OVERVIEW
As a NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIAL, you've committed yourself to the rigors of a political campaign – and the sacrifices of time and privacy that come with serving as a local elected official – because you want to make a real difference in your community. Now’s the time to think about what winning really means – and how to make the most of it.
Once elected, it’s not all congratulatory messages from friends and neighbors. You’ll endure seemingly endless meetings, eye-straining staff reports, and countless hours of public testimony. People who have known you for years will start treating you differently. You’ll face the challenges of working with strong-minded, passionate colleagues. They, too, are elected independently, striving to make good decisions – just like you.
PSU’s Center for Public Service is offering a hybrid format (in-person & virtual Zoom options) for this year's “Leadership Boot Camp”, especially designed to help you navigate your unique challenges and opportunities.
This workshop is not limited to newly elected officials. Consider joining us if you are:
VETERAN MAYORS AND COUNCILORS
You’ve been in office long enough to become comfortable with your role as an elected official. But you know that you and your colleagues could be working more effectively and making a greater difference in your community.
CITY MANAGERS
Encourage your newly-elected and veteran mayor and councilors to attend, and plan to come with them. Build a common understanding of roles and responsibilities, a common vocabulary, and a common sense of purpose and team identity.
GOAL
As quickly as possible, help you to shine in your exciting new role as a Local Government Official.
Topics covered in this half-day, intensive workshop include:
- Opportunities and Constraints: Understanding your role(s) as an elected board member;
- Ground Rules: Forging effective working relationships with elected colleagues;
- Your New Best Friend: Constructing an appropriate working relationship with your city manager;
- Friendly, But Not Friends: Constructing appropriate working relationships with other staff members;
- Lines that Matter: The key differences between policy and implementation;
- Effective Delegation: How to work with other boards, task forces, and advisory groups;
- Within the Fishbowl: Representing yourself and your board in public settings;
- Effective Meetings: Everyone’s responsibility, not just the presiding officer’s;
- Keeping Faith with Your Voters: Effectively promoting your own priorities;
- Building Consensus: How You Can – and when you shouldn’t try.
PRICING (In-Person & Zoom)
First Participant from a jurisdiction:
- $375 per person (or $275 for a small jurisdiction of $2M annual budget or less)
Additional participant(s) from the same jurisdiction:
Cost includes morning refreshments, lunch, and parking for in-person attendees.
Note: This professional certificate is offered as not-for-credit, and will not appear on your PSU transcript.
Cancellations: To receive a full refund, a written request to drop/withdraw from a course must be received by the Program Coordinator by 5pm, 7 business days prior to the event.
FACILITATORS
Scott Lazenby, Ph.D.: Scott has had a forty-year career in city management, most recently serving as city manager of Lake Oswego and Sandy, Oregon. Scott is past-president of the Oregon City/County Management Association, and has local government experience in Washington and Arizona. In addition to his PhD in Public Administration and Policy from PSU’s Hatfield School of Government in 2007, Scott has also written several novels featuring public service protagonists.
Joe Hertzberg: Joe is co-founder of Solid Ground Consulting and was formerly on the Political Science faculty at Yale University. He has worked in Oregon for more than 25 years, specializing in strategy, leadership, and organization. He has helped many local governments set goals and determine how to work together effectively, including city councils in Portland, Beaverton, Bend, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Tigard, Wilsonville – and Los Angeles.
John McArdle: John has served as mayor of the City of Independence since 1998. He is a past president of both the League of Oregon Cities and the Oregon Mayors Association. He is a recent recipient of the League of Oregon Cities’ James C. Richards Award, in recognition of exceptional personal investment in intergovernmental affairs. A retired US Olympic team member, Mayor McArdle recently completed 30 years in higher education as Director of Development and Government Relations. He is especially proud of Independence's recognition as an All American city, and the League of Oregon cities award for Excellence.
Jessica Engelke: Mayor Engelke was elected to the North Bend city council in 2018, and in November 2020 was elected as the city’s first female mayor. She is the incoming president of the League of Oregon Cities. Mayor Engelke is a longtime North Bend resident, invested in making Oregon’s south coast a better place. She is a tenured business professor at Southwestern Oregon Community College and teaches a variety of business classes. She has more than 25 years of hands-on experience in the business community and is a former president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband Steven Ryan have two teenage daughters, Emily and Sophia.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Scott Lazenby, Lead Facilitator
slazenby@pdx.edu
PSU Center for Public Service
publicservice@pdx.edu
(503) 725-8261