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

The Summer Conference Planning Committee chaired by Pam Kavanaugh, Assistant City Manager for the City of Glendale, met for the first time on Friday, April 27, 2007. This year's conference theme is "Commitment to Leadership: Your Community, Your Profession, Yourself."

This year's conference will begin bright and early on Wednesday, July 25 at 7:00 with the ACMA Golf Tournament. Lunch will be offered to all registrants at the Flying V restaurant from 12 noon-1:00pm. Read more

2007 Public Officials of the Year Award

Every year since 1994, Governing has honored individual state and local government officials for outstanding accomplishment by naming them Public Officials of the Year. Elected, appointed and career officials from any branch of state or local government are eligible. Readers and Governing.com visitors are invited to nominate individuals who have had a notable positive impact on their department or agency, community or state. Read more

Bob O'Neill
Executive Director, ICMA

ICMA joined with the Innovation Groups (IG) and the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University (ASU), to create the Alliance for Innovation. The Alliance represents an evolution of the Innovation Groups into a larger collaboration designed to advance the discovery of leading ideas and the transfer of best practice to local government. Read more

June 26, 2007, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Register for an exciting audioconference on developing and maintaining positive, effective, and productive relationships with your elected officials. "Build Great Council Member Relationships" will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT. Martin Vanacour, Ph.D., CEO of Dynamic Relations and former city manager, and Kathie Novak, mayor of Northglenn, Colo., team up to give you valuable insights into the changing dynamics of the delicate council member relationship. Read more

September 26 - 28, 2007
Crowne Plaza Hotel - I-17 and Peoria Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona College of Public Programs, Arizona State University

"Immigration and the Public Sector" is presented by the Bob Ramsey Executive Education Program at Arizona State University. The Ramsey Executive Education Program has served public sector clients from international, federal, state, county, municipal and tribal government for the past 25 years. Read more

Municipal WiFi is coming. Government employees, not citizens, may be the biggest users.

By CHRISTOPHER SWOPE

Reprinted with permission from the May 2007 issue of Governing magazine.

If you're looking for cadres of BlackBerry addicts or Bluetooth-heads, don't look in Corpus Christi. There's nary a laptop computer to be seen on the sleepy streets downtown, not a handheld gizmo in sight on the breezy promenade by the bay-front marinas. Yet, this south Texas community keeps landing on top-10 lists of the world's "most digital" cities. Read more

Elizabeth Kellar, Washington, D.C., and Jan Perkins, Laguna Beach, California.

Reprinted with permission from the January/February 2007 issue of PM magazine published by ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management organization, Washington, D.C.

Ethics has been at the core of the city and county management profession since ICMA was founded in 1914. And ethics can never be taken for granted.

As Clinton Gridley, city administrator, Woodbury, Minnesota, puts it: "Our organization's ethical underpinnings need constant tending, just like a garden. The organization may have a good reputation, but if there are momentary lapses, all of the good work and reputation we have built can be blown away." Read more

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.

Active
Julie Ayers, County Administrator, Yavapai County
Alan Baker, Town Manager, Town of Duncan
David Cavazos, Deputy City Manager, City of Phoenix
David Darger, Town Manager, Town of Colorado City
Clifford O'Neill, City Manager, City of Somerton
Lloyce Robinson, Town Manager, Town of Youngtown
Carl Swenson, Deputy City Manager, City of Peoria

Associate
Scott Butler, Government Relations Coordinator, City of Mesa
Michael Campos, Management Assistant II, City of Phoenix
Wendy Escoffier, Clerk of the Board, Coconino County
Greg Gonzales, Neighborhood Specialist, City of Phoenix
Katie Gregory, Development Agreement Coordinator, City of Peoria
Matthew Hanson, Grants Administrator, City of Goodyear
Patrice Kraus, Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator, City of Chandler
Kysa Meyerer, Management Intern, City of Chandler
Dr. James Svara, Professor, ASU School of Public Affairs
Joshua Wright, Assistant to the Town Manager, Town of Marana

County Manager
Navajo County

Where are you originally from?
I was born in Orange, CA. My family moved to Gilbert, AZ in July 1976. I prefer to join my wife and 4 children as a native, but can only claim "near native" status. We moved to Navajo County in August 1999.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in local government?
I started my career in Public Service as an intern and staff member in the AZ House of Representatives. While working for the State, I quickly realized that I very much enjoyed and felt "called" to government at the local level, all while falling in love with Navajo County. I went back for my MPA at ASU while at the State and moved to Navajo County. Read more