Mester’s Message June 2021
Wow, a year has passed and this is my last newsletter article as VLGMA President. While this has been a challenging year given the pandemic and social justice events it has also given us many opportunities to demonstrate what local government professionals do best… be adaptable, flexible, creative and responsive in serving our communities. I am glad to be exiting the dark tunnel to return into the light but I do not want to just return to pre COVID-19 conditions or exist in the new normal. We need to learn from this past, acknowledge our present and proactively move forward. We are in control. I was reminded of this after re-watching the Disney Pixar movie Brave with the closing statement by the heroine Merida:
“Our fate lives within us; We only have to be brave enough to see it”
The commitment to our profession’s Code of Ethics and Declaration of Ideals gives us the foundation to be successful. Thanks for joining me this past year as we reviewed the tenets and ideals in this monthly article to ensure we achieve our VLGMA vision:
“Supporting local government managers building great communities through inclusion, innovation and leadership.”
Our commitment to professional integrity and community stewardship is certainly underpinned by all the tenets but this month consider specifically these three Code of Ethics tenets:
Tenet 1. We believe professional management is essential to efficient and democratic local government by elected officials.
Tenet 2. Affirm the dignity and worth of local government services and maintain a deep sense of social responsibility as a trusted public servant.*
Tenet 4. Serve the best interests of the people.*
*review associated Guidelines at: https://icma.org/icma-code-ethics
These tenets align to important Declaration of Ideals (adopted in the early 1980s, https://icma.org/declaration-ideals). Of the eleven Ideals three are aligned with the above tenets:
Ideal 4. Seek balance in the policy formation process through the integration of the social, cultural, and physical characteristics of the community.
Ideal 5. Promote a balance between the needs to use and to preserve human, economic, and natural resources.
Ideal 6. Advocate equitable regulation and service delivery, recognizing that needs and expectations for public services may vary throughout the community.
So to close out where I began one year ago for these articles join me in Action by recommitting to the VLGMA framework:
V= leading with our Vision, Values
L= delivering strong community-based and collaborative Leadership
G= insisting on strong Governance equity, equality and ethics in all public safety, public health and public services
M= enhance our Management capabilities within our Council-Manager structure
A= most important we must take Action, in collaboration with our community and elected governing bodies, to change our culture to one of true equity and equality.
Please join me in welcoming in our newest VLGMA members Robert Wood, Town Manager, Town of Rocky Mount and Olivia Hilton, Interim Director of Community Development, Town of Strasburg.
It has been an honor to serve our association and the profession as the 34th President this past year and as this door closes, I know many more doors are opening and our paths will continue to cross. Together we remember that:
“The new dawn blooms as we free it,
For there is always light,
if we’re brave enough to see it
if we’re brave enough to be it.”
[Attribution: Amanda Gorman, Youth Poet Laureate, January 20, 2021]
Looking forward to virtually “seeing” you all, and in-person for some, at the 2021 summer conference as we Reconnect, Refresh, Recharge!
Stay safe, healthy and remain strong, Cindy