Virtually every profession has an association in which someone can belong to, whether on a national, state, or local level. Some associations offer valuable information, opportunities for networking, mentoring, and training, and some simply offer a chance to list a membership on a resume. We are fortunate in Arizona to have an association dedicated to the profession of city/county management that truly provides the kinds of valuable resources that most of us look for in a quality professional association. Read more

Twelve applicants interested in attending the Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program applied for three available scholarships this year.

This year's ACMA Harvard Scholarship Committee selected Charles McClendon, City Manager for the City of Avondale; Steven Peru, County Manager of Coconino County; and Tami Ryall, Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Gilbert to receive the 2007 ACMA Harvard Scholarship. Read more

The past practice of developing employees' capabilities when it's convenient is OVER! More and more, seasoned professionals are departing local government and taking with them institutional knowledge, judgment and decision making skills that were developed over many years of service. How do you replace this void? Join Patrick Ibarra for the ACMA inaugural Webinar focused on "Methods and Techniques to Develop Your Employees: A How-To Guide." Read more

ACMA and ICMA have partnered to offer two scholarships to the 93rd Annual ICMA Conference in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, Pennsylvania October 7-10, 2007. The scholarship recipients will receive a complimentary conference registration from ICMA and ACMA will reimburse 75% of the recipient's travel expenses up to $1,000. Read more

Pamela Muse, Regional Director, Innovation Groups

Each year the Innovation Groups (IG) provides one free registration, a $645.00 value, to ACMA Members for the annual Transforming Local Government (TLG) Conference. The 2007 Conference theme is Leadership, Innovation in Action, which the City of Bellevue, Washington is hosting June 6-8, 2007. Read more

ICMA's Annual Awards program honors creative contributions to professional local government management and increases public awareness of the value of professional management to the quality of life in our communities. An independent Awards Evaluation Panel of 17 U.S. and international ICMA members selects each years' award recipients. Read more

This session is designed to give all levels of municipal employees a detailed overview of how to research and write winning grant applications (state and federal). The tips and skills presented are also applicable to federal cooperative agreement applications. Topics covered will include how to strengthen your Legislative connections to assist you with the grant seeking and post-submission processes, how to craft a winning narrative, how to prepare the budget summary and narrative detail, how to push your application to the top of the peer review stack and follow-up recommendations. Read more

ICMA is looking for city managers and their staff who have experience in the area of disaster assistance and preparedness to provide assistance to strengthen and build the capacity of national and regional organizations in Central America and the Caribbean. Individuals should have experience in the following areas: Read more

Speaking of Public Service
By Bob and Janet Denhardt

In our last column, we talked about the soul of public administration. Let's make the issue a little more personal. What brought you to the public service? What gives your work meaning? And how can all of us, as public servants, talk about public service in a way that celebrates the "soul" and meaning of the new public service? Read more

Active Members
Alison Zelms, Assistant City Manager, City of Sedona
Randall Russell, Town Manager, Town of Jerome
James Nichols, Deputy City Manager, City of Goodyear
Ed Gawf, Assistant City Manager, City of Scottsdale

Associate Members
Janet Perry, Assistant to the Town Manager, Town of Clarkdale
Jill Dusenberry, Assistant to the City Manager, City of Coolidge
Chris Anaradian, Development Services Manager, City of Tempe
Larry Dannenfeldt, Director Information Technology & Geographical Information Systems, Coconino County
Pier Simeri, Community Relations & Public Affairs Director, City of Avondale

Student Members
Robb Kolstad, MPA Student, Indiana University - Bloomington

If you are an ACMA member in transition and would like your contact information featured in this section, please contact Mary Vinzant at 602-258-5786 or mvinzant@azleague.org.

Membership dues for in-transition members are waived for one year and in-transition members receive complimentary registration to a summer and winter conference. ACMA members are encouraged to contact these individuals to offer support and/or information about employment opportunities.

Assistant to the Town Manager
Town of Marana

Where are you originally from?
I am an Arizona native, originally from Tempe.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in local government?
I originally pursued an MPA because I was interested in nonprofit work, but was dismayed in how much time was spent on fundraising and not on actually helping people. Local government seemed so much simpler - just a "no frills" approach to offering basic services to citizens. As human beings we have an obligation to serve, and working for a town seemed like a great way to connect with people on issues that really mattered to them. Read more

Management Assistant II
City of Phoenix

Where are you originally from?
I was born in a small town about 50 miles south of Chicago, Illinois - Bradley, and grew up there until I moved to Phoenix with my family in 1968.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in local government?
My career has covered technical, communication and social pursuits and began with state government right out of college. Prior to coming to the city of Phoenix, I was self-employed for 16 years until my then four-year-old twins told me I loved my job more than I loved them - complete with very specific examples of behaviors that led them to that conclusion. I was actively pursuing other-employment, so you could say the City and I found each other when the right job came along at the right time. Once here, I fell in love with being a part of the growth of individuals and communities through my role as a public servant. Read more