November 2003 · Volume 85 · Number 10

Opinion

The Value of Our Profession
What’s the value of ICMA, and what does it mean to be a member of our profession? Or, put another way, what is the value of being part of a profession that strives to provide leadership, integrity, and excellent services to our communities?
ICMA Vice President Ken Parker, city manager of Port Orange, Florida, addressed these questions when he attended the Alabama City-County Management Association in June. His comments were so clear and inspiring that I’d like to share them with you, as a reminder of what it means to be part of this special profession.
Ken explained to the Alabama audience that ICMA membership benefits the citizens of a community, the city or county council, the local government organization, and the individual manager. He observed that “ICMA and its members set the standards by which local government management and professionalism are measured. It is the premier professional governmental management association and has a worldwide membership.
“When a community employs a manager who is an ICMA member, the citizens, governing bodies, and employees know they have employed an individual who is committed to high ethical values and standards. They know that the professional organization is committed to enforcing those standards and has a mechanism in place to enforce the standards. The ICMA Code of Ethics holds its members to a higher standard than those imposed by state ethics laws.
“The citizens, governing body, and employees know that an ICMA member is committed to continuous learning,” Ken said. ICMA may be unique in having language in its professional code of ethics that reminds members that they have a duty to improve their abilities and to develop the competence of staff.
“The citizens, governing body, and employees know that an ICMA member is committed to providing services to residents of the community in a fair and equitable manner,” Ken reminded us. In this connection, have you read the ICMA Declaration of Ideals lately? If you need a moment of inspiration, I recommend it to you. Just go to the ICMA Web site to find it. Here’s an excerpt from the preamble: “ICMA was founded with a commitment to the preservation of the values and integrity of representative local government and local democracy and a dedication to the promotion of efficient and effective management of public services. To fulfill the spirit of this commitment, ICMA works to maintain and enhance public trust and confidence in local government, to achieve equity and social justice, to affirm human dignity, and to improve the quality of life for the individual and the community.”
At the Alabama meeting in June, Ken added these related thoughts: “The citizens, governing body, and employees know that the ICMA member is committed to democratically elected local governments and to making policy recommendations that are in the best interest of the entire community. They know that an ICMA member is exposed to best management practices.”
Yes, many ICMA members talk about the value of the ICMA Newsletter and the access it gives to job vacancies. And if you ask them to name sources of high-quality information on best management practices and other material of importance to the community, they probably will recall something they found in the Newsletter, in the weekly electronic Management InSite, in Public Management (PM) magazine, or on the Web site.
Some of us value the sophisticated research, top-quality professional development courses, annual conference, workshops, and Best Practices Symposium. Others are grateful for an Association that helps them to network with innovative thinkers and supportive colleagues across the world and to attend forums and serve on task forces where they can talk about issues that concern them. Many appreciate the ease with which they can seek advice from staff, from colleagues many time zones away, and from experts whom ICMA may bring to the table.
How about you? Have you reflected on these values and resources and on what ICMA stands for in your community? The title of Leroy Harlow’s book A Passion for Anonymity aptly describes our reluctance to market the value we bring to our communities, to our organization, and to our governing bodies. We surely need to retain our passion to serve our communities with excellence, but perhaps we need to become as comfortable as Ken in talking with others about the value of professional management and why we are part of this important profession.
Robert J. O’Neill, Jr., Executive Director, ICMA
© 2004 International City/County Management Association.