LM Council President

The Manager and Council President form a management partnership by representing the administrative and political agendas of the city. The manager can present the “how,” “way” and “means” conversations and the council president the” intent,” “expectations” and “motives” of city policy. Meeting with the public in these settings encourages citizen involvement in the decision making process.

The council president is not crucial to the organization’s operation because the plural executive organization provided by the council spreads out the responsibility for policy initiation. In addition, the manager has considerable informal influence, based on expertise and staff support, over the generation of proposals, and he has formal authority to direct implementation. Still, the council president can have a significant impact on governmental performance through contributions to the governing process that, though different from those of the “executive” mayor, are still important.

The elements of leadership can be organized in two categories. One category is a coordinative function in which the council president is more or less active at pulling together the parts of the various communication networks among elected officials, governmental staff, and community leaders. Although they can and do interact with each other independently, the council president - if he has done his homework- can transmit messages better than anyone else in the government because of his broad knowledge. He therefore has a unique potential to expand the level of understanding and improve the coordination among the participants in city government.

The second element is guidance in the initiation of policy, which may be done as part of the coordinating function or separately. The council president not only channels communication but may also influence and shape messages being transmitted. He can also use more dramatic techniques to raise issues and put forth proposals, but these must be used cautiously because he runs the risk of alienating the council, whose support he needs to be effective.

The ceremonial function is the dimension of leadership that observers of city government typically see. The council president should be making appearances at many various meetings, dinners, and other special occasions. The position within the council/manager form of government was designed to serve as spokesman for the council, enunciating positions taken, informing the public about coming business, and fielding questions about the city’s policies and intentions. In these two activities, the council president builds an extensive contact with the public and media, which can be a valuable resource. In addition, the council president presides at meetings. In so doing, he sets the tone for meetings and may exert mild influence over outcomes by guiding the debate, by drawing more from some witnesses and limiting the contributions of others, and by determining the timing of resolution issues. Councils often face difficult choices and, like small groups generally, depend to some extent on the resolve of the leader either to decide or delay.

The Lake Mills Council has never formally set these as functions of the Council President and the Council President is asking forthe Council to support these elements of Council Leadership.