President's Review
by Joe Garritano, Council Member, Wildwood, and MML President
Your Local Government Success This is an exciting time of year when new officials are beginning their tenure in local government after the April elections. If you are one of these new officials, welcome! You are beginning an amazing journey. First, I want to personally thank you for your service. It has been a great honor for me to serve the community of Wildwood, and to serve member cities through the MML Board of Directors. I hope you find that same joy as you navigate your new role. I commend your commitment and the dedication you show by stepping up to lead. You are probably receiving a great deal of advice, but I hope you will indulge me as I share a few items that have stood out to me as the most important tools for successful local government service. 1) Know the resources that are available to you. I want to make sure and mention right up front that the Missouri Municipal League is an invaluable resource to you as a new official. From the One Stop resource library to year-round trainings and publications, MML has a wealth of services to share. You can call them anytime with your questions, and their experienced staff can assist you with everything from animals to zoning. Use their expertise. 2) Become involved. Whether at the local, state or federal level, make sure you are aware of the issues that affect your municipality. MML can also be very helpful here, with weekly Capitol Reports during the state legislative session, and legislative alerts when you need to take a moment to contact your state or federal officials and share your municipality’s needs. Contact MML when you have questions about pending legislation. 3) Take time to get to know elected officials. When I first began serving as a council member, it was so helpful to get to know other elected officials and be able to share challenges or best practices. Call, email or meet up with neighboring officials. Join them at MML’s Elected Officials Training in June, where you will meet hundreds of other local officials. You will learn from your peers and not have to “reinvent the wheel.” 4) Take time to get to know your citizens. This is so important. You want to have your finger on the pulse of your community and the needs of your municipality. There will always be citizens who are more vocal than others, but your job is to gauge the opinion of a broad group to get a bigger picture. Obtain feedback through conversations, surveys, meetings or other ways. 5) Be respectful of differing opinions. We are all very passionate about certain topics – it may be one of the reasons you were elected. However, it is crucial to be respectful to both your fellow officials and your citizens. Spending time reading the news or on social media may make you feel like civility is a lost art, but your professionalism matters and will help you best serve your city. 6) Remember you are part of a team. Whether that team is your municipality or the board you sit on, you do not work alone. It is up to you and the board and citizens to work together. There might need to be compromises made and conversations about options, but successful councils work through differences for the betterment of the community. 7) Continue to learn. There are many opportunities for you to grow in your knowledge, both formal and informal. Consider the Municipal Governance Institute through MML, where you can train to become a Certified Municipal Official. Also, network with peers and understand their challenges. Seek opportunities to dig deeper and better understand the issues local governments face. Thank you for the opportunity to share some of the lessons I have learned as an elected official and through leadership in the Missouri Municipal League. Be sure to contact me, my fellow MML board members or MML staff if we can assist with any questions.
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theReview May/June 2022
