Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the "turn of the century" for professional managers and the kick off of ICMA’s 100th Anniversary Celebration!

There’s a certain pride that comes from belonging to an established profession that is rich in heritage. For 100 years city, town, and county managers have built communities that have improved residents’ quality of life and ultimately changed the character of our countries.

Each of us can look at a photo of our community taken 100 years ago and see what our predecessors have built along with their elected governing bodies and staff. Whether you see unpaved streets or an open field where a city or town will one day be built, it puts our profession’s contribution into perspective.

We will continue to build our communities over the next 100 years. We will work with our elected officials and residents to improve the quality of life in our cities, counties, and towns.

The value each of us places on local government and a career in public service will not change. But as I said in my remarks at the ICMA Annual Conference in Boston in September 2013, our profession is undergoing some fundamental changes.

As Jim Collins said at the 2012 conference, and Daniel Pink reinforced last fall, the relationship between professional local government managers and staff is evolving. Our staff look to us to understand the value proposition of their work. Our job is to seek their perspectives and encourage innovation. We facilitate their work and remove barriers. Our job is to set the tone and inspire.

The skill set that managers need to be effective is changing, which means that ICMA is more important to us as professionals than ever. I hope that together we can expand and refine our skills as leaders.

This is a pivotal moment for management professionals, as much as an occasion for us to celebrate the past 100 years. It’s a time for us to join together and celebrate what we have achieved for our communities and our profession.

Happy anniversary to you all!

Sincerely,

Simon Farbrother
100th ICMA President
City Manager, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada