Leadership in Local Government

Interview with Gabriel Engeland - Town of Gilbert, AZ

As an intern for the Town Manager’s office in Gilbert, I have several supervisors; however, there are three staff members that I interact with the most. All three staff members function as an Assistant-to the Town Manager and perform a variety of duties. For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to interview Gabriel Engeland, who fills one of the Assistant-to the Town Manager positions. Gabe has been with the Town for approximately 18 months and plays a pivotal role in the Town’s day-to-day operations.  When I asked Gabe to describe his main job responsibilities he noted that he is basically a generalist, which means that he works on a variety of tasks that can involve a multitude of departments. Some of his current responsibilities include policy drafting, economic development agreements, long range infrastructure planning, and staff process improvements. Although Gabe is involved with many different functions of the Town’s operations, internally and externally, his ultimate responsibility is to implement the will of the Council and the Town Manager.

Although Gabe has excelled during his time at Gilbert, he didn’t originally envision a career in local government for himself. Early in his career, when Gabe was living and working in Detroit, he spent a significant amount of time working with nonprofits. Through his interaction with the nonprofits, Gabe found himself getting frustrated with local government operations and began to ponder methods to improve their processes and procedures. The difficulty Gabe encountered in his dealings with local governments and nonprofits inspired him to pursue a Masters in Public Administration at Kansas University.

According to Gabe, and most employers, a Masters in Public Administration (or a closely related degree) is a necessary qualification for anyone aspiring to a career in local government management. Although an MPA is a crucial first step, students need to couple their education with an internship or fellowship with a public agency. Finally, after a few years in the profession, local government professionals should seek to add economic development experience to their resume. While working in economic development is valuable, Gabe also highly recommends attaining an Economic Development Certification/Accreditation. Having these qualifications will make any applicant extremely attractive to any community.

In closing my interview with Gabe, he imparted some important advice for any person in the field. He stressed the importance of staying focused on process improvements and the progress being made in the community. In his words, if you don’t focus on the positive aspects of your work, the negative comments and rhetoric can become burdensome. Gabe’s words sum up my interest and rationale for entering the public service profession. Maintaining zeal for the public service profession can be difficult amongst a worker’s daily challenges, but if you feel compelled to serve for the betterment of the community, you know you have found the right profession. Even though I have only been in my internship for two months, I derive meaning and satisfaction from my work, and am fairly confident that I will spend the rest of my career in the public service profession.

Weekend Activities

This weekend I was able to attend Oktoberfest, which was set up at Tempe Beach Park. Every year it seems that Oktoberfest grows in size and magnitude, and this year was no exception. There was no entrance fee, which was a nice perk when compared to the Oktoberfest that was held at Salt River Fields this past weekend. There were plenty of rides, games, fun foods, and alcoholic beverages. While I did not get a chance to enjoy a funnel cake or corndog, I did get to sample some seasonal beer and wines. Overall, I thought the event was well operated and it provided a great source of entertainment for all ages. And while I’m not sure of the exact dollar amount, I am sure that the event provided a nice revenue boost to Tempe’s local economy too!

The Role of Leadership

Leadership plays a crucial role in my internship because I work in leader-centric environment. Almost every organization has a president, CEO, or some type of leader that is responsible for making decisions on behalf of the organization and its employees, and local government is no different. However, the leadership model in local government is two-fold in that it is mostly generated from the Manager and the Council. The Council consists of an elected body of leaders that are selected based on their ideology and capacity to represent the constituents of their community. It is the Council’s objective to set directives on local policy, while the Manager is responsible for leading and directing employees to carry out the will of the Council, while protecting and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of the community. There is also a third rail of leadership in local government, which is produced by the citizens, businesses, and local agencies. These stakeholders are often responsible for leading other community members, business owners, and agencies, to the accomplishment of a shared goal.

Although I am only an intern, I have already been given the latitude to exercise a leadership role. Presently, I am leading an internal working group that will seek to develop policy and regulations for mobile food vending (food truck operations) in Gilbert. My supervisors have pushed me to develop this aspect of my professional skills and often lead me through their own actions. Whether leadership qualities are innate or developed through professional experience, every manager needs to be comfortable leading both staff and the community as a whole.