Building and Maintaining Effective Mayor, Council and Manager Relations

Jim Bacon

League of Cities and Towns Annual Conference

August 20, 2015

A Bit More About My Background…

1. ICMA Life Member2. Worked for 10 different governments, located in 7

different states, during a 45 year career in local government

3. Employed as Town Manager in Paradise Valley from 1/08 to 2/15

4. Served 15 Mayors and Over 70 Council Members as City Manager

5. None of the Mayors and Only 2 Council Members lost their reelection bids

Setting the Stage…

“The Mayor, Council and Manager are a team, but elected officials were given the hard jobs”

Jim Bacon

During my 45 year career, I have come to believe that Council-Manager relations are influenced by three critical factors:

1. Competence2. Confidence3. Communication

Competence

• Know your job• Understand how it fits with other team

members• Respect the jobs of all other team members

Confidence

• Provide reliable information• Be discrete when sharing information with

others• Be accountable for your actions (inactions)

Communication

• Everyone has their own preferred communication style; learn it and use it

• Make sure everyone on the team has the same information for policy decisions

• Meet regularly to “stay in touch”

Let’s Focus on the Manager

Competence

Communication

Confidence

Competence

• Responsible for policy advice and implementing policy decisions

• Set expectation for both policy and performance• Help the Mayor and Council ask the right

questions• Clearly present the policy options and be willing

to implement any option• Always recognize the policy decision rests with a

majority of the council

Confidence

• Make sure the information provided to the Mayor/Council is accurate (Bad information is ultimately bad for everyone.)

• It’s okay to be discrete. There’s no need to share all the information that one elected official shares with you with others in the government. (elected or not)

• Be accountable for your actions.

Communication

• As soon as you can, meet with each elected official to get better acquainted (Among other things you will begin to learn their communication style.)

• Maintain regular contact with each elected official (My preferred minimum: Weekly with the Mayor, Monthly with each Council Member)

More about Communication…• Make sure that your formal communication on

policy matters provides information which is important to each elected official.

One member may want to know about the financial impactAnother member wants to know how the decision is likely to be accepted by thecommunity

Both are important!

A Final Thought on Communication

• Good communication during the performance review period will take the uncertainty out of the performance review

Mayor Kenn Weise, City of Avondale

GREAT QUOTES

• “IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING YOU MIGHT END UP SOMEPLACE ELSE”

• “ THE FUTURE AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE”

• “YOU CAN OBSERVE A LOT BY WATCHING”

• “LOVE TO THE COUNTRY ALWAYS. LOYALTY TO THE GOVERNMENT WHEN IT DESERVES IT”

• “POLITICIANS ARE THE SAME ALL OVER. THEY PROMISE TO BUILD BRIDGES WHEN THERE ARE NO RIVERS”

SIMILAR STRUCTURES

• BASEBALL

• FANS

• OWNERS

• MANAGER

• PLAYERS

• AVONDALE

• RESIDENTS

• MAYOR/COUNCIL

• CITY MANAGER

• STAFF

FANS/RESIDENTS

• FANS

• BUY IN TO THE TEAM

• SUPPORT DEPENDING ON SUCCESS AND

RECORD

• DECIDE WITH THEIR WALLETS

• CAN FORCE A CHANGE IF NOT HAPPY WITH

RESULTS

• RESIDENTS

• DECIDE WHERE THEY LIVE

• VOTE FOR WHO CONNECTS WITH THEIR

NEEDS

• DECIDE ON CITY DIRECTION IN THE

VOTING BOOTH

• CAN FORCE A CHANGE IF NOT HAPPY WITH

RESULTS

OWNERS/MAYOR CITY COUNCIL

• SET THE DIRECTION FOR THE TEAM

• IMPROVE THROUGH THE DRAFT OR FREE AGENCY

• WIN NOW, OR BUILD FOR THE FUTURE

• MOST SUCCESSFUL OWNERS ARE ONES YOU

DON’T HEAR ABOUT

SET THE VISION FOR THE CITY

PRMOTE FROM WITHIN OR LOOK AT OUTSIDE

TALENT

BIG IDEAS, BIG PROJECTS, OR PAY DOWN DEBT,

BUILD UP THAT RAINY DAY FUND

ARE YOU THE FACE OF SUCCESS OR THE FACE

OF FAILURE?

BASEBALL MANAGER/CITY MANAGER

• FOLLOWS DIRECTION SET BY THE OWNER

• PICKS HIS COACHES, WORKS WITH PLAYERS

• MAKES DAY TO DAY DECISIONS ON LINEUPS,

STARTEGIES.

• FIRST ONE OWNERS WILL FIRE IF THINGS GO

BADLY

• FOLLOWS VISION SET BY MAYOR/COUNCIL

• PICKS HIS TEAM TO IMPLEMENT VISION

• DEALS WITH DAY TO DAY ISSUES. SETS GOALS, REVIEWS RESULTS, UPDATES MAYOR/

COUNCIL• FIRST ONE TO BE FIRED

IF THINGS GO BADLY

PLAYERS/STAFF

• MOST TALENTED IN THE GAME.

• EITHER LOVES MANAGER OR WANTS TO

BE TRADED TO A CONTENDER

• INDIVIDUAL GOALS MAY DIFFER FROM OWNERS

OR MANAGER GOALS

• NEEDS STABILITY AND ROUTINE TO FLOURISH

• MOST DEDICATED PEOPLE WORK FOR GOVERNMENT

• EITHER LOVES THE VISION AND CITY

MANGER OR WANTS TO GO TO DIFFERENT CITY

• FUTURE GOALS MAY DIFFER FROM THE VISION

• NEEDS STABILITY IN VISION AND PLAN TO

FLOURISH.

LETS PLAY BALL!!! MAYBE NOT!

• 1916 Athletics 36-117

• 1935 Braves 38-115

• 1962 Mets 40-120

• 1904 Senators 38-113

• 1919 Athletics 36-104

• Avondale(yes even us)

Savannah

St. Augustine

• Baker City

• Santa Ana

• San Jose

Building and Maintaining Effective Mayor, Council, and Manager

RelationshipsCouncil Member Todd Tande, City of Surprise

How to be effective as a Council Member

• There are Laws, Rules, and Policies to follow…

• Arizona Open Meeting Law

• Municipal Code

• City Council Policies and Procedures Manual

• Employee Policy Manual

Arizona Open Meeting Law7.5 The Actions and Activities Covered by the Open Meeting Law.

7.5.1 Generally. All meetings of a public body shall be public, and all persons desiring to attend shall be permitted to attend and listen to the deliberations and proceedings. A.R.S. § 38-431.01(A).…

• The definition of meeting was modified by the Arizona Legislature in 2000 to prohibit a quorum of a public body from secretly communicating through technological devices, including, for example, facsimile machines, telephones, texting, and e-mail.

• All discussions, deliberations, considerations, or consultations among a majority of the members of a public body regarding matters that may foreseeably require final action or a final decision by the governing body, constitute "legal action" and, therefore, must be conducted in a public meeting or executive session in accordance with the Open Meeting Law. Ariz. Att'y Gen. Ops. 75-8, I79-4.

• The Open Meeting Law, however, does not prohibit a member of a public body from voicing an opinion or discussing an issue with the public either at a venue other than a public meeting of the body, or through media outlets or other public broadcast communications or technological means, so long as the "opinion or discussion is not principally directed at or directly given to another member of the public body," and "there is no concerted plan to engage in collective deliberation to take legal action." A.R.S. § 38-431.09(B); Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op I07-013.

Municipal Code

Sec. 2-101. - Noninterference by council.

(a) Neither the city council nor any of its members may:(1) Direct or give orders, either publicly or privately, to any city employee under the supervision of an appointed official. (2) Request the appointment of any person to or removal from employment, or participate in any manner in the appointment or removal of any employee, other than appointed officials under this article.

(b) City council will address matters of concern directly with its appointed officials and will limit interaction with all other city employees to the purpose of inquiry.

(Ord. No. 2013-09, § 2(Exh. A), 11-12-2013)

City Council Policies and Procedures Manual

Rule 9: Policy Role of Members

• The Role of each Member, as an individual, is to represent the community and to share their ideas, recommendations, and point of view forward during consideration of matters before the body.

• Members must respect and adhere to the Council-manager structure of the Surprise City government as outlined in the City Code. In this structure, the City Council determines the policies of the City with the advice, information and analysis provided by the public, boards, commissions, committees and City staff.

• Members therefore may not interfere with the administrative functions of the City or the professional duties of City staff; nor impair the ability of staff to implement Council policy decisions.

• Members should also refrain from individually directing the City Manager in the performance of his/her job responsibilities.

Employee Policy Manual2. Communication with Council.

• Employees should not communicate with council members, either directly or indirectly, regarding their employment, job performance, or management concerns.

• Any communication with council members beyond common pleasantries should be reported via the employee’s chain of command as soon as practicable.

• Any employee concerns regarding their employment, job performance or management concerns should be submitted consistent with the EPM, and this policy.

As Council Members, We Need Good Relationships

We Must Cultivate Many Relationships In Order To Be More Effective

• City Manager • Mayor • Fellow Council Members• Regional Contacts• Constituents (Residents,

Business Community)• And Don’t Forget Your Family

Council Member Relationship with ManagerCommunication - High Trust Relationship

• Recommended Budget • Day-to-Day Operations• Council Goals and Objectives• Council Performance Review Process • District / Council Monday Phone Call• District / Council Contact As Necessary <=> Both Ways• District / Council - Share Policy Interests – And Desire For Future

Recommended Budget To Implement (Without Direction / Expectations)

City Manager, Bob Wingenroth

Council Member Relationship with Mayor

Communication - High Trust Relationship• Regional and Committee Assignments

• Sponsorship of Agenda Items / Initiatives

• Serve Together on Committees

• Encourage and Support Regional Efforts

• Focus Agreement On Merits of Policy and Not Personality

• Focus Disagreement On Merits of Policy and Not Personality

Mayor Sharon Wolcott

Council Member Relationship With Fellow Council Members

Communication - High Trust Relationship• Votes! On Budgets, Policy, Initiatives, etc.

• Sponsorship of Agenda Items / Initiatives• Serve Together on Committees• Encourage and Support Regional Efforts• Focus Agreement On Merits of Policy and Not Personality• Focus Disagreement On Merits of Policy and Not

Personality

Results

Questions?