POST 2024 ELECTIONS - Counties and Teamwork are Best Choices to Build Back Trust

There really is no crash course for governing in America today. Election Day 2024 is now less than one month away. We, as a nation, need to start preparing to govern out of the gate with much more of a bipartisan effort?now more than ever. The USA is at a boiling point and office holders need to calm the electorate, project hope, inspiration, and give the American people a reason to believe and trust in our governmental leaders. This can most effectively be built by County Governments in America.

By Kevin McManus, Former Deputy Broome County Executive, and 30-year award winning High School Basketball Coach.

?One of the most important chapters in my upcoming book?“My Experiences Coaching Government”?surrounds how America’s Leaders must quickly and carefully move toward getting back to working together as governing teams. We must end the tumultuous political chaos to help the American people, immediately. WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO let things go back to business as usual. We need a strategy and a pregame plan to make this happen.

In my experience as Deputy Broome County Executive, we experienced many of these highly partisan issues and we eventually found a way to make our government work for our people. It took courage, discipline, and a sense of duty to our people. Today, I proudly say that Broome County is one of the shining stars across the country and we got there by putting aside partisan politics.

Today, mostly due to partisan bickering and misinformation, a significant percentage of people in America question the accuracy and sincerity of:

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We need to work as a team and get back to trusting one another and all things necessary for a healthy democracy. Now.

MSNBC Morning Joe?Co-Host and former US Representative?Joe Scarborough, R (FLA.) has said publicly many times, that he believes that the United States was run well when he served in Congress. Scarborough believes that while in session, Congressional Democrats and Republicans lived?in the same communities in the DC area, attended the same churches, socialized?together, and things ran much smoother than today’s government. Representatives and their families went to the same school functions, children participated in many of the same activities such as sports, acting in plays and participated in many school clubs and community activities?together.?They all felt a better sense of connectedness. This does not exist much at all today in the Washington, DC area with today’s class of elected officials. Success comes down to being connected, developing trust, and working together.

When I speak to the Leadership of other Counties, graduate classes at universities or even basketball teams, I am often asked about how we were able to set aside all our differences and bring all sides together and work as one team in County Government. In my tenure as Deputy Broome County Executive, I felt that I was the unofficial point person or coach for helping bridge our deep political divide that we had in 2017 when we entered Broome County Government in upstate N.Y. The overall effort was deemed highly successful, but it was not because of anything extraordinary that I personally did in this process. It was because we found ways for Republicans and Democrats to eventually come together to work as a team for our people, but it took focus, creativity, and time.

Early on, both sides made their fair share of mistakes. Just like many of my basketball teams, we had individuals from various backgrounds with totally different ideas on how to be successful utilizing various methods and skill sets. There were even some very contentious relationships that we had to navigate. We lacked trust in one another. We weren't a united team. We fell into exactly the situation where America sees itself today. In basketball it starts with a coach building a winning team. Coaches first develop many opportunities by getting our teams to bond. We develop mutual achievable goals and become the best version of ourselves as one team. This builds trust, teamwork and eventually success. We went to work on building relationships and bonding opportunities in our county government.

For example, one day, as I was serving as the point person for our Administration on a small sub-committee for a controversial and timely Request for Proposal that had to be developed. The point person for the Legislature Majority was a member of the opposite party. He arrived to one of our first meetings and said, “If this is pretty much a political thing and more business as usual, I’d appreciate it if we get things done quickly tonight. My son has a 5:30 Little League Game in West Corners.” When the meeting was over, I decided on the way home to go watch his son’s game. As he was warming up his son who was pitching, he threw the ball back to his son on the mound. I yelled to him from behind the backstop, “I thought you’d have a better arm than that Steve.” He laughed and turned and looked over and said, “What are you doing here”? I replied: “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.” Ever since that moment, a friendship started, and then many conversations started and before you knew it, incredible results started coming for the residents of Broome County.

We all were able to shake off all the past and build a present, and a future. We all started working together to solve a long-term county budget crisis that the NYS Comptroller’s Office said was a poster child for a Municipality in Severe Fiscal Distress. Later, we partnered with the Legislature and worked closely together as we battled the deadly pandemic, again receiving high marks for our efforts. (*Many thanks and recognition must be given to New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario and his staff for the role they played in these efforts during the pandemic as well.) These policy and project victories led to many more victories that continue to today. And it pretty much all started with a friendly gesture.

Today, just 7 years later the results are in: Broome County cut taxes for the sixth straight year, enjoyed two successive New York Comptroller Perfect Fiscal Score Assessments, and the county now has $50M in its fund balance and an outstanding working relationship between the two major political parties. There is teamwork, trust, and connectedness and that is a recipe for success. It was not easy, but it finally worked. Many thanks to Democrat Jason Garnar who serves as Broome County Executive and Republican Chairman Daniel J. Reynolds of the Broome County Legislature, and all the members of the Broome County Legislature, the Sheriff and District Attorney.

The ability to watch this all unfold up close and in person allows me to confidently assess how I feel we as a nation can come together for our people and start to work as a team as we finally approach the November 2024 Elections:

1.??????IT STARTS WITH COUNTIES:?The closest level of government to the people with the best chance of healing the USA are County Governments. The Counties are the level of government that are the most hands on and effectively dealt with the management and response to the worst pandemic in a century. These officials are mostly still in the community, are regularly seen at community events and available in person and already have a decent relationship with their constituents. There is now a built-in trust and governmental infrastructure with Counties and their leaders. Cities can also be as big of a part of the solution too. We must take advantage of this well-respected governmental capital.

?2.??????BUILD A WINNING TEAM - EARLY BIPARTISAN COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS’ MEETINGS?- As County election results are certain, the entire Legislative Branch and the Chief Executive and staff should meet and lay out a gameplan with a bipartisan agenda or at least select several representatives to meet in a bipartisan spirit of cooperation. These bipartisan meetings need to be scheduled regularly especially early on, and food and beverage is a must. Food is the all-time equalizer. We all have that in common. We all love to break bread and socialize. The climate is ripe for excellent results in an environment built entirely for connectedness. The Chief Elected Official from each party should steer the team meeting as “Co-Captains” and it should be as informal and user friendly as possible. The agenda should be public, and updates should be provided, and successes trumpeted throughout the regions. Let the people know that the government can work and be effective.

?3.??????ADD FEDERAL AND STATE PARTNERS?TO THE TEAM. They are usually out of town, but when in town they should be a part of the solution. Federal and State Representatives must play a strategic role. It brings the effort full circle and hopefully these results can find their way back to the state capitals and Washington, DC. Many of the important issues and challenges that Counties currently have can be assisted by State and Federal presence, dialogue, and contributions. We as a government can come out of the gate with a fresh start and focus on our work for our people.

4.??????FINALLY, CELEBRATE US. ALL OF US. - All these elected representatives should make the effort to be visible in the community and celebrate and participate in the holidays and special events right after the election. (Veterans Day Parades, Thanksgiving Food Donation Challenges, Pearl Harbor Day Remembrances, December’s Special Religious Holidays, New Year’s Day Elected Official Inaugurations, MLK Birthday Celebrations and the new Presidential Inauguration. It would get things off to a great start and the feeling of being connected to one another at the county level.

?All it takes is REAL Leadership. If we could try to accomplish this agenda, we would be off to a great start and ease the transitions of current and new administrations with a commitment to a renewed spirit of cooperation. We must make this a priority, or this political backbiting will continue to spread to our people and our families and friends as it is today. And it is beneath us, and we all know it. It is time to take the first steps.?

America - Just as in coaching basketball, our team will aways face adversity. We need to start with building a team that will work together. Establish our team goals, utilize our strengths to develop a game plan and strategy, make necessary adjustments and put it in play. Then we will once again celebrate our wins, but as a team. That is how America became successful, and we need to get back to it.

?Kevin M. McManus

follow me on X/Twitter @KevinMcManus100

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