Everyone likes someone with a personality. The same is true of government agencies, and there’s no better place for an agency to establish a strong personality, a “voice,” than on social media. [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]But to use it effectively, agencies need to build their reach and engage with their followers, […]
Networking for Introverts
I’m an introvert. Having just been awarded an ICMA-RC scholarship to the upcoming ICMA conference through MMANC’s Credentialed Government Leader program, I am both thrilled and terrified. In September, I’ll be headed to Seattle for five days of workshops and networking. Networking – yikes. Now, I know I’m not alone. According to Susan Cain in […]
Investing in the Future for California’s Central Valley
The next economy of the San Joaquin Valley inched forward this year as the recovery continued its upward trend. There are two factors that will help sustain the economic and social vitality in the Valley; education and transportation. A workforce exists, and will continue to expand as demand for skilled labor increases, encouraging higher paid […]
Walkable City and the Millennial: Introducing the New MMANC Book Club
Housing and community are hot topics in the media today for good reasons. Have you seen the price of housing and rent in urban areas rise in recent years? The price of housing has led to new development further and further away from our work. I’ve seen it and experience it first-hand. I’ve seen […]
Our Local Government Model: It’s Broken, So Let’s Fix It
PERSPECTIVES If you have tried something for a couple of decades and it is not working then you should try something else. I am not speaking about our form of local government (council/manager, strong mayor, etc) but rather the way we do our work regardless of the form. My hypothesis is that the local government […]
Sometimes “The Happiest Place on Earth” Can Get “Grumpy”: A Reflection on Customer Service
ORIGINAL CONTENT Last month my family and I spent a few days at “The Happiest Place on Earth.” By nearly every account, Disneyland was just that. Our time was filled with cheerful celebration, wild imagination, and endless entertainment. My parents traveled with my husband and me, along with our two daughters. My eldest daughter, […]