ICMA ethics staff are available for a confidential conversation on a variety of issues or dilemmas a member may face. Ethics staff fielded many questions on the following webinar topics and the member-only ethics webinars are a way to reach members who may be experiencing the same challenges in their local government service.
Check the ICMA events calendar for upcoming offerings; past ethics member-only webinar recordings and resources are added to this webpage.
Ethical Leadership in Communications
This May 30, 2025 session on Ethical Leadership in Communications. Incivility wreaks havoc on organizational culture, and it requires us to step back and assess how to effectively and ethically communicate.
This webinar will focus on ways to engage with elected officials, organizational employees, community members, and other stakeholders. We will specifically address local government strategies when someone has bad facts as well as provide examples of what a good communications plan entails if the organization is smaller and does not have a public information officer.
Speakers
Marylou Berg, author of the communications chapters in ICMA’s book Effective Supervisory Practices: Better Results through Teamwork, 6th edition
Doug Matthews, ICMA-CM, assistant city manager and CAO, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. Kimberly Nelson, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
The moderator is Jessica Cowles, ICMA’s ethics director.
Balancing Political Neutrality with Personal Advocacy
This June 13, 2025 session is on Balancing Political Neutrality with Personal Advocacy. This webinar is designed for members who are considering how to engage on issues of personal interest. How do you serve the best needs of the entire community without undermining public trust while being true to yourself?
There are many considerations to determine your ethical path, and this webinar will go in-depth on what the Tenet 7 guideline in the ICMA Code of Ethics requires and cover questions to ask yourself before engaging in issues of personal interest from members who have been there and done that.
Speakers
Kate Fitzpatrick, town manager, Needham, Massachusetts
Bill Fraser, town manager, Montpelier, Vermont
Melissa Wiley, deputy town manager, Erie Colorado
The moderator is Karen Daly, ICMA Life Member
Local Government’s Commitment to Democracy
This June 27, 2025 session is on Local Government’s Commitment to Democracy. Local government is on the front lines of democracy every day and for well over 100 years, this profession has existed to ensure the values of good government. It is messy and there have been, and will continue to be, periods when the principles of democracy are challenged.
The Partnership for Public Service surveyed Americans for their 2024 report “The State of Public Trust in Government” where only 29% say democracy is working in the U.S. today compared with 68% who say it is not, and only 15% believe the government is transparent.
Local governments are committed to democratic (with a small “d”) principles to do our part in advancing public trust. This webinar features Elizabeth Doll, Braver Angels’ Director of Politics, in a fireside chat format to offer actionable strategies to help local governments build public trust in democracy. This webinar was not recorded due to the sensitive nature of the discussion.
Contact Us
ICMA encourages members seeking confidential advice on ethics issues to contact Jessica Cowles, ethics director, at jcowles@icma.org or 202-962-3513.
