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Management
Messenger Reach Out to Your
Colleagues April
2006 The Texas City Management Association is pleased to send you this month’s edition of the Management Messenger. It features recent changes in city management positions around the state, current job listings, names of new members, information about upcoming educational events, as well as news about our colleagues. You play an important role in the ethics process. Acquaint yourself with the Code of Ethics and its Rules of Procedure for Enforcement . Please remember to browse through YOUR Web site, http://www.tcma.org
Special Point of Interest
Seek no favor; believe that personal aggrandizement or profit secured by confidential information or by misuse of public time is dishonest. Gifts. Members should not directly or indirectly solicit any gift or accept or receive any gift—whether it be money, services, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, promise, or any other form, under the following circumstances: 1) it could reasonably be inferred or expected that the gift was intended to influence them in the performance of their official duties; or 2) the gift was intended to serve as a reward for any official action on their part. Investments in Conflict with Official Duties. Members should not invest or hold any investment, directly or indirectly, in any financial business, commercial, or other private transaction that creates a conflict wit their official duties. Personal Relationships. Member should disclose any personal relationship to the governing body in any instance where there could be the appearance of a conflict of interest. Confidential Information. Members should not disclose to others, or use to further their personal interest, confidential information acquired by them in the course of their official duties. Private Employment. Members should not engage in, solicit, negotiate for, or promise to accept private employment nor should they render services for private interests or conduct a private business when such employment, service, or business creates a conflict with or impairs the proper discharge of their official duties. Representation. Members should not represent any outside interest before any agency, whether public or private, except with the authorization of or at the direction of the appointing authority they serve. Endorsements. Members should not endorse commercial products or services by agreeing to use their photograph, endorsement, or quotation in paid or other commercial advertisements, whether or not for compensation. Members may, however, agree to endorse the following, provided they do not receive any compensation: 1) books or other publications; 2) professional development or educational services provided by nonprofit membership organizations or recognized educational institutions; 3) products and/or services in which the local government has a direct economic interest. Douglas Watson, past city manager of the City of Auburn, Alabama, University of Texas-Dallas professor, and TCMA member, has co-authored a book that explores lifetime careers in city management. Spending a Lifetime: The Careers of City Managers illustrates the complex and changing world of city management through fictionalized stories that span the careers of four city managers who follow common career paths – the longer server, lateral mover, single-city careerist, and the ladder climber. A fifth story is a midcareer manager facing issues prominent in today’s rapidly changing society. All stories shed light on the qualities of successful city managers, personal and professional career path determinants, impacts of city diversification on the profession, and commitment to public service. Also discussed is the growing presence of women and minorities in the profession. The book can be ordered by phone at 706-542-6214 or online at www.vinsoninstitute.org/catalog. Jay Stokes, city manager of the City of Gladewater, received the Regional Citizen of the Year Award. This award, given by the East Texas Council of Governments, recognizes and honors the achievements of individuals and organizations that make a difference in the well-being of their community. Tom Muehlenbeck, city manager for the City of Plano, is being honored by the City of Plano with a recreation center named for him. The groundbreaking ceremonies for the Tom Muehlenbeck Center were Friday, March 31. Tom has been the city manager of Plano for 19 years. J. C. Hughes, former town manager for the City of Little Elm, is currently working for the Huffines Communitites Inc. Group. He is managing Providence Village and Savannah housing developments. With the assistance of J. C., both developments are scheduled to incorporate in November 2006. The City of Corpus Christi held the first Citizen University class. This was the first of seven monthly meetings to educate a class of 30 individuals on how city government operates. The first class covered the council-manager form of city government. Skip Noe is the city manager for the City of Corpus Christi. TCMA Regions 1 and 2 received a Regional Training Grant from TCMA. This grant will be used to provide training in one of the Essential Practices. On April 6-7, both regions will host two leadership development programs for elected officials and government administrators. Carl Neu, from the Center for the Future of Local Governance, will provide training for both programs. The leadership programs are The Habits of Highly Effective Governing Bodies and Leadership: Awaking the Best in People. TCMA Region 6 met on March 17. The meeting was hosted by Jeff Braun, emergency operations manager for Fort Bend County and former city manager for the city of Rosenberg. He provided a tour of the recently completed Fort Bend County Emergency Operations Center and discussed the role of local government in emergency operations. TCMA Region 7 met in Austin at the Texas Municipal League office on March 17. Charles Cunningham, director of finance, Hutto, and Jon Bowling, president, Optimal Data Technologies gave a presentation on the topic IT Solutions for Small Cities. They have formed an association of cities called MITIS (Municipal Information Technology Integration System). Further information is available on their site at www.mitis.org. TCMA Region 10 has scheduled a meeting for April 28 in Cameron County. The topic of discussion will be financial planning services. Walter Hill has been appointed the acting city manager of the City of Ingleside. Glenn Brown is the new city manager for the City of College Station. Oscar Cuellar is the interim city manager for the City of Donna. Craig Lonon is the new city manager for the City of Harlingen. Carl Lambeck, city manager for the City of Stockdale, will retire in May 2007. Mike Dunn is the new city administrator for the City of Parker. Frank Burns is the new city manager for the City of New Summerfield. Brian Boudreaux is no longer the city manager for the City of Van Alstyne. Wendall Hughley is the interim city manager for the City of Hearne. Click here to see if you qualify for TCMA Intransition Services. For a list of current city management job openings in Texas, please click here . The February 2006 issue of Government Finance Review has published the research of Bob Lavigna, senior manager for client services for CPS Human Resources. The first of a two-part article addresses the problem of succession planning for future leaders in the government sector. The research was sponsored by International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Council of State Governments. CPS has granted permission for TCMA members to download the article here. International City/County Management Association (ICMA) News The ICMA Conference Evaluation Committee focuses on evaluating activities and programs on a macro level and developing recommendations that will reinforce excellence and prompt improvements where necessary. Members serve a one-year term and must attend at least one of the committee meetings. The committee met twice at the 2005 Annual Conference and divided into three teams to assess major conference aspects. The committee gave the 2005 conference an overall rating of 8.5 on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent). It was noted that feedback received from other conference attendees was generally very positive and that recommendations for change focused on fine tuning a well-done event. Some of the committee’s recommendations for future conferences included: Education Program
Social Program
Annual events, institutional business, and conference logistics
Summary of minutes contributed by Christal Kliewer, assistant to the city manager, Grand Prairie; Darron Lieker, city manager, Wichita Falls; Katie Corder, assistant to the city manager, Rowlett. The former city manager of the City of Woodville was indicted on tampering with a government record. This individual is not a TCMA member.
Please visit http://www.tcma.org for meeting minutes. We also encourage you to visit the entire TML Web site at http://www.tml.org . ************************************************************* If you have some interesting news that you would like to see included in the Management Messenger, please e-mail messenger@tml.org . To report technical difficulties or update your contact information, please send an e-mail to database@tml.org. To place an online classified ad, click here.
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