The lead-up to November’s U.S. federal election and the recent events of July 13 bring into sharp focus the issue of ideological politics and the real challenges that the local government management profession faces in our commitment to political neutrality.

The manager’s very public job is difficult in the best of circumstances. Ratchet up the political dialogue, and it becomes nearly impossible to accomplish even the most fundamental tasks for the organization. The budget, for example, can become a blueprint for those in campaign mode to make political statements that may be inaccurate or incorrect.

Electoral politics, bitter campaigns, the general lack of civility, and social media that feeds this frenzy are but a few examples that impact communities. It is a slog season and local government leaders are to be commended for rising to the occasion time and time again.

My Personal Political Neutrality Journey

I have been public service oriented for as long as I can remember. Shortly after I celebrated my eighteenth birthday, I became an election poll worker in my hometown of Bridgeport, Michigan, USA. My 12-hour day came with a small stipend, and in retrospect, gave me a great appreciation for the workings of democracy at the local level.

It was 23 years ago, in 2001, and the summer before my senior year of undergraduate studies at Michigan State University, that I contemplated my future career path. The September 11 terrorist attacks provided me with clarity in the aftermath. I graduated three months later and moved to work as a legislative assistant for a member of Congress from Michigan on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

I worked for seven years in and around the federal government before I pursued graduate studies in public administration. This experience shaped me: I saw electoral politics first hand, as well as the never-ending, expensive campaigns for public office and how easy it was to vilify those with a different perspective. I became disillusioned with the partisan nature of many things and the lack of civility.

My two years in graduate school in North Carolina were my much-needed salve. When I learned about nonpolitical local government professionals managing an organization, I was intrigued. My MPA professors exposed us to the North Carolina City/County Management Association conference. I graduated from that program amid an economic downturn, and when local governments could hire again, I became an analyst.

I embraced political neutrality as a professional value, then and now. I live in Maryland and have had the designation of “unaffiliated” as a voter for nearly 15 years. The state has a closed primary system, so this means I willingly do not have a right to participate in the process. For me, it is the correct choice; others may choose something different.

I have worked in and around places you could describe as blue, purple, or red with the organizations themselves just as varied with their own cultures. In the four years before my ICMA tenure, I was a town manager in a community with local, nonpartisan elections every two years. The clerk who administered those elections was the manager’s direct report. The town even had one election cycle where the office of mayor was determined by a single vote. (Of course, there was an automatic recount.) It happens!

What does political neutrality look like from a manager’s perspective? There are many things that play in the highlight reel of one’s life. One of my moments is from my time as a manager in setting the tone for the organization. Federal partisan politics in the 2016 election cycle were divisive, and an employee of mine remarked that they had no idea how I voted. I still savor that moment of success in my commitment to political neutrality.

Finding Meaning in the Work

Those newly elected on the governing body may have their issues with how the organization is led. A member’s political activity should never be one of those reasons!

Tenet 7 of the Code of Ethics directs members to “refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in professional administrators” and includes specific examples in guidelines on governing body elections, running for office, elections generally, form of government and other matters needing member assistance, and personal advocacy of issues. Political neutrality keeps managers operating above the fray.

This tenet is a reminder that a member should never be in full-time service to a local government and be an elected official at the same time, even if this elected position is in a different community.

Local elections can bring out the seemingly worst in people. The phrase, “vote for me and I will fire the city manager,” comes to mind. Though this candidate likely needs a majority of governing body members to do so, that manager’s reputation can be damaged all the same and public trust eroded. Another example of this would be if the newly elected council views the manager as part of the former elected leader’s team.

These kinds of negative experiences can shake your faith in humanity to do the right thing. I have been there. My perspective is that these times demand two characteristics: political neutrality and resilience.

We see former elected officials become managers by eschewing partisan politics or permanently retired managers running for elected office. Both situations can be okay with the appropriate consideration and action. Former elected officials who are now managers in service to a local government—whether it is on a full-time, part-time, or interim basis—must follow all 12 tenets of the Code, including Tenet 7 on political activities.

Members who are permanently retired from the profession are required to adhere to Tenet 1 (the commitment to professional management and democracy) and Tenet 3 (honesty and integrity). Former managers and deputies/assistants who want to run for elected office or engage in political activity in the community in which they recently served should refrain from using their former official title, always demonstrate respect for their successor, and be accurate and fair in their presentation of information. ICMA senior advisors should be sure to discuss their plans with their state association president and ICMA before taking any action.

I look to the first version of the Code in 1924 to provide guidance on why this profession is a resilient one: “A City Manager will be known by his works, many of which may outlast him, and regardless of personal popularity or unpopularity, he should not curry favor or temporize but should in a far-sighted way aim to benefit the community of today and of posterity.” This is why managers choose this path among all others and have the tools to weather political storms when needed.

Remember that you are not alone in facing these challenges to political neutrality. ICMA members can contact me for confidential advice or reach out to their regional director or senior advisor for professional and personal support.

JESSICA COWLES is ethics director at ICMA (jcowles@icma.org)