December 2004 · Volume 86 · Number 11 

Ethics
The Stepping-Stone Job
Scenario: After more than 10 years of experience, some of it in a town manager job, the manager decided it was time to go back to his home state. He took a job as assistant city manager, even though he felt he was overqualified for it. A better-paying job in county government has just been advertised that is a much better match for his skills and experience.
He feels that this newer opening would be the ideal career move. At the same time, if he applied for this job and it was offered to him, he would fall a few months short of meeting the two-year commitment to his assistant city manager position. Although he knows the ICMA Code of Ethics obligates him to serve two years, he wonders if the circumstances could justify a shorter tenure. He also wants to discuss the potential impact on his career.
Response: The profession has given careful thought to the importance of making a minimum two-year commitment to a job. Communities invest a great deal of time and money in recruiting and training a new employee and expect a reasonable commitment in return. Leaving a job prematurely may hurt an individual's reputation and can also damage the image of the profession. Prospective employers are particularly leery of hiring individuals who have a pattern of short tenures. When these employers do reference checks, they will want to know whether or not a previous employer would rehire the individual. By leaving a job on the best possible terms, a manager leaves most communities and employers feeling that they have been well served and more likely to welcome another professional manager in the future. The ICMA Code of Ethics guideline on length of service reads:
A minimum of two years generally is considered necessary in order to render a professional service to the local government. A short tenure should be the exception rather than a recurring experience. However, under special circumstances, it may be in the best interests of the local government and the member to separate in a shorter time. Examples of such circumstances would include refusal of the appointing authority to honor commitments concerning conditions of employment, a vote of no confidence in the member, or severe personal problems. It is the responsibility of an applicant for a position to ascertain conditions of employment. Inadequately determining terms of employment prior to arrival does not justify premature termination.
Ethics advice is a popular service provided to ICMA members. The inquiries and advice are reviewed by the Committee on Professional Conduct, the ethics committee of the ICMA Executive Board. Some of the inquiries are revised and published as a regular feature in PM, to give guidance to members in the big and little ethical decisions they make daily. If you have a question about your obligations under the ICMA Code of Ethics, call Elizabeth Kellar at 202/962-3611, e-mail, ekellar@icma.org or Martha Perego at 202/962-3668, e-mail, mperego@icma.org.
 © 2005 International City/County Management Association.