by Karen Pinkos, ICMA president and assistant city manager, El Cerrito, California  

In this week of Thanksgiving, I have so much to be grateful for. Not just for my wonderful family and friends, but for being one of the lucky ones who has found my calling as a local government professional manager. Yes, that’s right. As we go around the table, I will say I’m thankful for my profession! Sure the job is challenging, and we live in the public eye, and it can often seem thankLESS. But we do so much good, and that is what matters most. Having an impact on people’s lives, working to make things better, seeing the real results of all our hard work and dedication…I truly can’t imagine doing anything else. And I am thankful to have all of you, my fellow ICMA members and local government heroes, as my colleagues and friends. We are all in this together, and together we are doing amazing things all over the world.

Representing ICMA at SOLACE

It’s been a busy couple of months since I left the stage in Baltimore to begin my journey as ICMA president. For the first stop on my ICMA Presidential World Tour 2018–19, I was extremely honored to be a delegate at the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) Summit 2018 in lovely Brighton, England. Brighton is on the shore about 90 minutes from London and is a truly beautiful place, perfect for the annual gathering of the best and brightest who work as local government chief executives and senior managers in the UK. ICMA has had a long-standing affiliate association with SOLACE, and I was pleased to meet with Gavin Jones, Essex County Council and chair of the SOLACE board, and Graeme McDonald, director of SOLACE, along with ICMA Europe Managing Director Peter Agh, to discuss our collaboration. We look forward to continuing to work with SOLACE as the two organizations seek ways to work together as we navigate many common issues in local government on both sides of the pond. Find more info about SOLACE here: http://www.solace.org.uk

The outgoing president of SOLACE is Jo Miller, chief executive of Doncaster Council in South Yorkshire. She is truly one of my local government heroes. She is a fierce advocate for local government in the UK and in fact, her opening remarks regarding funding for local government gained enough attention to attract the press. During the last day of the conference, she was interviewed on television by the BBC. You can read her remarks at http://www.solace.org.uk/press/2018-10-23-solace-presidents-welcome-speech-2018. She is also unapologetically vocal about the lack of diversity in local government executives and called on her colleagues to continue to promote women and people of color in the profession in order to create organizations that reflect the communities they serve. Not to mention she is a funny and warm person, and I’m so glad to have been able to connect with her. Thank you, Jo!

“Home” to MMANC

Next, I went to another one of the prettiest places on earth, albeit much closer to home at the Tenaya Lodge in the Yosemite Valley, for the Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC) annual conference. I have been a member of MMANC since I moved to California in 2001, and it is a fantastic group that has been developing local government leaders since 1950. I gave an ICMA update to the attendees, was honored to serve as a coach during the speed coaching session, and participated in the “Brunch with an Executive” where colleagues were able to grill me on various topics. The venue was wonderful, and a shout out to the creative Conference Planning Committee for making the entire event engaging and fun. Learn more about MMANC at https://www.mmanc.org.

#ICMA2019 Nashville

Finally, this past weekend I was pleased to join the ICMA Conference Planning Committee in Nashville as we prepare for #ICMA2019—yes, already! For those of you who aren’t aware, this committee works extremely hard, and the ICMA Annual Conference is a direct result of the effort of dedicated professionals who serve on this committee each year. Our excellent Chair Victor Cardenas led the committee as they vetted all the submitted session ideas, discussed keynotes, developed the professional tracks, toured the convention center area, and committed to being ambassadors for promoting and marketing the event (you have been warned). And, importantly, Nashville is so much fun! There is a ton to do and see, from historic to iconic. The people are wonderful, the music is constant, the food is fabulous, and it will be an outstanding venue for our conference. (Be sure to check my Twitter feed at @kepinkos for my presidential challenge to eat the highest heat level of the famous Nashville Hot Chicken.) You are all really going to want to be in Music City in October because without a doubt, it will be the #BestConferenceEver. Thanks so much to the entire committee and, of course, the ICMA staff for all of their hard work up to this point and going forward.

Next week I head back to my hometown roots as the ICMA Executive Board has its quarterly meeting in Detroit, Michigan. Tune in next time as I’ll report on the meeting and our activities.  In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kepinkos. I hope you all have a peaceful and warm Thanksgiving full of food, football, and gratitude. Thank you all for all you do!