by Lynn Tipton, Executive Director
I’ve completed my office move to the FLC Orlando offices downtown, and hope to see many of you who live along the I-4 corridor at upcoming classes and workshops. After 27 years in Tallahassee, it is both challenging and rewarding to be in a new place.
The latest issue of ICMA’s PM just came in the mail, and as I looked at the article on “next generation in public service,” I was struck by the statistics on Generation X, the Millennials and how often they expect to move and relocate. I remember an old ICMA cartoon done by a longtime manager that featured a man in a suit upon a camel, with a briefcase reading “professional local government manager” and the caption, “Nomads of the Profession.” When I started with FCCMA, the tenure of city and county managers in Florida was just under five years, compared to a national average of five years. Today, we are between 6.5 and seven years, and the national average is seven.
Some of you have experienced the twice-in-a-decade move; the corporate estimates for Millennials looks more like three to four moves-in-a-decade. For younger local government professionals, I wonder what the statistics will be in 20 to 30 years? The challenge for many managers is trying to raise a family with any stability when moving from post to post (very comparable to the military, I believe). With today’s technology; however, it is easier to be apart and still connected – although Skype is no substitute for a physical hug! I’ve seen a few future workplace videos that show all employees working from home without the need for an office and have tried imagining cities and counties without centralized administrative buildings. This is very possible in theory, but what would this really be like on a day-to-day basis?
Your FCCMA board and committees are already working on next year’s conference theme, and the importance of finding, training and keeping the next generation of local public managers will be a key element – so stay tuned for more on this important issue. In the meantime, I wish you all the best with finalizing your budgets!
