Craig M. Wheeland, Ph.D. Professor of Public Administration
Craig M. Wheeland, Ph.D. Professor of Public Administration Villanova University April 10, 2015 Five Reasons to hire a professional manager Examples of effective professional managers working in Pennsylvania Compensation Recruiting Hiring Conclusion 1. 2. 3. Efficiency and effectiveness Commitment to ICMA’s and APMM’s Code of Ethics Advanced ability to use essential management practices 4. Extensive knowledge of services 5. Access to information networks IBM Global Business Services benchmarking study of the 100 largest cities in the United States, found that “management” was the single most important factor impacting the efficiency of the city ◦ “Management” is making (a) “strategic decisions about what services will be provided to which citizens and at what level of service they will be delivered” and (b) “operational decisions about the types of delivery models will be deployed to provide those services” Source: Edwards, D. (2011). Smarter, faster, cheaper: An operations efficiency benchmarking study of 100 American cities. IBM Global Business Services. Retrieved from http://icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/documents/kn/Document/303182/Smarter_Faster_Cheaper ◦ Respect and partner with elected officials ◦ Refrain from all political activities which undermine public confidence in professional administrators ◦ Follow merit principles in managing staff ◦ Keep the elected officials and community well-informed ◦ Avoid personal gain through favors or use of confidential information ◦ Commit to life-long learning and professional development Source: International City/County Management Association. (2012). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://icma.org/en/icma/ethics/code_of_ethics Graduate Education Professional Training Core Management Practices ◦ Master of Public Administration (MPA degree) ◦ ICMA and APMM credentials and certificates ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Financial and Budgeting Human Resources Planning and Operations Communication and Media Relations Facilitation Negotiation and Mediation Source: International City/County Management Association. (2012). Practices for effective local government management. Retrieved from http://icma.org/en/university/about/management_practices/overview Public Safety ◦ Police ◦ Fire Public Works ◦ Street and Road Maintenance ◦ Sanitation ◦ Water and Sewer ◦ Storm Water Management Parks and Recreation Libraries Human Services Economic Development Land Use and Zoning Relationships with their professional peers working in neighboring municipalities and across the state are a source of information to help managers do their jobs well and creatively Access to reports, articles in news digests, databases and listserves provide information as to how improve municipal services and manage problems facing communities ◦ ICMA’s Knowledge Network - is an online community for local government professionals committed to fostering excellence and innovation in local government ◦ APMM organized a “group” in LinkedIn (119 members) Paul Cornell, Swatara Township, 22,000 population Stephanie Teoli-Kuhls, Middletown Township, 45,000 population Carolyn McCreary, Plumstead Township, 12,000 population Larry Comunale, Lower Gwynedd Township, 16,000 population Economic Problem: AMP Business Park “closes” losing 2400 jobs and Harrisburg East Mall declines putting at risk about 940 jobs The business park and mall are next to each other Paul and his staff worked with new owners of business park to transform it into TecPort, a high-tech business park Paul and his staff worked closely with developers who purchased the financially troubled Harrisburg East Mall in order to bring Bass Pro along with other anchor stores to the mall Harrisburg East Mall and TecPort Business Park Artist Rendering of Outdoor World Harrisburg East Mall Stephanie and her staff Communication and Economic Problem Oxford Valley Mall Access to government services from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month Any type of government business with Township staff during the event – from registering for a parks and recreation program to obtaining tax parcel information Middletown at the Mall A private water supply system was no longer adequate for fire protection and no longer could meet water quality standards for a large residential development Independent professional firms and her staff documented the problem and found a solution to bring to her elected officials Carolyn wrote a grant application for and received an H2O grant from the state, which helped offset the $3.4 million cost of the project Water Supply Problem Carolyn McCreary Police Pension - Classified as “moderately distressed” by Auditor General Effectively negotiated with union to reduce costs by ◦ ◦ Larry Comunale increasing the eligible retirement age from 50 to 55 eliminating the COLA Total savings = 40% in the long run Because of the new police contract, the rebound in stock market, and a new defined contribution plan for new non-uniformed employees, the township’s pensions are no longer distressed. Police Pension Problem There is competition for talent within Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region Salary and benefits should take into account 1. The local government’s current financial position (ability to pay) 2. Be reasonably comparable to what managers receive within the designated benchmark or regional market area 3. Be generally consistent with other employees Source: ICMA. 2012. Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting Local Government Administrator Nationally Mid-Atlantic Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland Ohio New Jersey New York $123,000 $105,000 $109,000 $116,000 $118,000 $144,000 $164,000 Source: ICMA. 2014. ICMA Member’s CAO Salary and Compensation Survey Results 2014 Population size of the community - the smaller the population size the lower the salary Location - rural communities pay less than suburban communities because of cost of living differences The manager’s years of work experience The manager’s education and training ◦ Graduate Degree (e.g., MPA) ◦ ICMA Credentialed Manager ◦ APMM Professional Development Program Certificate Doing the search yourself will be time consuming Designate a person to be responsible for the search and perhaps create a committee Rely on your HR professional or Municipal Attorney to develop the administrator profile and to design an effective and legal recruitment and selection process Use your staff to do the logistics of the search: place advertisements, collect résumés, and schedule interviews Source: ICMA. 2012. Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting Local Government Administrator Select a search firm (consultant) after checking references Work with consultant to develop the administrator profile Consultant places advertisements, recruit’s candidates, collect résumés, screens candidates, schedules interviews, processes background checks, etc Staff provide consultant with information about the municipality, e.g. budget, annual report Source: ICMA. 2012. Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting Local Government Administrator Review Applications Advertise Position Develop Profile Interview Finalists Appoint New Manager Cost varies depending on ◦ Advertising ◦ Services provided by the consultant (if one is used) ◦ Reimbursing the candidates’ travel expenses Generally ◦ If you do the search In-House = less than $5,000 ◦ If you use a Search Consultant Flat Fee = $10,000 to $20,000 (could be more) OR Percentage of Candidate’s First-Year Cash Compensation = 30% Use an employment agreement Typical items in an employment agreement are: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Salary Benefits Professional Membership Fees and Travel to Conferences Car Cell Phone Moving expenses Annual performance evaluation Severance (usually six months salary) Source: ICMA. 2012. Recruitment Guidelines for Selecting Local Government Administrator. Professional Local Government Managers ◦ Partner with elected officials to achieve good government for their communities ◦ Offer a full-time commitment to ethical, efficient, effective and responsive government
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