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2021/09/10 - Walter's Blog: City Council Retreat 2021

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
 

Being a member of the O’Fallon City Council is a tough job. In what other position are you responsible for setting policy for an $91 million enterprise where there is no experience required, no hierarchy, no specialization, vague task definition, little feedback, and all business is conducted in public meetings? It is difficult for City Council members to be successful in such a challenging environment.

We have three new members on the City Council, and 12 out of our 14 City Council members have been in office for four years or less. Despite their relative inexperience, they are required to make decisions on the future of our community. On August 30, we held a workshop to discuss the dynamics of “Governing in a Disruptive Environment.”

The session was facilitated by Dr. John Nalbandian, who is Professor Emeritus at the University of Kansas School of Public Administration and former mayor of Lawrence, Kansas. He was uniquely able to integrate the academic and the practical aspects of local government leadership.

Dr. Nalbandian’s primary insights were:

  • National politics are filtering into local elections, which makes governing more difficult.
  • Technology and social media have fundamentally changed how local governments operate.
  • Social equity issues have transformed how local governments deliver services.

Dr. Nalbandian explained that our ability to address these changes will determine how much resistance there is. He advised the City Council to “honor the past, capture the present, and shape the future.”

The City Council discussed the roles and responsibilities necessary to meet these challenges and narrow the gap between political acceptability and operational sustainability. In particular, City Council members felt the most important governance roles for future success are Strategic Visioning, Trustee/Stewardship, and Community Building. These roles will be utilized as the City Council implements the new Strategic Plan and 2040 Master Plan.

Training is essential for anyone to be successful, and the City Council is no different. The workshop was valuable because it introduced a vocabulary for the Council members to use as they deliberate important community issues. There are many exciting things happening in O’Fallon, and this training will help us to maintain the momentum.