Robert W. Jean
City Manager
University Place, Washington
Y-ICMA? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." What was it about President Kennedy's words that spoke to so many of us some 40 years ago?
I remember looking around the room in the Kennedy Library during the ICMA conference in Boston, following a video of President Kennedy asking this question, and there was not a dry eye in the room. What drew us to public service? And what will draw the next generation into our profession? Truly, it is not about the getting but the giving.
This year, I was speaking with a neighboring city manager whom I first met on the ICMA Public Policy Committee many years ago, and I was asking him to sign a new membership application for another city manager whom we both knew. He said he'd be glad to, but he wasn't an ICMA member any longer. I asked why. Long story short, he basically felt that he wasn't getting much from his ICMA membership anymore. I didn't have an answer to "Why ICMA?" because this is a personal decision.
My ICMA Experiences
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my own reasons for being an ICMA member have changed over the years. It was at an ICMA conference in Seattle in 1974, when I was a young budget analyst researching a project, that I first learned about ICMA. That's where I met Al Locke, then city manager of Kirkland, Washington, and an ICMA vice president. It was Al who introduced me to the Puget Sound managers' group and got me thinking about a career in city management specifically, not just in government in general. Al Locke has remained a valued friend and mentor.
Early in my career, it was ICMA as a technical resource that benefited me most. In Troutdale, Oregon, I was the city's first administrator while in my first management position. The ICMA Green Books were my constant references, on topics ranging from building salary plans to capital budgets, from comprehensive plans to public works. I even survived terminating a police chief there! I still remember an ICMA film (not a video or a DVD) on goal setting. At ICMA conferences, I went to every session I could find; one that I remember well was on the topic of maintaining brick streets. ICMA helped put the "meat" on the grad-school "bones."
After some years, I now realize that the most valuable benefit of my ICMA membership was then beginning to shift from the technical, "nuts and bolts" information to the managerial and professional development information. I still recall the keynote speeches from Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence) and Stephen Covey (Principle-Centered Leadership). It was through ICMA that, after some 10 years or so as a manager, I was rethinking and formulating my own theories about local government management.
It was through ICMA that I had my first International Management Exchange experience. And it was because of ICMA that I have gotten to know people like Ted Gaebler (Reinventing Government) and to test my own ideas on achieving extraordinary results with people, through teamwork and good management systems.
The friendships with other managers that I've formed through ICMA have been the basis of support and encouragement in hard times and few resources, with tough management challenges. Of the hundreds of thousands of dollars I have contracted for consultant services, the best value for the money that I ever received was from my annual ICMA membership.
Now, after 30 years in the business, my ICMA membership has again taken on another dimension. As an ICMA Executive Board member, I find that corporate responsibilities take up most of my conference time. At the 2004 San Diego conference, I probably attended only three or four sessions other than keynotes.
So, back to the question I asked at the beginning: What am I getting out of my ICMA membership? I now realize that, at this point in my career, that's the wrong question. President Kennedy had it right back then: Ask not what are you getting out of your ICMA membership, but what are you giving back, to strengthen ethics and professionalism in local government.
Yes, ICMA!
Just as my friend Al Locke reached out and brought me into this wonderful profession, I have been fortunate over the years and have helped 14 or more individuals who have worked for me to go on to city manager or assistant city manager positions. ICMA, through its activities and members, has helped me grow at every stage of my career, and now, I hope, I can give back to others coming into this profession.
Yes, my ICMA experiences and the value of my Association membership have changed over the years, as my needs have changed. At first, I was like the kid in the candy store and couldn't get enough of the MIS Reports (renamed IQ Reports) and conference sessions. Now, I find value in the hallway conversations and the challenging nature of keynotes. I enjoy the opportunities to meet with managers from around the world and young professionals just entering or thinking about entering the local government profession.
And, candidly, I am truly enjoying the Executive Board opportunity to help with the Association's business. It is the giving, not the getting, that makes our involvement in any organization worthwhile. Yes, I am an ICMA member, and if you are a local government manager, you should be, too!
Share Your Story
If you would like to share your own, "Why I Am an ICMA Member" story, e-mail it to rcarty@icma.org.
