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November 2008 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, and news about our colleagues. The newsletter and past issues are also posted at http://www.tcma.org/newsletter.htm. 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. If you have some interesting news that you would like to see included in the Management Messenger, please e-mail messenger@tml.org.
Gary Beverly is no longer the city manager for the City of Freeport. Jeff Pynes (current police chief) is serving as the acting city manager for that city. Don Davis is the interim city manager for the City of Kerrville. Jason Day and Larry Lott are serving on a voluntary basis as interim city managers for the City of Royse City. Kandi Hubert is the new city manager for the City of Aransas Pass. Kenneth Knight is the city manager for the City of Flatonia. Manuel Lara is the new city manager for the City of San Benito. Steven McKay is no longer the city administrator for the City of Howe. Mike Jones is serving as the interim city manager for the city. Vicki Mikel is no longer the acting city manager for the City of Lake Worth. James Minor is the new city manager for the City of Brady. Tamara Null is the new city manager for the City of Oak Point. Robert Patrick is the new city manager for the City of Lucas. Doug Smith is no longer the city manager for the City of Clarksville. Pennye Hobbs (current city secretary) is the interim city manager for that city. Frank Salvato, former city manager for the City of Taylor, is the new city manager for the City of Bee Cave, effective November 1. Visit tcma.org to see if you qualify for TCMA In-transition Services. For a list of current city management job openings in Texas, please visit http://www.tcma.org/jobs_openings.html. TCMA Board policy requires that names of new member applicants be published each month in the Management Messenger. Any written objection during a subsequent 30-day period will be reviewed by the TCMA Membership Committee. If no objections are received during this time, the names will be submitted for Board approval at the next scheduled Board meeting. Written objections can be mailed to TCMA, Attention: Membership Committee, 1821 Rutherford Lane, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78754. Applications received for the month of October:
The TCMA Management Messenger introduces and welcomes Courtney Sharp to his new position as the city manager for the City of Midland. Courtney’s appointment began October 1, 2008. Prior to that time, Courtney served as city manager for the City of Mount Pleasant. Courtney also served as assistant city manager for the City of Canyon. He received his bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University in 1990. Courtney and his wife Alissa have been married for 20 years and have three children: Hannah, Reagan, and Madison. His hobbies are gardening, golfing, and any activities his children are involved with. The TCMA Management Messenger introduces and welcomes Kenneth Williams to his new position as city manager for the City of Buda. Kenneth’s appointment began September 10, 2008. Before joining the City of Buda, Kenneth served two years as the city manager for the City of Diboll. He also served the City of Lufkin in the offices of assistant city manager of administrative services, director of public works, and assistant city manager. Kenneth is a native of Lufkin and a graduate of Angelina College with an associate of science degree in business. He also holds a bachelor of business administration degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. Kenneth and his wife Cynthia have been married for 29 years. They have three children: Kenneth, Sharee, and Shayla. Kenneth also has two grandchildren. His hobbies include basketball, golf, and reading. Kenneth has refereed Texas high school basketball for the past 22 years and Division 1 college basketball for 16 years. The Management Messenger recognizes Torry Edwards, city manager for the City of Terrell. Torry received an invitation to attend Harvard University’s Innovations in Governance program at the Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Fred Hays passed away on Monday, October 6. Fred was the community manager for The Woodlands housing development and had served in various positions of city management in Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida. Memorial services were held October 11 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Memorials can be sent to the American Heart Association, 2514 82nd Street Suite B, Lubbock, TX 79423. Please keep Fred’s wife Sherry and family in your prayers. Judy McGuire—wife of Jerry McGuire, city administrator for the City of Conroe—passed away on Thursday, October 8. Funeral services were held October 15 at the Metcalf Funeral Chapel in Conroe. Please keep Jerry and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Memorials can be sent to the Leukemia Research Foundation, 3520 Lake Avenue, Suite 202, Wilmette, IL 60091-1064. TCMA is saddened by the passing of Leland Nelson, former TCMA president and retired city manager for the City of University Park. Leland passed away at his home this past weekend at the age of 82. Memorial services will be held at noon at the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas on Saturday, November 8. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the University of Kansas MPA program through the KU Endowment Fund (Gift Processing Department, KU Endowment, P. O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044-0928). Memorials can also be sent to Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, 9200 Inwood Rd., Dallas, TX 75220. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for Asking Each day, the headlines in newspapers and other media sources seem to describe how someone has made a poor decision that impacts thousands of people in a negative way. Many times these decisions have a direct link to a poor ethical choice. While these stories seem to take center stage, it is very comforting to be a part of a profession that has a professional code of ethics and has established requirements for training and expectations of behavior. I know most of you are familiar with our Code of Ethics and have satisfied the training requirements established in that code. Some of you are reading those requirements and want to know if there can be other training that will satisfy our established standards. For questions like these let me say, “Thanks for asking.” As managers and administrative professionals, we have learned through experience that when in doubt, other opinions often help us avoid potential embarrassment or misunderstandings later. We are currently working on a schedule that will provide training opportunities in each region beginning in January 2009 and continuing through May, leading up to the TCMA Annual Conference in June. We will share more about this in upcoming newsletters. The Ethics Committee is here to help answer any questions you may have regarding ethics-related issues. We are not an internal affairs committee looking for things done wrong; our purpose is to help our membership. Please continue sending in your questions and, again, “Thanks for asking.” The TCMA Board has approved five internships designed to assist graduate or undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in an accredited Texas college or university program, specifically those seeking degrees in public administration, urban affairs, or closely related fields. This will be an opportunity for students interested in a city management career to earn up to $4,000 a semester while gaining invaluable, day-to-day experience in city government. If your city would like to participate and have the opportunity to interview intern candidates, please review “Hosting Internship City Requirements” on page 3 of the application. If you meet these qualifications and would like your city to participate, please contact Kim Pendergraft at 512-231-7400 or kim@tml.org. To view the entire application, please visit the TCMA Web site at tcma.org. Click on the “Programs” link and select “Internship.” The deadline for your city to notify TCMA that you would like to participate is January 16, 2009. TCMA-ICMA Membership Incentive Program The TCMA-ICMA Membership Incentive Program seeks to encourage existing Texas City Management Association (TCMA) members from smaller cities (populations less than 10,000) who are not members of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to join ICMA. It is the intent of TCMA and ICMA to provide financial assistance to eligible participants. In order to allow eligible TCMA members to experience the benefits of ICMA membership, ICMA will provide a complimentary trial membership to the eligible participants for the first year of the program, and TCMA will subsidize the cost of membership during the second year of membership. The membership incentive program will allow participants to experience the benefits of ICMA membership, which will assist in justifying the funding for the annual dues from their employer beginning in the third year. For more information and an application, please visit www.tcma.org. Select the “Programs” link and click on the “TCMA-ICMA Membership Incentive Program.” The deadline for application is January 16, 2009. Membership dues renewals are in progress. Members can renew online at www.tcma.org. Simply click on the “About TCMA” link and select “Membership Renewal.” A box will be provided to indicate whether you have fulfilled the ethics requirement, along with a field to state when and where the requirement was fulfilled. Dues can be paid with a credit card, and member profiles can also be updated from the same link. William “King” Cole Series—Session I: Basics William “King” Cole Series—Session 2: Advanced TCMA City Management Clinic TCMA Annual Conference
The TCMA Board will meet on December 5 at 9:00 a.m. in the Victoria Room of the Houston Airport Marriott at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located at 18700 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The Professional Development Committee will meet January 30 at 10:00 a.m. at the Texas Municipal Center in the third floor conference room. Please make a note of these upcoming TML educational events:
Economic Development for Better Cities, December 11, Round Rock
Results-Oriented Retail Development, December 12, Round Rock Texas Municipal League 96th Annual Conference and Exhibition To pre-order your videos, please visit www.tml.org, click on the “Information/Publications” link, select “Publications Listing,” and click the “Pre-Order Videos” link.
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| ©2010 Texas City Management Association Austin, Texas 512-231-7400 |
As an example, let me share a question recently received from a manager. We were asked if an ethics class taught at a college or university could be substituted for the training received online or for the regular training received at either an ICMA or TCMA
conference. Our Board has decided that, at this time, only the ethics training provided by TCMA or ICMA will satisfy the annual ethics training requirement. In an effort to expand the opportunities for training, the Board directed the TCMA Professional Development Committee to include ethics sessions in all TCMA educational events. If you attended an ethics session at a TCMA or ICMA
educational event this past year, you have satisfied the requirement and can note it on your dues renewal form. If you have not been able to attend one of these seminars, the online course is your
next option. If you are a Life or Distinguished member, you are
encouraged, but not required, to complete the ethics training.
Pre-Order Videos of Conference Sessions on CD!