By James Wickman, ICMA-CM
This is not a lecture about irrelevant posts, bad jokes, or other etiquette. I will let others carry that crusade. The MME listserv works because it is a safe place to share candid and professional questions and discussion. That success is founded on limiting access to other qualified managers. As such, I wanted to share a few reminders about the process and how you can help maintain that framework.
Access to the listserv is only for those who qualify for full MME membership. That is, their position must have significant general administrative responsibility. The level of discernment implied by this requirement is what is expected on the listserv. Please consider this as you have senior staff join MME and whether it should be as a full member or as an affiliate member. If you ever have a question about who is participating on the listserv or whether they meet this criteria, please do not hesitate to ask the Ethics Committee. One of our roles is to ensure that members are properly categorized for this and other reasons.
Occasionally, a manager will leave a community and their interim successor will have access to their email account. This can result in unintended access to the listserv by an elected official or other staff who do not meet the requirements for membership. Please report such instances so that we can quickly update the database. Even better, please ask for your email to be removed from the listserv before you depart from your role.
Our listserv has been a valuable resource to me since the beginning of my management career. One of the first peers I met introduced me to the organization and this source of email wisdom. Before I ever attended a conference or personally met more than a handful of fellow managers, I already had answers at my fingertips. Let’s work together to protect the value and integrity of this asset.
James Wickman, ICMA-CM
Township Manager, Hartland Township
Chair, MME Ethics Committee
James Wickman has been the Hartland Township Manager since 2007, and was previously Village Manager of Mayville. He started his professional career as a police officer with Pittsfield Township. You may reach him at 810-632-7498 or jwickman@hartlandtwp.com.