DEVELOP program.
Coauthors: Rob Melnick of Arizona State University and Braden Kay of the California Governor’s Office.
Proactive Strategies for Addressing Language Barriers in Community Engagement
Ensuring your communication efforts reach everyone in your community — no matter their language.
BY TRICIA THOMAS
Did you know that 22% of U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home?1 This statistic underscores the pressing need for city and county leaders to prioritize inclusivity as a foundation for stable, thriving communities.
In today’s multicultural landscape, ensuring that every resident has access to essential information and services in their preferred language isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a cornerstone of equitable engagement. Consider this: a recent 2024 State of Community
Engagement Report revealed that 33% of Spanish-speaking residents hesitate to request translations, and 28% feel uncomfortable asking for interpreters.2 There are a variety of logistical and cultural factors that underlie this reluctance, ultimately leaving many voices unheard.
Adopting a “don’t make me ask” approach—where multilingual options are integrated seamlessly into every survey, meeting, and communication— can significantly increase engagement. Imagine a public meeting where all attendees, regardless of their native language, have the tools to participate fully. This proactive stance not only builds trust but also ensures more inclusive and representative decision-making.
For local governments striving to create more equitable engagement experiences in 2025 and beyond, prioritizing accessible, low-friction communication strategies is the first step toward success.
Language Access and Culturally Competent Community Engagement
Language access is more than just offering translations—it’s a gateway to fostering trust and inclusion in diverse communities. But creating meaningful engagement requires going a step further, embedding cultural awareness and sensitivity into every aspect of public outreach. When cities and counties adopt culturally competent strategies, they demonstrate a commitment to equity and empower all residents to participate fully.
The 2024 State of Community Engagement Report highlights the importance of this approach:
While 71% of Spanish-speaking residents feel comfortable using online translation tools, many hesitate to request language services—33% avoid asking for translations, and 28% feel uncomfortable seeking interpreters.
These statistics reinforce the need for proactive solutions. By offering translation services and engagement tools without requiring residents to ask, local governments can remove barriers and create a welcoming environment for all.
8 Strategies for Building “Language Access by Default”
1. Standardize Language Access. Make translation options a consistent feature in all communication touchpoints, such as email, websites, and public meetings. This signals that residents’ language needs are respected and anticipated.
2. Tailor Your Communication to Your Community. Understand the cultural and linguistic makeup of your community. Collaborate with community organizations to gain insights and develop outreach methods that resonate.
3. Offer Multilingual Surveys and Materials. Ensure that all communication formats (surveys, newsletters, meeting handouts) are available in the languages your community speaks to encourage broad participation and diverse perspectives.
4. Leverage Technology for Efficiency. Use online translation tools and multilingual community engagement platforms to simplify communication and improve accessibility for non-English speakers.
5. Assess and Adapt Language Needs. Regularly evaluate which languages are most prevalent in your community and prioritize them for translation, ensuring that your outreach remains relevant and effective.
6. Provide Multilingual Communication Across Channels. Ensure that key information—whether it’s surveys, emails, or meeting materials—is consistently available in the languages your residents speak, making it easier for them to participate.
7. Partner with Trusted Local Organizations. Collaborate with local community groups that represent diverse populations to amplify your message and ensure outreach methods are culturally appropriate and relevant.
8. Measure and Adapt Engagement Efforts. Track the success of your language access strategies and adjust
based on feedback and evolving community needs.
By aligning language access with culturally competent engagement, local governments serve residents in a way that reflects the true diversity of their communities.
Real-World Application: Turning Principles into Action
How do these strategies play out in practice? By exploring real-world examples, we can see how proactive language access and culturally competent engagement lead to meaningful improvements in community trust and participation. Let’s take a closer look at how King County, Washington, USA, is bridging gaps and setting new standards for inclusivity.
Case
Study: King County, Washington, USA
King County, Washington, home to more than 2.2 million people, is one of the most diverse regions in the Pacific Northwest. The county includes significant Vietnamese, Cambodian, Samoan, Somali, and Chinese communities, with nearly 30% of residents speaking a language other than English at home.
The Language Accessibility Challenge
Ensuring accessible and inclusive community engagement for this diverse population presents its challenges. However, King County is committed to ensuring that every resident has a voice. To tackle language accessibility head on, the county launched the
Lake Swimming Beaches Survey initiative.
The Lake Swimming Beaches Survey Initiative
The survey sought to understand how often residents visit county lakes and how beach closures— due to water quality—affect their experience. The primary goal was to use the data to improve the county’s Beach Water Testing Project. Using a community engagement platform, King County launched the survey in 10 languages: Amharic, Chinese, English, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. By creating individualized survey segments and unique URLs for each translated version, King County could track participants’ language preferences for future outreach.
Adopting a “don’t make me ask” approach—where multilingual options are integrated seamlessly into every survey, meeting, and communication— can significantly increase engagement.
Outcomes and Benefits
The initiative successfully engaged more than 1,400 residents. The feedback was invaluable in shaping improvements to the Beach Water Testing Project. King County was able to:
• Increase resident reach by offering multilingual online surveys.
• Provide decision-makers with defensible options backed by well-organized meeting recordings and survey responses.
• Develop actionable insights that led to concrete recommendations.
• Save time by segmenting participants based on language needs, ensuring more targeted follow-up and engagement.
Prioritizing Language Accessibility in Community Engagement
Language accessibility is a fundamental part of public engagement that all city and county leaders must prioritize. By adopting proactive strategies and leveraging technology, you can ensure your communication efforts reach everyone in
King County survey translated into Vietnamese
your community—no matter their language. King County’s success with the Lake Swimming Beaches Survey highlights the impact of making engagement accessible for all residents.
As local government leaders, it’s your responsibility to make sure language is not a barrier to participation, but rather a bridge to more inclusive, effective community engagement.
Prioritizing proactive language accessibility fosters trust, strengthens connections, and ensures that diverse voices contribute to the decisions
shaping their communities. When engagement is easy and accessible, it doesn’t just increase participation—it helps stabilize and strengthen the social fabric of the community itself.
ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES
1 https://data.census.gov/table/ ACSST5Y2022.S1601?q=s1601
2 https://publicinput.com/wp/stateof-community-engagement-report/ trend-3/
TRICIA THOMAS is content marketing manager for PublicInput (publicinput.com).
Additional Resources
• Explore the 2024 State of Community Engagement Report to learn more ways you can meet resident expectations for community engagement: publicinput.com/wp/state-ofcommunity-engagement-report/trend-3/
• Learn how the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA, built a strong foundation for engagement among a diverse community: publicinput.com/wp/rancho-cucamongabuilds-citizen-engagement/
• See how Frederick County, Maryland, USA, tailored their communication to increase outreach and engagement within their Spanish-speaking community: publicinput. com/wp/tailored-community-engagementfrederick-county
King County, Washington, USA
DIVE INTO SOCIAL MEDIA
Building trust, transparency, and community engagement through your social media strategy
BY MICHAEL T. PAULHUS
One warm afternoon last spring, I stood at the edge of our town’s pool in a full suit and tie and took the plunge—literally. The dive was part of a video for my weekly “Manager’s Minute,”
a lighthearted social media segment designed to keep residents informed about the fun and exciting things happening in town. When the video was posted to Facebook and Instagram, it made waves, sparking conversations,
shares, and plenty of laughs. More importantly, it helped highlight our new pool season, pool passes, and other recreational programs.
That video wasn’t just about fun; it was about connecting with the
community. It showed that local government leaders can be approachable, creative, and willing to step outside the box. Social media provides an incredible platform to foster those connections and to promote trust, transparency, and meaningful community engagement.
The Power of Social Media for Local Government
In the world of local government, there is nothing more important than
operating with transparency. Local government managers understand that building and maintaining trust with their residents and the business community is crucial to getting anything done. Local government leaders probably don’t see themselves as salespeople, but the reality is that on occasion that is exactly the role they play when it comes to passing a budget, a bond issue, or a charter change. Imagine the power to directly make your case to the public without any barriers—that is
Social media isn’t just about broadcasting information; it’s a dialogue. Platforms allow residents to ask questions, share feedback, and feel heard.
window into the workings of local government. Regular updates about projects, meetings, and decisions can demystify processes and help residents feel informed. Posting content on services you provide is always a winner. Even simple public service announcements are helpful in building positive community relations.
what social media offers. Before the Internet and the evolution of social media, traditional print media and radio ruled the day. In 2025, having an online presence is mission critical.
Social media has transformed the way local governments engage with their communities, but not every community has chosen to embrace the opportunity to develop a presence online. This is a missed opportunity. Think of it this way: there is no longer a barrier between government officials and direct, unfiltered communication with their constituents. Each county, city, or town can become its own media company. Thanks to the Internet, we have electronic communication that is almost instantaneous. Never before could the government communicate as quickly as we can now.
Here is why I think this is important. A recent Gallup survey revealed that trust in traditional media (TV, newspapers, and their dotcom sites) has plummeted to an all-time low. Only 31% of people say they trust these sources. In stark contrast, 67% of people expressed trust in their local government.1 That’s a huge opportunity for
local government agencies to build credibility and community connections. By leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), managers can create meaningful connections, increase transparency, and foster trust with residents. When used effectively, social media becomes a powerful tool for showcasing progress, addressing concerns, and creating a sense of community. To further expand on my point, I will explain the benefits of social media engagement, strategies for creating impactful content, and platform-specific insights to maximize reach and effectiveness.
The Benefits of Social Media Engagement
Many if not all social media platforms offer unparalleled opportunities for local governments to connect with residents in real-time. Some of the key benefits I have experienced working across platforms are enhanced transparency, improved trust, two-way communication, increased engagement, and cost-effectiveness.
Enhanced transparency: Social media provides a
Improved trust: Consistent, honest communication fosters trust. When residents see their concerns acknowledged and their tax dollars at work, confidence in local leadership grows. I suggest moving away from the use of static graphics and use video (with closed captions) whenever possible.
Two-way communication: Social media isn’t just about broadcasting information; it’s a dialogue. Platforms allow residents to ask questions, share feedback, and feel heard. This is perhaps the most underrated opportunity to interact with residents by responding to comments and following up on questions.
Increased engagement: Americans spend more than five hours a day on their mobile phones and 2.5 hours consuming social media.2 By meeting residents where they are—on their phones—local governments can engage a broader demographic, including younger audiences often missed by traditional outreach methods.
Cost-effectiveness:
Social media is free, making it an attractive alternative compared to traditional print media. This ranks at the top as a budget-friendly line item.
Almost every cell phone made in the past two years is going to give you video and sound quality good enough to create content without having to spend money on fancy gadgets. Although you may consider creating a specific role on staff to serve as your social media specialist.
Potential Pitfalls
While social media offers incredible opportunities for local governments to connect with residents, it also presents challenges that require careful management. Handling online criticism with professionalism and transparency fosters trust, while directly addressing misinformation ensures accurate communication and prevents confusion. Additionally, posts on controversial topics should be approached with caution, anticipating potential responses and maintaining respectful dialogue. By proactively managing these pitfalls, local governments can build a trustworthy and effective social media presence that enhances community engagement without compromising credibility.
Strategies for Effective Social Media Use
To build a following and maximize engagement, I found success by focusing on crafting compelling content and fostering active interaction. Often the first question those in local government ask is what do I post? I often hear, “I don’t know where to start.” The outline I follow is simple and incorporates capital improvement projects,
By meeting residents where they are—on their phones—local governments can engage a broader demographic, including younger audiences often missed by traditional outreach methods.
informative and entertaining content, and acknowledging and responding to comments.
Showcase capital improvement projects. Highlighting tangible improvements like school renovations or road paving projects is a surefire way to gain resident support and trust. For example, you could share before-and-after photos of completed projects or post progress updates with images or videos. Video from a drone is sure to capture attention and likely spur comments on the post. If you don’t have a drone, try time-lapse videos to show the transformation over time. I would also suggest including interviews with project managers, workers, or residents who benefit from these improvements. These posts not only demonstrate accountability but also provide a sense of accomplishment for the community. Develop informative, entertaining, and authentic content. Content that is both valuable and relatable performs best on social media. Informative posts might include things like how-to guides for accessing local services or FAQs about public works projects or paying your taxes online. If you can find a way to blend humor with safety
tips, you’re sure to garner views and interaction. For instance, while a severe weather update might need a more serious tone, I suggest incorporating humor into reminders or updates, like those for bulky waste collection.
Lighthearted content adds a human touch. Try memes about local quirks or landmarks. Hopping on a trend or copying other successful memes and posts is a great idea and is great practice for creating better content. Putting together funny behind-the-scenes moments in the office works as well. You can also mix it up and try posts featuring pets or community mascots. Using existing trends or incorporating beloved icons are effective tools to grow your reach.
Balancing serious and entertaining content keeps the audience engaged and helps build a well-rounded online presence. Humor helps to lower barriers, which allows the important message to be heard, such as the story of me jumping into the town pool.
Acknowledge and respond to comments. Responding to comments, both positive and negative, is crucial for building trust. When residents feel their voices are heard, they are
more likely to stay engaged. Residents would rather hear no than not hear from you at all. I have found the best engagement happens when I respond in a timely manner, usually within 24 hours. Responses should be courteous and constructive, even when addressing criticism. You may also notice that certain topics come up frequently in comments, allowing you to reuse previous responses to maintain consistency. Remember: a good practice is to ask follow-up questions and thank residents for their input.
Insights on Major Social Media Platforms
Each social media platform has a unique culture and features with different user demographics. Understanding these differences allows managers to tailor their strategies for maximum impact.
Facebook has a broad user base and demographic appeal, used for event announcements, community discussions, and live streaming. There are also Facebook Groups, which can foster niche communities (e.g., neighborhood watch or parent groups). Live streams are excellent for public meetings or Q&A sessions.
Set a posting schedule or create a content calendar to stay consistent. Use a mix of text, images, and videos.
Instagram skews younger and is popular with users aged 18 to 35. This is a highly visual platform with a focus on high-quality images, Stories, and Reels. Use Stories for quick updates and polls. Reels are good for short, engaging videos showcasing projects or events. I found great success with using Instagram reels to create business spotlights. In these cases, I ask the owner to collaborate with the town to boost reach. Another suggestion that works well are images and videos of behind-the-scenes content and employee recognition and appreciation posts.
TikTok is very popular with Gen Z and Millennials, aged 16 to 30. This platform should not be ignored should it survive its legal hurdles. Its short, engaging, and often entertaining videos have changed the landscape of social media with an algorithm that tracks interest. This shift is what is referred to as the “Tiktokification” of social media. It’s typical to see short form video trends and challenges. Content that is dynamic connects well and allows for creative interaction with other users, but it must be in a casual, authentic tone. It’s okay to loosen up but be certain your content aligns with your town’s values.
X (formerly Twitter) attracts professionals, journalists, and
users aged 25 to 45. Like many, I thought of X as a platform for the press, but it has a role. Full disclosure: it is not a platform I am using for community engagement. However, many communities use X effectively for posting breaking news.
Understanding platforms helps to create strategies for sharing concise updates on community events, announcements, or emergency information. Remember to provide links to longer content like detailed articles, agendas, or project reports for those seeking more information. Other aspects to consider include polls, Q&A sessions, and interactive features (such as stickers on Instagram Stories) to drive engagement and gather public input.
Managing content across platforms does require a level of commitment. Using a playbook of best practices can help manage that effort. I have found several practices that work well, like posting regularly and consistently to stay visible and maintain engagement; using hashtags strategically to increase the reach of posts while keeping them relevant; monitoring comments and mentions, responding promptly to questions, concerns, or feedback.
Metrics and Evaluation
Measuring the success of your social media efforts is essential for continuous improvement. Here are a few key metrics you’ll want to track:
• Engagement rate, which measures the level of interaction through likes, comments, shares, and reactions.
Balancing serious and entertaining content keeps the audience engaged and helps build a well-rounded online presence.
• Follower growth, which indicates whether your audience is expanding over time.
• Reach and impressions, which show how many people have viewed your content.
Regularly review your analytics to understand what works and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Effective social media engagement can significantly enhance the relationship between local governments and the communities they serve. By showcasing transparency, fostering trust, and creating valuable, relatable content, local government leaders can build a loyal following that amplifies their message. Leveraging platform-specific strengths while maintaining a consistent tone ensures that residents not only stay informed but also feel connected to their local leaders. With thoughtful planning and consistent effort, social media becomes more than a tool; it becomes a bridge between government and community. I hope you dive in!
ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES
1 https://news.gallup.com/ poll/651977/americans-trust-mediaremains-trend-low.aspx
2 https://datareportal.com/ reports/digital-2024-deep-divethe-time-we-spend-on-socialmedia#:~:text=Social%20media%20 time%20spent%20in,time%20is%20 %E2%80%9Ca%20lot%E2%80%9D
MICHAEL T. PAULHUS is town manager of Plainville, Connecticut, USA.
From Conflict to Collaboration
A case study in applying nonviolent conflict resolution principles in local government management
BY DAVE TEBO, ICMA-CM (RETIRED)
As we all search for ways to better handle our everyday management responsibilities and challenges, one source of inspiration may come from the principles and practice of Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation (KNV).
Kingian Nonviolence is an approach to conflict resolution that emerged from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s. The curriculum was first codified by Bernard LaFayette, an early follower of Martin Luther King Jr., working with activist David Jehnsen in the 1980s. The term Kingian is representative of a period in history and not just a single individual. The KNV theory and methodology utilizes the foundations of nonviolent and dialectical thinking of Hegel, Gandhi, and Judeo-Christianity, and recognizes the tremendous contribution of a great many civil rights leaders of the time. An introductory article about KNV appeared in the June 2024 issue of PM Magazine. The following case study attempts to illustrate how the KNV principles might be applied in a real situation as one local government board attempts to base a key decision on nonviolence, reflection, and open dialogue.
The Case of the Nonviolent and Reflective Town Board
The TV station trucks were lined up in the town hall parking lot with antennas raised high to ensure good live transmission back to their studios. A press release from the volunteer fire department (VFD) had bloodied the water for the media “sharks.” As the 50 or so VFD members walked over to the town hall from the adjacent fire building, all in dress uniforms, you could see the TV reporters and cameramen drool while collecting the powerful images they were going to present on the 10 o’clock news.
It does not get much juicier than this in local government politics. A volunteer fire department threatening to walk off the job unless the town board reconsiders a hiring decision and chooses “the department candidate” for a new full-time position instead of hiring from outside the VFD. A history of resentment, poor communication, and mistrust has brought the board to this night’s reality: a closed-door negotiation session with 60 people crammed into a steamy room that was built for 45.
The media is not thrilled, but they have been relegated to the lobby, as Wisconsin closedsession statutes allow closing the doors of public meetings for sensitive personnel discussions. Inside the meeting room, the board bristles as VFD officers read their list of demands.
The town chairman and one other board member are former VFD members and not strong supporters of the current situation in the department, or their candidate for the new position. Interestingly both of the department’s harshest critics are out of the country on vacation, so the three remaining board members make up a quorum that must deal with the demands of the firemen. The sense that this walk-out plan may have been hatched while the VFD’s two harshest critics are on vacation, in order to gain an easier board capitulation, only further poisons the proceedings.
It seems the remaining three members of the board are leaning toward disbanding the VFD. They feel the department is being unreasonable in their demands, unfair in their accusations, and using blackmail to try and get what they want. The atmosphere
As we age and mature in our positions and experience, we must hold tight to our original idealism and optimism for building great communities, but be prepared for challenges, failures, conflicts, setbacks, and confrontation — and not give up.
is primed for a quick angry decision to show the VFD who is in charge.
The board has thoroughly researched their options. The acting town chairman has met with the county sheriff, as well as fire chiefs from surrounding communities, to ensure that fire and emergency response coverage will be handled should the board decide not to negotiate. At least two of the board members consider themselves strong financial conservatives, question the need for additional town fire truck purchases, and have discussed the regionalization of fire service based on the recent findings of a blue-ribbon panel. These emergency discussions with area departments have only strengthened some board members’ sense that the town could get along just fine, perhaps even better financially, if the VFD was dissolved and service was provided by a neighboring municipality.
After several heated exchanges and more demands by the VFD, the board retires to an interior office with
the town attorney and town administrator to prepare a response to the demands that have been made. Initial energy is focused on some angry “beating of chests.”
The board members “want blood.” They want to show the VFD, the town, and the entire metropolitan area of more than a quarter of a million people that they cannot be blackmailed, and that they are in control here, not the VFD.
Gradually, a different opinion begins to emerge. One board member speaks eloquently about the tremendous investment and sacrifices that most of the VFD members have made in the community over the past few years. He attempts to understand their insecurities, tensions, and fears and what has brought them to this point. Another board member sees clearly that if they respond in kind, they are likely to increase the cleavage in their broken community. He says as a board they need to be willing to sacrifice their current position in the interest of mutuality with the conviction that a stronger
Ryan Tishkenstock.adobe.com
and better relationship and community can be forged in the future. He goes on to emphasize that some financial savings will be of little significance compared with the loss of volunteer service and loyalty of 50-plus community members.”
With these thoughts in mind, the town board decides to negotiate with the VFD. When the board members return to the meeting room, they clearly explain their deep concerns about how the VFD has handled this situation, yet they express their willingness to hire the department’s candidate
for the full-time position with several conditions.
The town board was willing to appear weak in the present with the hopes of creating a strong and prosperous long-term relationship with the department. In fact, their decision has paid off handsomely. Our community, 20 years after the proposed walk-out, has one of the best and most active volunteer fire departments in the state. The town benefits tremendously, not only from their contribution to the fire service and first responders, but to all
the community events they organize and are involved in.
Public Decision-Making and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolent Resistance
Some readers may recognize my paraphrased language used to describe the town board’s discussion about how to respond to the VFD from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Stride Towards Freedom. One could argue that the board was using nonviolent resistance to what they saw as the “violent” walk-out proposal of the fire
department. King’s basic principles for nonviolent resistance as delineated in his book are worth summarizing:
1. It is important to differentiate between a nonviolent resistance to perceived evil and a do-nothing pacifism. A nonviolent resister is not physically aggressive, but his or her mind and emotions are always actively seeking to persuade the opponent that he or she is wrong. The town board in the example did not just “cave” to the VFD’s
demands. They established a list of requirements to help improve the longterm relationship with the department (quarterly meetings to maintain communication, official study of the VFD to ascertain needs, new chain of command, etc.).
2. A nonviolent resister does not seek to humiliate or defeat an opponent but win friendship and understanding. The hoped-for end is redemption and
reconciliation. The town board could have easily “destroyed” or defunded the VFD, yet they overcame their initial desire for quick revenge, which is so attractive to us when we get into an argument or confrontation.
3. Attacks are pointed at perceived evil actions, not the people who are doing evil. The nonviolent approach helps one analyze the fundamental conditions, policies, and practices of the conflict rather than reacting to one’s opponents or personalities.
4. There is a willingness to accept suffering without striking back. Unearned suffering is redemptive. At the center is the principle of love.
5. The nonviolent resister avoids external violence and internal violence of spirit. In our democratic form of government in the United States, we are lucky that external or lifethreatening violence is not that frequent. Much more frequent is the internal, what I would define as violence of the spirit, when political opponents seek to destroy each other with deception and half-truths or public practitioners respond with little care, respect, or compassion for citizens.
6. Nonviolent resistance is based on the conviction and faith that the universe is on the side of justice. Those who believe this can have great faith in the future and are able to accept suffering without
retaliation. They have faith that this struggle for justice has cosmic companionship, but also faith that the great majority of people in the world are seeking justice.
Of course, those who have read the writings of MLK know his nonviolence emerges from the Christian and Gandhian tradition.
The love expressed to an oppressor or opponent is not necessarily an affectionate love. It is agape love, or love within the human heart seeking redemptive good will. He describes it as overflowing love, purely spontaneous, groundless, and creative. It is not set in motion by any quality in the object or hope for something to be gained. Agape is not weak or passive love but love in action that seeks to preserve community. Agape means recognition that all life is interrelated and all men are brothers.
A public service practitioner may not see any application for King’s nonviolent principles in daily activities, or may disagree with his conclusions about the existence of agape love, but it is hard to argue with many of the practical results of the Civil Rights Movement in America that were guided by this philosophy. This slow but steady success deserves further study by public servants who are seeking strategies to deal with communities in the midst of conflict.
My hope is that the KNV principles and practices will broaden, enrich, and deepen the reservoir of love, faith, optimism, and energy that is available to public servants as they face the
increasing demands of their jobs. I say more power to the practitioners who can add King’s nonviolent principles to his or her toolbox for improving management in the public sector. No matter how chaotic the national political scene may become, we local government managers must realize the importance of our wise and skillful front-line management of this democratic republic. We have a huge impact on how our residents will view, perceive, and trust the role of government.
If we choose to use MLK’s inspiration and story to help us build genuine and authentic communities, it is important to place his first principles in a historical context. Jonathan Eig, in his 2023 biography, King: A Life, by presenting previously sealed government information, as well as new interviews with civil rights leaders, reveals how shockingly difficult it was for MLK to maintain a hopeful vision for creating substantial change in his short life.
It should be understood that the original KNV principles, first appearing in MLK’s book, Strides Towards Freedom (1958), were written by an optimistic and idealistic 27-year-old following the successful bus boycott campaign in Montgomery, Alabama. It is interesting to note that this is the same age many of us end up entering our first professional practice of local government management, likely filled with tremendous hope for building great communities.
Yet, after some very significant legislative and civil rights campaign victories, like passage of the Civil Rights
Act in 1964 and Voting Rights Act in 1965 working closely with President Lyndon Johnson, we tend to forget many of the tragic events of MLK’s life as he tried to live out his first principles before his assassination at the age of 39. The eventual failed relationship with President Johnson because of his anti-war stance, the constant wiretapping and surveillance from the FBI due to their concerns about communist infiltration of the Civil Rights Movement, a failed first assassination attempt that nearly killed him, and the fracturing of the national civil rights coalition over philosophical difference with his nonviolent approach to change, represent only a few of the pressures suppressing MLK’s vision of building “beloved community.”
The big lesson I believe for local government managers, learned from the life and principles of MLK: as we age and mature in our positions and experience, we must hold on tight to our original idealism and optimism for building great communities, but be prepared for challenges, failures, conflicts, setbacks, and confrontation — and not give up. Always remember we have the ability each day to choose how we will respond to our circumstances, whether violently out of anger, pride, and selfish ambition, or nonviolently out of hope, patience, faith, and love.
DAVE TEBO, ICMA-CM (RETIRED) is owner of WI2 Community Consulting, LLC, in Greenville, Wisconsin, USA (dtebo.wi2@gmail.com).
Confronting the Local Government Trust Dilemma, Part 3 Delivering On The Commitment To Build Trust
Through the years, the most common critique I’ve received regarding the creation of any type of plan is the popular assumption that it will inevitably gather dust on a bookshelf and never be seen again. I guess, to some degree, we deserve that, because I have indeed witnessed a lot of money spent on plans that were never heard of or seen again. My intention, as we continue our discussion of communitybased strategic planning, is that your plan is visibly and robustly implemented. However, let’s first continue our discussion about the plan’s strategic directives.
The Plan Taking Shape Strategic Initiatives
Once the strategic planning advisory committee (SPAC) feels comfortable that they have accurately identified the plan’s
BY RICK DAVIS, ICMA-CM
strategic directives, it is time to turn attention to identifying the strategic initiatives. Strategic initiatives assist in bringing the strategic directives to the level of application. They are more focused activities, actions, programs, and ideas designed to address the strategic directives.
Let me put it this way: If strategic directives describe a destination, strategic initiatives represent the instructions or directions that will empower us to arrive at the destination. While there may exist only five to eight directives in a plan, there can be a dozen or more initiatives connected to each directive. Taking the “economic prosperity” directive as an example, a few strategic initiatives associated therewith may look like this:
• Promote entertainment and hospitality development along our waterfront.
• Attract higher-paying technology jobs.
• Inspire higher-end residential development by touting the quality of our school district.
• Position the city as a destination for a corporate headquarters.
• Revisit zoning regulations to encourage more planned unit developments and higher quality developments in general.
• Attract more youth-oriented entertainment options.
Additional Strategic Directives
I want to make the point here that not all these initiatives likely appeared inclusively in the data.
Your SPAC members not only examine the data, but they also exercise their own discretion and intelligence in recommending initiatives they believe would most likely help the community realize the directive. Can you see why I implore great care in who your elected body places on the SPAC?
The SPAC may meanwhile even prescribe strategic directives that did not come from the resident data. I’ll give you an example. In an Arizona community I managed, it was the SPAC that recognized our local government lacked fiscal sustainability. They therefore inserted “fiscal sustainability” into their draft plan and provided a number of corresponding initiatives. At first, the elected body was reluctant to consider that directive in the final plan. The SPAC explained that much of the remainder of the plan depended upon the city’s ability to sustain their role in bringing the plan to fruition.
The council ultimately adopted the plan with the added SPAC directive. In another Texas community I’m familiar with, I know that the SPAC added “operational excellence” to their directives to communicate the need for a well-run municipal government. The key here is that you’ve hopefully assembled a group of very intelligent and reasoned individuals. Allow them the discretion and prerogative to make this plan the very best it can be.
Expected Outcomes
For each set consisting of a strategic directive and strategic initiatives, I also encourage the SPAC to develop a list of
“expected outcomes.” In other words, I want your SPAC to describe what success looks like, feels like, smells like, etc. Tell us how we know when we’ve arrived, when we’ve successfully implemented the plan. These outcomes will allow us to conclude whether our directives, initiatives, and ultimately strategies rendered the desired results.
Using our “economic prosperity” example, here are outcomes that could emerge:
• Increased quality and diversity of shopping, dining, and entertainment.
• Increase in number of small businesses served and launched.
• Increase in commercial property tax revenue from expanded operations.
• Growth in average household income.
• Continued low unemployment.
• Diversified commercial presence across the city.
The Primary Directive
One may wonder what’s going to keep each of these directives, strategies, and outcomes tied together. After all, when the SPAC completes the plan, you will be astonished at its comprehensive nature. You’ll also appreciate at the same time its simplicity and clarity. However, it is still a lot to take in and a lot to keep together for five years. That’s why I’m going to now turn your SPAC’s attention to developing the community’s “primary directive.” It is going to serve as the statement that clearly and succinctly describes the city’s rationale for existing. It represents the highest-level directive, serving as the hub of the plan to which all other strategic directives are attached. In essence, your primary directive serves as that element of the plan that you can point to and say with confidence, “If you understand nothing else about our town, you had better understand this!”
We oddly enough wait until we’ve identified our strategic directives before we tackle the composition of the primary directive. The reason for this is that it is going to be the job of the primary directive to pull all your strategic directives together, and
we don’t know what those are at the beginning of the process. Besides tying your other directives together, the primary directive, as I mentioned, is a crystal-clear statement that declares why your community exists. Again, I encourage my SPACs to consider what they’ve learned from this process and combine this with answers to the three “hedgehog questions” I discussed before. It’s not the easiest task in the world, but it is certainly one of the more rewarding. The SPAC is basically going to develop your community’s purpose statement for the next five years! Here is an example of one:
“Our community is committed to building upon our vibrant economy and unique sense of community by strengthening a more connected citizenry that further embraces people from all backgrounds and invests in their quality of life.”
The SPAC that developed this statement—and it’s an actual primary directive—was able to capture every one of its strategic directives and answer the three questions. The statement leaves no ambiguity as to why their city exists, what they are unitedly seeking to achieve, and how they are proposing to accomplish it.
Finalize and Present the Plan
The digital and physical composition of the plan should follow the same order and pattern described. It is appropriate to begin with some description of the plan’s methodology/process, acknowledge the SPAC members who served so faithfully during the previous nine to 12 months, thank the
residents who contributed to the plan, and of course, tout the virtues and beauty of the community. It is also appropriate to allow the mayor to write an introduction to the plan. Then it’s time to wrap it all up with an attractive cover with a label that leaves no doubt as to what this plan is and whose it is. It is also time to begin putting together the public presentation.
I always encourage the members of the SPAC to share the responsibility of presenting the finished plan to the elected body at a regularly scheduled meeting. The composition
Return
and Report
It is always easier to compose a plan than to implement it. There is an old saying that even the best plans do not survive contact with the enemy. Boiled down to its most basic essence and within the context of strategic planning, it means that plans are meant to accommodate the vagaries of the future. Remember that you are creating a powerful tool for policy makers and policy implementers. The plan is their creature. They are not creatures of the plan.
They not only want their lives to become better through the implementation of the plan; they also want to see the evidence, sense the effort, celebrate successes, and feel the inertia of your community.
I am often asked to explain the difference between what I advocate and the strategic planning methods typically employed by others. That difference lies in three areas:
• How and to what degree residents and stakeholders are integrated into the process itself.
of the plan is such that it facilitates assigning each SPAC member a portion to present.
I meanwhile recognize that there are some who would rather not address the council. However, try to coax as many SPAC members as possible into participating. That kind of team-show declaratively says, “We are united and confident in presenting this community roadmap to our city council, and we trust that they will now exert all due diligence in implementing it.” Finally, it’s important, post-presentation, for the elected body to accept and adopt the strategic plan by resolution. The council does get the final say, and we’re expecting that they will say officially, “This is our city’s road map for the next five years.”
I was once chastised by a developer who insisted that my city’s economic development plan was never going to become a reality. After a moment, when he finally took a breath, I admitted that the plan was ambitious, but then I said, “Our community will be a lot better off and further down the road than if we hadn’t taken the time to plan.” I know of a Texas city that had, at the end of their plan’s five-year life-pan, implemented 85% of their ambitions and initiatives—and boy, was it obvious! I’ll put it this way, if you are successful to that degree, your residents will feel the impacts of your plan in a very real and positive way.
Most cities I’ve worked with have been effective in implementing their plans. If they do fall down during the process, it is often during the return and report phase. It should never occur that your residents first hear of a strategic planning initiative at its launch and then fail to hear anything more about it for five years! Most municipal types I know are great at “doing” and unfortunately fairly inept at “telling.” Our residents deserve to know whatever happened to the plan they helped create.
• How the loop is closed at the end with residents and stakeholders.
• How the plan is ultimately implemented. The stage of the process that I label “return and report” begins with an internal strategy of implementation. After all, if we don’t implement the plan, there’s not a lot to report. Once the committee has finished its work, a beautiful plan is created and presented to the governing body, the lights are turned out at city hall, and everyone goes home. Then what? The next morning you are inevitably going to ask, “Now what are we going to do with this?” The answer is that you’re going to implement the plan, but let’s back up just a bit chronologically.
My hope is that when the plan was presented to the councilmembers, they adopted it in some official manner as the city’s five-year strategic plan. If we’ve done our homework during the process and have broadened the base of participation in the manner we should have, our elected body should take some courage in officially recognizing this plan as the blueprint for their community. This official gesture
is important because, without it, the staff may be left wondering whether they’re expected to place it into action. Also, your committee will appreciate the vote of confidence in their work and the satisfaction of the plan’s acceptance.
Beyond the very public aspect of strategic planning and its official adoption, we want to make sure that your staff has access to this plan. In my cities, I want it on the intranet site, on our website, and in the hands of every department head. My employees have participated in the process as a very important stakeholder group, so many are already aware of the plan and usually feel gratified to see the end product. I make it a point in my one-on-ones with directors to spend some time discussing the initiatives of the plan and possible strategies that will enable us to realize those ambitions.
On the elected side, I use the strategic plan as the backdrop to our annual goal-setting retreat. I can ask elected officials, weeks prior to the retreat, to review the plan and come prepared to discuss ways we can move forward. There’s no “reinventing the wheel” every year. There tends to be a minimal amount of grandstanding or even contention. Having a communitybased strategic plan that the governing body has adopted often turns a full-day retreat into a half-day retreat because much of what used to consume so much discussion was determined by the very people the elected body serves. With such a plan, we know why we’re here and what we need to do. We just need to discuss how we’re going to make it happen in the coming year.
The Implementation Plan
With council feedback in hand following the retreat, I’m ready
to work with my department directors to compose a oneyear implementation plan. This is the document we are going to use to set the stage for most of our budget requests in the upcoming year. The implementation plan looks a lot like the strategic plan in that it provides the directives coupled with the council goals that emerged from the retreat. It’s here that we describe in a much deeper way how we’re going to implement the priorities of the coming year.
Once composed, I submit the implementation plan to the mayor and council. My intention in doing this is two-fold. First, I want them to see their ambitions on paper and get a sense of what they’re attempting to accomplish in the next fiscal year. Second, I need to know whether the plan hits the bullseye, because it is my intention to liberally utilize the implementation plan to compose my budget proposal.
Budgeting
What makes the strategic plan so powerful is that it becomes the basis for many of the city’s budget requests. What’s better is that when we hold budget meetings with the elected body, we need only point to how a particular request is related to their priorities, which are based upon the tenets of the community-based strategic plan. In fact, it has been my practice to require any new requests to carry an annotation indicating connection to a strategic directive. Doing so provides a visible nexus to the strategic plan and the budget itself. Of course, I understand that we must pay for a lot of things every year that aren’t part of the residents’ or elected officials’
priorities. However, you will be amazed how smoothly a budget process runs when the governing body clearly sees how the budget proposal seeks to implement their ambitions, which are in turn based on the residents’ plan.
Reporting
I will admit that the public reporting element of the plan’s implementation has been for me a bit more complicated. I have nevertheless, in the last 15 to 20 years, seen the introduction of several useful tools that automate strategic plan reporting. Remember that the goal is to allow your residents to see the plan in action. While I won’t endorse a specific product, you will want one that is web-based, that can be updated by staff on a somewhat frequent basis, and that is both visually appealing and clear to understand. Many cities/counties refer to these tools as “community scorecards.” I like to describe them as dashboards for your strategic plan.
Include the SPAC
Meanwhile, your SPAC put in a lot of time to help create this plan. It would be a shame if you didn’t incorporate them into the “return and report” phase. My advice is to invite your SPAC members to return on an annual or semi-annual basis to provide their perspectives on the plan’s implementation. This element of reporting reenforces its original credibility as a resident-based plan. Your SPAC chair and/or vice chair can work with the city manager to prepare the appropriate presentation and discussion. This ensures that the SPAC is completely informed about the plan’s status and that the city
manager is not blindsided. All strategic plan reporting to the elected body should be done in concert and cooperation with the city’s administration. After all, they are the implementers of the plan.
A Final Note on Elevating Trust
I encourage you to review these ideas with your mayor, city manager, or anyone interested in elevating trust in your community. I leave you with two critical points that I would never want to obfuscate. First, as I admitted earlier, I didn’t invent the idea of asking residents what they expect from local government and composing a plan to satisfy those expectations. I nevertheless believe that if such a practice had been more a part of our professional DNA, we’d probably enjoy more than a 62% trust level from our residents. Second, community-based strategic planning is not the only way to elevate trust. Trust is the product of trustworthiness (otherwise known as authenticity) and competency. People will trust you if they believe you share their values and have their best interests at heart, plain and simple. Any exercise or endeavor that allows you to genuinely communicate these two characteristics to your residents will empower you to elevate trust with them, and trust drives our local government resource engine.
RICK DAVIS, ICMA-CM, is assistant city manager of League City, Texas, USA. He is the author of Elevating Trust in Local Government: The Power of CommunityBased Strategic Planning. (rick.davis@leaguecitytx.gov)
How Can You SCRAP Crime Proposals that
Are Likely to Fail
?
To reduce crime, you need to avoid strategies that apply common crime fallacies.
BY SHANNON J. LINNING, PhD, TOM CARROLL, ICMA-CM, DANIEL W. GERARD & JOHN E. ECK, PhD
Five Crime Fallacies
City and county managers hear hundreds of proposals for crime reduction. If applied, most of them will fail. Why?
Consider this example. Though hypothetical, it is very similar to actual events coauthor Tom Carroll experienced as a city manager. After a pair of killings outside of a nightclub with a history of shootings in a lower-income neighborhood, residents demand action. The mayor declares gun violence a public health crisis. The city manager demands that their police chief do something about it. The police chief quickly proposes to increase police patrols across the neighborhood. Community leaders exhort the residents to join an upcoming march against violence and form a committee that meets monthly. The police agree to host a community barbecue after the march. Over the next week, police increase enforcement and arrest several young Black men for minor crimes that are unconnected to the shootings. Then, within a few days, things return to normal. Within a short time period, the nightclub has additional shootings.
Why did this response to the killings fail? If you read our previous articles, you know. The decisionmakers applied strategies based on five fallacies about crime. Declaring a public health crisis applies the “solutions to crime are complicated” fallacy.1 The city manager’s instinctive demand for immediate action from the police chief applies the “police can solve all crime problems” fallacy.2 The police chief’s blanket strategy to increase patrols across the neighborhood applies the “crime is widespread” fallacy.3 The community march, committee, and barbecue applies the “residents matter most to reduce crime” fallacy.4 The stepped up police enforcement and arrests applies the “more arrests reduce crime” fallacy.5
What could the city manager have done instead? A problemsolving effort in Anaheim, California, USA, suggests an answer.6,7 For more than 25 years, a nightclub was a thorn in the community’s side. Between 2000 to 2006, the club generated 2,534 calls for police service, an average of 500 calls per year. The nightclub accounted for the most calls for service of any property in the city. These calls included fights, intoxicated patrons, and traffic congestion.
We created a simple tool you can use to identify and overcome crime fallacies: the SCRAP test.
Over time, club-related calls for police service escalated to rapes, drug use and dealing, stabbings, and shootings. Firearms seizures became routine. Nearby businesses complained even more that the nightclub was creating problems on their properties and in the immediate area: noise, vandalism, dining and dashing, drinking in cars in parking lots, speeding, driving under the influence and traffic collisions, fights, and firing weapons. Then in 2006, in two separate incidents, a patron shot and killed another patron near the club.
For years, several fallacies drove the Anaheim Police’s response. They increased police patrols and took a zero-tolerance enforcement approach hoping to arrest more people for crimes, particularly for traffic infractions and drinking and loitering in the parking lot. But this was costly; the police department was spending thousands on overtime. And the police department realized that “while all of these tactics generated large numbers of cites and arrests, most provided only short-term relief.”
The Anaheim Police were fed up with returning to the same place for the same problems; they were merely disrupting opportunities for crime. So, they adopted a strategy that dismantled the opportunities for crime. The police department began an investigation of the owners. They discovered a complex owner network of investors who were committing fraud and illegally profiting from the nightclub. They discovered that the nightclub was operating under the wrong liquor license. And they discovered the club was not following rules set under the business’s dance-hall permit.
The police contacted government and regulatory agencies about the club. The city threatened to revoke the club’s dancehall permit. The state Alcoholic Beverage Control began pursuing a license revocation. Police also contacted agencies about suspected tax fraud and fraudulent bankruptcy filings: the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Attorney and Orange County District Attorney, and State Insurance Department investigators. Foreseeing costly court proceedings, the nightclub owner
If the proposal assumes…
Solutions to crime are complicated.
Crime is widespread.
Residents matter most.
Arrests reduce crime.
Police can solve all crime problems.
Scrap it!
surrendered his business license and dancehall permit. He also sold his liquor license. The nightclub closed in 2006, and the city found new owners to redevelop the property. These actions solved the problem. There was a dramatic decline in calls for service to the former club. Crime that had been radiating8 from the property declined; nearby business owners stopped complaining. And police overtime costs for patrolling the area disappeared. None of this would have occurred had the Anaheim police kept applying strategies based on crime fallacies.
Fallacies contaminate many crime strategies. So, how can you avoid them? Use the SCRAP test: a tool to identify and overcome crime fallacies.
The SCRAP Test
Crime reduction ideas applying these fallacies can come from anyone: local politicians, colleagues, residents, community activists, police, academics, business leaders, state and national legislators, the media, and others. Sometimes their proposals even sound plausible. Therefore, you have two needs: (1) a way to identify proposals that are based on fallacies, and (2) a way to adjust ideas to form effective crime reduction strategies. The SCRAP test, seen in Figure 1, addresses both needs. SCRAP is an acronym made from the first letters of the five fallacies. Here is how it works.
First, take any crime reduction proposal and ask yourself if the proposal applies any of the fallacies in the left (green) column. The more of the fallacies you check, the more likely the proposal will fail. Second, if the proposal applies most of the fallacies, you should “SCRAP” the proposal. Third, if the proposal only applies a fallacy or two, you can consult the right (blue) column. The right column shows how to adjust the proposal so that the strategy is more likely to succeed.
You can also use the SCRAP test to design a crime reduction strategy from scratch. First, use the right column to guide strategy design. Then, use the left column to check your strategy for fallacies.
Instead, ask yourself…
What is the problem?
Does the 80/20 rule apply?
Who is the place manager?
What is the desired outcome?
How can I dismantle opportunities?
Try this!
Figure 1. The SCRAP Test
Now that you’ve seen the SCRAP test, let’s apply it to our hypothetical and Anaheim Police examples.
Fallacy 1: Solutions to Crime Are Complicated. In our hypothetical example, the mayor declared a public health crisis. Declaring a public health crisis sounds decisive, but it doesn’t help unpack the problem. Instead, the mayor should have asked: what is the problem? The Anaheim Police identified their problem: the operations of a single nightclub. Solutions to crime do not need to be complicated if you get to the source of the problem.
Fallacy 2: C rime Is Widespread. In our hypothetical example, the police’s response was to patrol the neighborhood—a blanket approach. Instead, the police chief should have asked: does the 80/20 rule apply? The Anaheim Police applied the 80/20 rule. They focused on a single nightclub, not other nightclubs, the neighborhood, or city.
Fallacy 3: R esidents Matter Most. In our hypothetical example, the community organized a march and formed a committee, and the police hosted a barbecue. Instead, the police and community should have asked: who is the place manager? The Anaheim Police identified the people responsible for creating the crime opportunities: the owners and investors of the nightclub.
Fallacy 4: A rrests Reduce Crime. In our hypothetical example, the police increased enforcement and arrests of people unconnected to the nightclub shootings. Instead, the police should have asked: what is the desired outcome? The Anaheim Police identified their desired outcome: to reduce violent crime and calls for service.
Fallacy 5: Police Can Solve All Crime Problems. In our hypothetical example, the city manager demanded that the police act. Instead, the city manager should have asked: how can we dismantle crime opportunities? The Anaheim Police
prompted investigations by federal, state, and local agencies and redevelopment work by the city. Those agencies had the power to compel the owners to change their business practices and shift the property to productive uses. You cannot shift a property toward productive uses without getting the owners involved.
We’ve used a hypothetical example and a retrospective application of the SCRAP test. How can you apply the SCRAP test in practice?
The Fort Myers Police Department SCRAPs Bad Ideas
In 2016, wanting to reform its police department, the city of Fort Myers, Florida, USA, turned to an outsider, Derrick Diggs, to lead their department. Chief Diggs, along with a group of consultants, including coauthor Dan Gerard, worked to identify major crime concerns in the city. Violent crime was one of its primary concerns. Like every other city, crime in Fort Myers was highly concentrated; 40% of all property crimes occurred in less than one square mile of the city. Like most cities, residents and city officials demanded traditional police responses (arrests, increase patrols, and community-oriented policing) to address the city’s crime.
At the suggestion of Gerard, Chief Diggs incorporated the SCRAP test into the police department’s strategic plan. Internally, the chief used the test to convince command staff officers to think beyond police patrols to reduce crime. The test prompted officers to think about problem-solving with place managers at the few places driving most of the crime. The test also helped identify officers who understood how to put evidence-based strategies into practice. Externally, the chief used the test to facilitate discussions with government officials and the public as to why certain policing strategies are unlikely to reduce crime, despite sounding plausible in theory.
As the police department applied the SCRAP test to more and more problems, they were able to develop targeted anti-crime strategies. Six years after Chief Diggs began, researchers examined how well his department’s efforts worked. Violent crime dropped by
51%: homicides were down 40%, rapes were down 29%, robberies 59%, and aggravated assault by nearly 51%. In addition, property crime declined by over 21%. These declines were despite a nearly 33% increase in population. And during the same period, arrests dropped by 1,037—a 25% decrease.9
Caveats to the SCRAP Test
We recognize that there is a whisker of truth to each of the SCRAP fallacies. First, major societal issues do contribute to crime. But these issues exist at such a large scale that no city or county manager, police chief, or group of residents will solve them. However, problem solving can produce tangible results in a reasonable time.
Second, though a few places experience most of the crime, some crimes are scattered about. Even a place with one call for police service deserves attention from the police. Sometimes people need momentary assistance from the police. But if problems do not recur, there is little need to engage in problem-solving efforts.
City/county managers hear many proposals for crime reduction, but they must weed out the bad ideas and cultivate strategies that can succeed.
Third, residents do matter. However, they matter in ways different from what most assume. Residents can bring problems to the attention of police and local government. They can also impose strong political pressure to compel action from local government. But residents alone can seldom solve crime problems, particularly if the crimes in question are occurring on a property the residents do not own or control.
Fourth, arrests can be a useful tool. They allow the police to remove prolific offenders from the street. But there are few people that this applies to, so arrests should be used sparingly. Arrests are one of many tools to achieve safety; they are not the goal.
Fifth, police can do a great deal. But they are more effective when they partner with the people who have the legal authority to solve problems. Police, for example, can accelerate cooperation from various government organizations to solve problems at high-crime locations. Police can also work to convince place managers to solve problems on their properties.
Last, when high profile events occur, you may need to act quickly. Usually, your immediate response will not be problemsolving. But while taking immediate action, start a problem-solving process that can give your community long-term relief. Band-aids are useful, but eventually you need to actually solve the problem. A strategy inspired by the right column of the SCRAP test is more likely to do this.
SCRAP Bad Ideas
City and county managers hear hundreds of proposals for crime reduction. Since local governments are never over-staffed or over-funded, their managers need to weed out the many bad ideas they encounter and cultivate ideas that can succeed. The SCRAP test provides a quick and effective way to do this.
Other Articles in This Series
Part 1: “Do Solutions to Crime Need to Be Complicated?”: icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/do-solutions-crimeneed-be-complicated
Part 2: “Is Crime Widespread?”: icma.org/articles/pmmagazine/crime-widespread
Part 3: “Do Residents Matter Most in Reducing Crime”: icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/do-residentsmatter-most-reducing-crime
Part 4: “Do More Arrests Reduce Crime?”: icma.org/articles/ pm-magazine/do-more-arrests-reduce-crime
Part 5: “Can the Police Solve All Crime Problems?”: icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/can-police-solve-allcrime-problems
RESOURCES AND ENDNOTES
1 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/do-solutions-crime-need-be-complicated
2 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/can-police-solve-all-crime-problems
3 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/crime-widespread
4 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/do-residents-matter-most-reducing-crime
5 https://icma.org/articles/pm-magazine/do-more-arrests-reduce-crime
6 Anaheim Police Department (2007). The Boogie! A nightclub that defied traditional problem solving efforts. Submission to the Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Police Problem Solving, Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Retrieved from: https:// popcenter.asu.edu/sites/default/files/library/awards/goldstein/2007/07-01(F).pdf
7 Tully, S. (2006, August 10). Club to stay open for now. Orange County Register. Retrieved from: https://www.ocregister.com/2006/08/10/club-to-stay-open-for-now/
8 Linning, S.J., Bowers, K., & Eck, J.E. (2024). Crime radiation theory: the co-production of crime patterns through opportunity creation and exploitation. Crime Science, 13(32). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00234-6
9 Smith, B. (2021, April 12). Fort Myers Police Department says statistics becoming key in the war on crime. Fort Myers News-Press. Retrieved from: https://www.news-press.com/ story/news/local/2021/04/12/fort-myers-police-say-studying-trends-helped-cut-violentcrime-50/7190188002/
SHANNON J. LINNING, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. She researches place-based crime prevention and problem-oriented policing.
TOM CARROLL, ICMA-CM, is city manager of Lexington, Virginia, USA, and a former ICMA research fellow.
DANIEL GERARD is a retired 32-year veteran (police captain) of the Cincinnati Police Department, USA. He currently works as a consultant for police agencies across North America.
JOHN E. ECK, PhD, is an emeritus professor of criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati, USA. For more than 45 years, he has studied police effectiveness and how to prevent crime at high-crime places.
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Humor as a Leadership Skill
It can help foster connection, establish rapport, disarm tension, and boost morale.
BY EMILY COLON, ICMA-CM
At 27, my first role in local government was as a budget analyst. I had transitioned from a prestigious fellowship in the Florida governor’s office to a county budget office—a change I eagerly embraced. I dove straight into budget season, joining an understaffed office that was managing a $1.2 billion budget.
The workload was intense, but I thrived, quickly mastering the tasks at hand. However, at my 90-day review, held at 4:45 p.m. on a Friday, my director and manager gave me feedback that caught me off guard. While they said I had quickly adapted, demonstrated strong research skills, and built great relationships with the departments I served, I needed to address my “perception” (yes, in quotation marks), specifically regarding my tendency to smile and laugh too much. This feedback, which I still have in writing as a fun memento, left me stunned. I’m from the Midwest, where smiling is just part of my cultural makeup. And what did “perception” in quotation marks even mean?
This moment became a pivotal point in my leadership journey. As I often say, you can learn just as much from a leader you don’t admire as you can from one you aspire to emulate. This feedback shaped my perspective and became a defining moment in my development.
Long story short: I went on to lead that budget office shortly after and created stability (and joy) in the team that staffed it. But the major takeaway here is that humor is a leadership skill.
In the world of leadership, particularly in the highpressure arenas of public service, the ability to remain calm, collected, and positive is essential. For women leaders, this often means not only managing complex issues but also navigating expectations, biases, and sometimes even skepticism. One powerful tool that I wield to navigate these challenges is humor. Far from being just a means of
EMILY COLON, ICMA-CM is deputy city manager of Lakeland, Florida, USA.
lightening the mood, humor is a leadership skill that fosters connection, boosts morale, and creates an environment where innovation can thrive. And the research backs this up— positive work environments lead to greater collaboration, higher job satisfaction, and better overall performance.
Personally, I believe humor is a way to humanize my leadership style. When things get tense, cracking a joke can defuse that energy and remind my team that we’re all in this together. It doesn’t undermine my authority—it strengthens our connection. This approach speaks to the broader truth that humor, when used thoughtfully, can be a sign of strength, not weakness.
As a female leader, humor becomes an equalizer. It disarms tensions that might arise from gender biases and can help establish a rapport with teams, stakeholders, or the public. It’s an embodiment of my authentic leadership style that doesn’t require me to conform to traditional, often rigid, leadership expectations.
Humor isn’t just about making people laugh; it’s about making them feel seen, heard, and connected to something larger than themselves. For women leaders, it’s a tool that allows them to defuse tension, break down barriers, and create a positive, productive work environment.
By leading with positivity and using humor, women can turn tough challenges into opportunities for growth, while also inspiring their teams to do the same. In leadership, it turns out, a little laughter can go a long way.
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