Tim’s Thoughts June 2023
A Quick Year
As we enter into June and the summer season I am reminded of how quickly a year can pass by. Last June, I had the distinct pleasure to begin my tenure as president of this great organization. I would like to thank the Executive committee and the other officers for their steadfast support of both myself and our organization. This past year we had the opportunity to come together at a great winter conference in Harrisonburg. Special thanks again to Richard Douglas and Angela Lawrence for their leadership in putting the conference together. Next week we will again have the opportunity to grow and learn together at our annual summer conference in Virginia Beach. Thanks in advance for the work of India Adams-Jacobs, David Conmy, and Vivian Seay planning an excellent conference that we can all look forward to.
As I look back over the year, I think about the areas on which I wanted to focus our efforts. Two initiatives were at the top of the list: building back our membership numbers and focusing on the next generation through additional outreach with our many colleges and universities. So how did we do?
Since June 2022, we have gained 24 additional members into our organization. While we are not quite back to our pre-covid numbers of 389, we are certainly heading in a positive direction with a current total membership of 358. Thanks to all of you for your continued excitement and encouragement around potential members that has led to this growth in membership.
Our next generation of leaders were also a focus last June. The year began by working with the Wilder School of Public Affairs at VCU to develop a survey focused around training to determine what training opportunities may be needed. Thanks to all of you who took the time to fill this out. The results of the survey have provided the executive board a great baseline for discussion around what is needed going forward. One of the key points made was that 54.6 % of those who responded have more than 20 years’ of service to local government. This is quite concerning as you think about the next generation and the number of positions that will become available over the next ten years. How we go about building the pipeline for these positions is important.
While we have made some strides in increasing the awareness of local governments with our colleges and universities, there is still work to be done. If you have a college or university in your locality, please reach out to establish a relationship and encourage them to consider starting an ICMA student chapter if they have not already done so. Most schools have scores of students finishing their MPA/MPP ready to work for local government and would benefit from inspiration from seasoned local government professionals, a person who can guide them and provide knowledge to jump start their career. In this regard I would encourage you to consider hosting an intern within your office. I recently hosted an intern from James Madison University in my office and the experience was enriching to both the intern and myself. Cal-ICMA also has put together a publication of successful case studies that can be found here Local Governments Preparing the Next Generation: 28 Case Studies | icma.org
While developing the next generation is not a new concept, it is becoming even more important as we continue to head toward a time in which many local government leaders are planning for retirement. It is incumbent upon us to ensure our communities are served in the years to come.
I look forward to being with many of you at our Summer conference next week and I would like to welcome new members,
Natasha Tucker, Assistant Town Manager Of Colonial Beach
Matthew Smolnik, Assistant County Administrator Of New Kent
Elizabeth Mertz-Guinn, Engineering Manager Of York County