Thousands of Municipal Managers to Convene in Pittsburgh Next Week... Media Invited to Attend Oct. 8 Event

    PITTSBURGH, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Are you aware that today, more than
 92 million people in the United States live in communities operated by a
 council- manager system of local government?
     In fact, half of the 7,100 U.S. cities and towns with populations of
 2,500 or greater use it as well as more than 370 other countries.
     From Oct. 7-10, thousands of these municipal managers from as far away
 as Asia will convene at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in
 Pittsburgh, PA for the International City/County Management Association's
 (ICMA) 93rd Annual Convention. This will be the first time in the
 organization's history that it will hold its convention in Pittsburgh. And,
 for many of these visitors, this will be the first time that they'll be
 visiting the city.
     Municipal management is a fascinating field that many people don't
 really know about -- from residents who managers serve to young people
 entering into government careers.
     Typically, those interested in government careers are channeled into
 state or federal government positions and don't really recognize that the
 municipal management position is available and understand how dynamic it
 can be.
     In fact, close to 50 percent of current managers are age 50 or older;
 and, within a decade, a substantial shortage of managers is expected.
     To combat this, ICMA has created the "Next Generation Program" -- a
 nationwide effort to try and identify young people interested in government
 careers and attract them into the municipal management profession as well
 as educate them on the benefits of being a municipal manager.
     To learn more about the role of municipal management as well as the
 Next Generation Program, please join ICMA on Monday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. at
 the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (Rm. 330) for a brief (30 min.)
 informal "editorial-board-style" session featuring current ICMA President
 Bill Buchanan, county manager, Sedgwick County, Kan.; Incoming President Ed
 Daley, city manager, Hopewell, Va.; President-Elect Dave Limardi, city
 manager, Highland Park, Ill.; and 2007 ICMA Annual Conference Host
 Committee Co- Chairmen Toby Cordek, town manager, McCandless, Pa.; and
 Chris Lochner, municipal manager, Hampton Township, Pa.
     WHO:       International City/County Management Association
     WHAT:      93rd Annual Convention
     WHEN:      Oct. 7-10 (Monday, Oct. 8 - Media Event), 2 p.m., Rm. 330
     WHERE:     David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA
     WHY:       To raise awareness of the municipal management role and the
                need to attract young people into the profession.
     More than 3,500 key local government leaders and decision makers and
 their guests from around the world will convene at the David L. Lawrence
 Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Oct. 7-10, 2007, for the 93rd Annual
 Conference of ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management
 organization.
     The core membership of ICMA, the International City/County Management
 Association, is comprised of the city, town, and county managers appointed
 by elected officials to oversee the delivery of essential community
 services. The decisions made by ICMA's members affect 185 million people in
 communities throughout the world.
     The outstanding lineup of keynote session speakers includes:
 
     -- Bill Strickland, who turned a near-bankrupt community training center
        on Pittsburgh's gritty north side into one of the most successful
        organizations of its kind.
 
     -- Daniel Pink, best-selling author and an expert on innovation,
        competition, and the changing world of work, who believes that the era
        of "left brain" dominance is giving way to a new world in which "right
        brain" qualities-inventiveness, empathy, and meaning-will govern.
 
     -- Futurist Dr. Lowell Catlett, whose vast knowledge of economics,
        demographics, and technology and their implications on the way we live
        and work astounds audiences around the world.
 
     -- Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns
        Goodwin, who will round out the keynote lineup with a presentation
        based on her best-selling book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of
        Abraham Lincoln.
 
     The 93rd ICMA Annual Conference also includes
 
     -- Educational sessions developed around five major issue themes that are
        driving the direction of our communities, including:
 
        * 360-degree/3-D leadership
        * Civic engagement
        * Managing health care costs
        * Performance management
        * Enhancing personal skills and interests.
 
     -- Three "career tracks" that focus on issues facing small-community
        managers; senior executives; and emerging leaders, assistants, and
        other local government employees.
 
     -- Field demos, workshops, marketplace roundtables, Solutions Track
        sessions, and opportunities to learn from and network with senior local
        government leaders from some of the most successful communities in the
        world as well as representatives from dozens of local government-
        related private-sector firms.
     Detailed information concerning the conference educational programs can
 be found at http://icma.org/conference2007 and in the conference final
 program, which will be distributed to members of the media onsite.
     About ICMA
     ICMA is the premier local government leadership and management
 organization. Its mission is to create excellence in local governance by
 developing and fostering professional local government management
 worldwide. Toward this end, ICMA, the International City/County Management
 Association, provides an information clearinghouse, technical assistance,
 and training and professional development to more than 9,000 chief
 appointed administrators, assistant administrators, and other individuals
 throughout the world.
 
 

SOURCE ICMA