Advocacy Committee Update

Pat McGinnis
Chair, Advocacy Committee

The goals set for the Advocacy Committee by our board are perpetual; we will keep working on these and refining our advocacy efforts.

We were asked to create materials to be used by the membership to advocate for the profession in our home communities. We’ve created:

  1. Two customizable, fresh PowerPoint decks
  2. A standard press release template to be used as a frame for your outreach efforts
  3. A lovely one-pager that highlights the value of the council-manager form

We were asked to intentionally connect with our peer organizations. We attended and presented at the

  1. Elected Officials Academy
  2. Michigan Municipal League Convention
  3. mParks Conference
  4. Michigan Township Association Convention

We were asked to approach our regional groups and seek social media posts and articles about managers’ success across the state. We’ve had limited response; thank you to those members who have attended and are attending regional meetings to encourage outreach. I flew to Portugal just to do a Facebook post from City Hall in Viseu.

We’ve been asked to be in “ready mode” for when the Lansing Charter Commission seeks feedback or testimony on our success as a form of local government. We are ready, and your phone might ring (ok, we will probably email or text you) when we need a champion.

We lost two members since our last article, so if you think you have what it takes, please ask Christian for a mid-year appointment to the Advocacy Committee.

See you in Marquette!

 

Pat McGinnis
Chair, Advocacy Committee
City Manager, City of 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.