Executive and Governing Body RelationsFostering Good Governance League

Executive and Governing Body Relations-Fostering Good Governance League of Wisconsin Municipalities Chief Executives Workshop August 24, 2017 Dr. Steve Hintz and Kevin Brunner, Partners Public Administration Associates LLC-Oshkosh, WI

Case Study #1 -The Brand-New Mayor and his neighbor the Village President Charlie decided to run for Mayor and to his surprise he won. He had not served on the Council before and had no real expertise in local government or politics. His friend Fred in the neighboring village has just been elected village president there and he also has limited experience in local government? How should Charlie learn to be Mayor and Fred to be Village President?

First, let’s look at Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 62. 09 (8) Mayor. Is the statute of any guidance? • The mayor shall be the chief executive officer. • The mayor shall take care that city ordinances and state laws are observed and enforced and that all city officers and employees discharge their duties. • The mayor from time to time shall give the council such information and recommend such measures as the mayor may deem advantageous to the city. • When present the mayor shall preside at the meetings of the council. • The mayor shall have veto power as to all acts of the council. • In smaller cities, the mayor may be the head of

What about Chapter 61 on the duties of village president? • The village president shall preside over board meetings. • The village president shall vote as a trustee. • The village president shall maintain peace and good order [and] see that ordinances are faithfully obeyed. • In the case of a disturbance, the village president can appoint special marshals who will have the power of constables. • The village president shall have charge of the village jail.

Complications for Mayor Charlie read the statute that he was the chief executive officer and that he was responsible for city officers and employees discharging their duties. But then one of his councilors, an attorney, read the statute on the powers of the city council. “Except as elsewhere in the statutes specifically provided, the council shall have the management and control of the city property, finances, highways, navigable waters, and the public service, and shall have the power to act for the government and good order of the city…. ” The council wants to limit employee lunch hours to one-half hour. Charlie believes that it infringes on his authority to responsible for employees discharging their duties. Are the statutes helpful in defining the mayor’s authority and duties? What about the village president? How did you learn how to be a mayor? Village president?

Case Study #2 - Mayor Ervin, the Big Thinker (and Ego) Mayor Ervin had big plans for the City. He believed that the Mayor needed more clout and prominence. He ordered new furniture for the mayor’s office at city hall. He then requested that the city council establish a $50, 000 mayor’s fund for worthy projects. Even though the mayor’s salary was nominal, Ervin was retired and was spending most of the day in city hall talking with department heads about what they were doing. Was this a good idea?

Case Study #3 -Mayor Peter the Busy Father and Professional Mayor Peter, on the other hand, was a very busy person and had five kids. Presiding over the council seemed to be the one thing that people expected. And this was it and that’s what he pretty much did, leaving the day to day management of the city to the administrator. Was this enough? How much does the custom and tradition in a municipality count in defining the mayor’s position? How much variation is there among

Case Study #4 - The Disruptive Council Member Mayor Nancy has been dogged by a recalcitrant council member who revels in being rude, negative, and sometimes disruptive at council meetings. What can she do about the council member? In general, how should council members be treated?

Case Study #5 - Thinking Long-Term Mayor Lucinda has been in office for four years and the council meetings go smoothly, but they are increasingly routine. The council appears to focus on approving liquor licenses and receiving committee reports. At budget time it spends more time on reducing conference and subscription requests than it does on larger CIP plans. At the last meeting, it spent ten minutes on the budget and 45 minutes on a two-way versus four-way stop sign debate. Is there anything that Mayor Lucinda could do to change the focus of the council?

Case Study #6 - Unexpected but Positive Duties Mayor Felipe is finishing his tenth year as mayor and is not running again. He is reflecting on all the things that he has done in his term that nobody really told him were important parts of the mayor’s job when he started. What are the activities and responsibilities that you have encountered that you had not really expected and how important were they?

A Few Other Observations How important is it to understand parliamentary procedure? When is it important to count the likely votes in advance? When is it important to use the phone rather than email?

Summary • Consciously think about what the mayor or village president’s role and what it entails before you start. • Take community custom, tradition, and practice into account as mayor or village president. • Share the responsibilities of governance with the council or board, but preside with a firm set of expectations. • Think long-term and develop ways to get the council or board to think long-term. • Consider the important but rarely defined roles of the mayor or village president.

Seven Ideas for Effective Local Government Relations between Elected and Appointed Leaders “None of Us Are as Important as All of Us”-Ray Kroc, Founder of Mc. Donald’s

High Performance Municipal Organizations • • • Results Oriented (“Data Driven”) Citizen Focused (“We Exist to Serve the Community”) Collaborative Celebrate Community Successes Never Quite Satisfied (“Beaker of Good Enough”)

Frog in a Beaker Syndrome If a frog is placed in a beaker of boiling pond water, it will instinctively jump out. However, if the frog is put in a beaker with room temperature pond water and the water is gradually warmed up to boiling , it will stay and ultimately will die…organizations are the same way if they become too warm and develop complacency

Role of the Municipal Administrator • • • Supervision/Leadership of Municipal Departments Preparation/Presentation of Annual Budget Human Resources Management Implementation of Policies Set by Governing Body Municipal Spokesperson/Citizen Involvement Community Facilitator

1. Set Expectations (as High as You Can!)

2. Communicate All the Time and Try, Try to Understand (Cognitive Synonomy)

3. Develop Mutual Respect-To Be Earned not Given

4. Governing Bodies Need to Discuss the Big Ideas and Maybe Events (Not People Unless it’s the Administrator!)

Case Study #7 - Possible Social Media Harassment and Village Staff A village board member is very active on social media and frequently is very critical of the village administrator and certain members of the village staff. He has made personal comments that have affected the morale of the staff and some have stated that they believe that they are being harassed. The Village has social media and harassment policies that the administrator and staff must subscribe to as municipal employees, however, they do not apply to elected officials. What should you as the village president and/or village administrator do to address this situation?

5. Create a Culture Where Risk is Acceptable (At Least Some Risk!)

6. Boards Set Policy-Administrators and Staff Implement (but Have a Vital Role in the Discussion)

7. Invest in Your People-The ROI Will be Greater Than Any Other Investment You Will Make

PAA Public Administration Associates Dr. Steve Hintz 920 -231 -9714 hintz 559@sbcglobal. net Kevin Brunner 262 -903 -9509 kevin. brunner 1013@gmail. com