Rachel Witherspoon
Member, Early Career Outreach Committee
The Early Career Outreach Committee would like to invite all those in the municipal management field to a summer training session on Friday, August 16, focused on council-manager relations.
Councilmembers and managers play distinctively different roles in communities. Councilmembers serve the role of policymakers and agenda setters: adopting budgets and setting the goals of the organization. Meanwhile, managers serve the role of managing the day-to-day operations of the organization: implementing policies approved by council and coordinating staff and community services.
Effective council-manager relations depend on each party understanding the differences in their roles and acting within their scope. It can seem natural for councilmembers to attempt directing staff as well as for managers to attempt establishing policy. While at times such overstepping can seem insignificant with noncontroversial matters, it can still erode the trusting symbiotic relationship between council and managers.
While playing different roles, the main objective for council and managers is the same: serve the community they represent. When their relationship is strained, it is difficult for all parties involved to effectively serve the community without becoming dysfunctional. If the council begins distrusting their manager, they may end up hampering the manager’s ability to direct staff and complete necessary projects. Conversely, if a manager begins to feel as though the council is working against them, they may begin to shy away from important decisions in an effort to protect their job.
Symbiosis in council-manager relations not only allows for effective and improved community services aligned by the same goals, but also for strengthening the public’s trust that their leaders have the community’s best interests at the forefront of their actions.
Wherever you are in your municipal management career, we welcome you to join us for this summer training session to learn more about the importance of council-manager relations and how to effectively manage them in your community. More information about the event will follow in the coming weeks.
Rachel Witherspoon
Member, Early Career Outreach Committee
Assistant to the Village Manager, Milford
Rachel Witherspoon has served as the assistant to the village manager in the Village of Milford since June 2023. She holds a master’s degree in public administration and policy from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, along with a bachelor’s degrees in economics and business administration. She began her career in municipal management in the Village of Milford as an intern in 2021. She has since successfully completed the Women’s in Municipal Leadership Program, Michigan Infrastructure Council Asset Management Championship program, and the Redevelopment Ready Communities Programs.