A delegation of 21 officials from the Public Sector Reform Commission in Jiangsu Province, China, visited ICMA as part of a two-week executive training program focusing on improvements in local government innovation and performance in the United States. 

Thomas Wieczorek, senior manager of Public Safety Programs, provided an overview of ICMA and local government in the United States. “It was interesting that the Chinese are looking for ‘standards’ and ways to resolve complicated bureaucracy issues.  We explained that bureaucracy does exist in the United States, but each community is allowed to determine different ways to meet its needs within its own political environment.” 

The program, organized by the Maryland China Initiative, University of Maryland, also included workshops on campus and visits to cities and counties in the state. The visitors represented more than a dozen cities and districts in Jiangsu Province. 

According to Judit Deilinger, director of New Initiatives for ICMA International, “It was interesting to learn that there is a government unit within the province that is tasked with restructuring local government and creating/streamlining management processes. This created the opportunity for an interesting dialogue with the group because they were eager to hear about the details of city management in the United States—drilling down to questions such as how street lighting is designed and maintained!” 

In the course of the discussion, facilitated by an interpreter, the visitors noted that they can learn much from U.S. experiences of the past century – how to deal with growth, pollution, population changes, and the accompanying issues. Said Wieczorek, “We, in turn, can learn from their experiences in dealing with these issues as we redevelop communities.” 

ICMA shares the knowledge and expertise of ICMA members and staff with dozens of international visitors each year, providing briefings on form of government, service delivery, government finance, codes of ethics, association management, and other topics.