November Update

Clients will still receive the comprehensive Civic Leadership Assessment Report AND also will be afforded the opportunity to discuss with us the possible image improvement solutions from that data in a 30 minute Zoom meeting at no additional cost.

 

The 30 statements reflecting a municipality’s public image were created by graduate students in university public administration programs, city managers in Southern California, city clerks both appointed and elected, law firms in several states that represent municipalities, and research professors who are expert in survey construction and validation. Together they brought practical, legal, and academic experience to the question of what shapes the way residents see their local government. The result is a logical set of statements, each tied to something residents can see and judge for themselves.

 

Each week we will examine one statement, explain why it matters to the image of local government, and show how it connects to the others. Improving one area often affects several more.

 

The statements fall into six logical dimensions, each covering a different part of how local government works and is seen: Effective Communication; Effective Conflict Management; Ethics and Public Trust; Requisite Knowledge; Financial Management; and Appropriate Leadership. We will rotate among these dimensions week by week, so none is presented ahead of another. A weakness in any dimension can shape the overall impression.

 

The 31st statement, “There is adequate political harmony among the Board/Council,” stands apart. The other 30 describe practices and systems that officials can work on directly. Harmony is what residents see when those practices are working. We will save it for the last week and compare it with the other 30.