Tell PM the Top 10 Things That Keeps a Local Government Manager Up at Night

Send your "Top 10" work-related list to PM Editor Beth Payne at bpayne@icma.org. Or send your top three. Or the top 1. It doesn't matter how long the list. These lists will be published online in this space with authors' names.

1. Why were those two councilmembers talking in hushed tones? They usually never look at each other much less speak!

2. The council holds a closed-door meeting, and the mayor wants to have a meeting with you tomorrow to discuss "personnel matters."

3. The newspaper has started running a series of articles on city bidding practices that feature how they are not being followed.

4. Several employees have been openly defiant of your authority and have been seen meeting with several elected officials.

5. Your pet project has suddenly run into a lot of resistance by some of the more "friendly" councilmembers.

6. Your wife tells you that she has been hearing rumors about the city considering changes in top management.

7. Your kids ask you what the words tenure and longevity mean. They also want to know if they will have to move to another city-again.

8. You are told that the mayor of your city was seen talking to the manager of a neighboring town in the supermarket. [And yes, the mayor was asking him if he was interested in your job. This one really happened.]

9. You are in bed trying to get some sleep and suddenly realize that you left some extremely important numbers out of the budget.

10. There's talk about a former manager that you don't see eye to eye with running for a seat on the council.

—Ivan Widom
Retired Manager
Canon City, Colorado