By Pat McGinnis
The Advocacy Committee held meeting number six in June and noted substantial progress in key areas:
- Connect with Peer/Partner Organizations
We’ve identified 17 peer groups and are reaching out to engage all of them. At least five members of the committee have met with success and others continue to work on contacts at:
MAMC, MACP, MAFC, APWA, TAMC, MWEA, AWWA, MMTA, MGFOA, MAM, MAMA, MAP, MTA, MML, MAC, MPERLA, and MRPA
We are primarily focused on MML, MTA, and MAC. If you would like to serve as a liaison to any of our peer groups (Fire Chiefs, Michigan Treasurers, Recreation and Parks, etc.) or have an interest in helping provide content for Social Media sites, contact any member of the Advocacy Committee. - Connect with Elected Officials Academy
Jason Smith (Litchfield) and Jared Olson (Roosevelt Park) presented a session on effective Council Manager relationships at the Advanced Elected Officials Academy in Bay City on Saturday, May 20. The dozen elected officials in attendance were thoughtful and enthusiastic about future opportunities to engage one another at training events. - Develop Materials
Jason and Jared presented excellent slide decks at the Advanced EOA and have agreed to let the membership plagiarize the content. Contact any member of our committee (or me at mcginnip@portagemi.gov) for a copy. These can be used at your public meetings, local service clubs, school presentations, and any other opportunity where you have a chance to advocate on behalf of the profession. - Expand Social Media Footprint
Jared Olson volunteered to dabble and will be getting access to our You Tube and Twitter accounts. We will advance the concept and try to enable more members to access our secret code so we can tell our story regularly in real time.
Lisa Nocerini (Wayne) expressed concern that her budget allows for little travel and training, and other means of presenting advocacy materials would be welcome in her city. Jason Smith volunteered to road trip to one of her meetings, and members were inspired to pursue this idea at our July meeting—we can be an army of advocates willing to attend fellow managers’ meetings and present an excellent slide deck on the virtues of professional local government management coupled with strong legislative leadership.
Pat McGinnis
Chair, Advocacy Committee
City Manager, Portage
Pat McGinnis has been active in the MCMA/MLGMA/MME since 1987, when he first worked in a manager’s office in the City of Farmington Hills. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from Michigan State University and has served as city manager in the Michigan municipalities of West Branch, Grand Haven, and Portage. He served a term on the MLGMA Board of Trustees and received the Excellence Award in 2012 and an Innovation Award in 2020. He and his wife Tina live in Portage, Michigan with their bunny, cat, and puppy. He can be reached at mcginnip@portagemi.gov.