What does a good day look like in local government?
David MacLennan
Chief Executive Officer, City of Vincent and Chair, Australian Urban Design Research Centre
I am often asked if I enjoy working in local government as it can be perceived as a sector that tries (but often fails) to please everyone.
It is a constant challenge for your local government to please everyone all the time as it juggles three different roles and responsibilities.
A local government is simultaneously an advocate for, an active participant in, and regulator of the local economy and community.
To get the best outcomes for the community a local government must undertake:
·????????community and stakeholder engagement
·????????strategy and planning ?
·????????land, legal, property and lease management
·????????budgeting and finance
·????????project and contract management
·????????landscaping and design ?
·????????parks and infrastructure works
·????????media and communications
And sometimes you might need to do all these things together over a sustained period to get the right outcome – just like we did to create a new local park at Haynes Street Reserve in North Perth.
Here are the testimonials of some happy locals.
These small wins make a good day in a local government.
And if you get good at these small wins you can make them happen everyday! ??
The cumulative impacts of these small wins can be transformational over time for a street, a suburb and a community.
So celebrate the small wins!
This helps reverse the mentality that local government can be one step forward, two steps back.
And makes everyday a small step forward.
Chief Executive Officer at Shire of Corrigin
1 年Looks amazing. I’m hoping our local kids will be just as impressed with our park redevelopment when it is finished very soon.
A good day in local government, in my opinion, is where an outcome is driven solely on community need and expectation, free of any political inference or motivation. Where Administration presents a well thought out position and a collection of independently minded Councillors with diverse backgrounds, led by an impartial and encouraging Mayor, come together and impartially debate the rationale presented by Administration. And despite the diversity in experience, the Councillors respect the alternate positions put forward, truly seeks to understand that and collectively pivots in the best interests of the decision. And where Administraion reflects and acknowledges the variance as a positive change with no sense of judgement on its original postiton tabled. That's not a good day, that's a great day.