How to Engage and Serve Your Community: Insights from a City Manager
- Catherine Huckaby
- May 1, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 12, 2024
Growing up in the small town of Brock, TX, Candice Edmondson learned the value of having a strong community and the importance it brings to a person's life. In her senior class of 35 students, everyone knew each other, and the community supported anyone who needed help. Candice shared, "If someone had a health issue or a family was facing a challenge, the community rallied around them."
In graduate school, Candice initially studied nonprofit management, but her first real exposure to local government came when she landed an internship with the City of Southlake. She had the opportunity to work on various projects and learn about the work that elected officials and city staff do to serve their community. She shared, "I got a good understanding of what it's like to work in local government and it changed my career trajectory."
Today, while serving as the City Manager of Richland Hills, TX, she encourages all government agencies to provide similar opportunities to students, "I think it's very important that local government organizations provide internship opportunities and connect with local universities to make sure they know we have available opportunities. We should welcome young professionals into our organizations and give them a well-rounded, in-depth experience."
"I love the ability to serve a community, solve problems, help residents, and overcome challenges. It is rewarding to know that you can have a positive impact on the quality of life in your community."
The Importance of Community Engagement in Public Service
Candice believes that community engagement is the foundation of public service.
"Community engagement to me is at the heart of what we do in public service. We're here to serve the community."
She feels the key to successful community engagement is providing various opportunities for both staff and residents to interact, volunteer, and share feedback. As she puts it, "We need to allow them to voice their concerns and opinions on those services and projects because it's their investment in the community."
She also believes that effective community engagement involves keeping people informed about the services being provided to them. She feels that "community engagement is done well when your residents and your business owners feel informed, and that they've been given opportunities to engage and interact."
Understanding that multiple generations are now living and working together and using different forms of communication and engagement is also important.
She emphasized that we now live in a digital age with numerous ways to connect with people, as well as traditional methods like email and phone calls.
She noted that it's important to consider this when sharing messages and telling an organization's story, instead of relying solely on one platform. Local government needs to be mindful of all the engagement options available in order to effectively reach every community member.
"We have to make sure that we're pushing the information and engagement opportunities in ways that everyone can see them."
Being Flexible and Versatile
According to Candice, the biggest difference between working for a small city versus a larger city is the number of individuals being served and the variety of services provided. As she puts it,
"The City of Richland Hills is full-service. We may not have all the individual elements because we are much smaller, and we have a much smaller staff. We must be more flexible and versatile in some cases and not as specialized as larger organizations. At the end of the day, we're all serving a community, and the quality of service we provide should be the same."
Candice is excited about the plans, initiatives, and goals the city of Richland Hills has set for their community. She is proud of the work they've been doing, which includes launching their first citizen survey last year, and happy that the residents are starting to take notice of the effort the organization is putting forward to communicate, serve, and include them.
7 Key Skills to Effectively Serve Your Community
Candice suggests building these skills to help navigate the complex landscape of public service:
1. Build a strong peer network
"I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a strong peer network. ... that sharing of stories and getting the inside knowledge of how somebody else handled a particular situation is extremely helpful."
2. Be thoughtful and considerate
"Take a step back and think about the process of how the job gets done, what that result is going to be, and how the community’s going to feel. With thoughtful consideration, the entire situation can be more beneficial to everybody."
3. Develop excellent communication skills
"I think excellent communication skills and high emotional intelligence are important. There's a lot of interaction with our residents and businesses, and that involves actively listening."
4. Practice critical thinking
"It’s important to have critical thinking skills and the ability to solve problems and work through challenges."
5. Maintain a positive mindset
"Having a positive mindset allows you to view challenges as opportunities to make something better."
6. Tailor your message to your audience
"You really must tailor your interactions and messages to individuals in a way that they can receive what you’re sharing."
7. Respect diversity
"I think it's very important to keep in mind that everybody's different. Everybody has a different viewpoint and perspective. Everybody has a voice."
Ascending the Ladder: How to Promote Within Government Agencies
Acquiring real-world knowledge and applications is also paramount for those looking to promote within government agencies. She advised,
"If you want to advance into an executive-level role in local government, I think understanding public finance, planning, and zoning are all important."
According to her, "it’s important to understand public finance and governmental accounting because it’s so much of what we do."
Candice also emphasized the importance of planning and zoning, stating that "There are a lot of nuances when it comes to land use and development. There’s more to it than just the things property owners can do within city regulations and ordinances."
Conclusion
Candice Edmondson's experiences while growing up in a small town taught her the value of having a strong community and support system. An enlightening, positive experience as a college intern further inspired her to pursue a career in local government. Her lifelong dedication to serving others and drive to connect with her community are displayed in the thoughtful advice she offers to inspire others to pursue opportunities in public service careers.