WHEN ROBOTS GET PHYSICAL WITH HUMANS View in PDF The year is 2035, and robots are common assistants and workers for human owners in the movie “I, Robot.” It is the story of a Chicago Police Detective, Del Spooner, and his investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning, who works at U.S. Robotics, in… Read More »

BULLY OR TEAM LEADER: LEARNING THE DIFFERENCE AND STANDING UP PDF Version We’ve heard the story a thousand times, right? You can’t give in to a bully. When the bully takes your lunch money one day, he’ll be back the next day for more. But what happens when the bully is your boss? Or a… Read More »

“YEAR OF THE WOMAN IS NOW!” Click Here to Read in PDF March 8 is International Woman’s Day, and the entire month of March is being celebrated as Women’s History Month, I thought it appropriate to dedicate this CitySpeak newsletter to recognizing the important role women have played in my career and my life. This… Read More »

“THERE’S NO GREY AREA IN YOUR PERSONAL CONSCIENCE” CitySpeak Newsletter 2019-01 There’s No Grey Area in the Human Conscience It has been a long time since I have thought about the “grey area” issue so prevalent in local government administration. Then, during a recent visit from my daughter and her husband, we engaged in a… Read More »

“Most Embarrassing Moment at City Hall” View in PDF LinkedIn reminded me that today is the birthday of City Clerk Byron Pope, MMC at the City of Beverly Hills! Actually, LinkedIn has been reminding me of Byron’s birthday for 12 years, and each year this reminds me of a most embarrassing presentation I made at… Read More »

“The Courage to Work at City Hall: A CalPERS Reflection” Click to View PDF Version It can take courage to work at City Hall, especially when a sensitive matter or high stakes initiative is on the table. To be clear, this CitySpeak article is about “prudent financial management,” NOT “whistleblower” issues. Any discussion about whistleblower… Read More »

“City Budget is Everybody’s Business…All Year Long!” Click to View PDF Are you happy the new Fiscal Year (FY) Budget is done for your municipality? Of course you are! You labored for hundreds of hours, all the way back to mid-January with the Budget Kickoff meeting. Months later, on June 30th, when your City Council… Read More »

“Give City Manager A+ Customer Service” PDF Version You may not think about the City Manager as your customer, but he (or she!) is. And for Department Heads, the City Manager is the MOST important customer at City Hall. SERVICE WITH A SMILE If you know me, you know very well that I am NOT… Read More »

“Staff Reports Due – Don’t Stress” Have you made a “new year’s resolution” for the new fiscal year that begins July 1? During my almost three decades preparing City staff reports, I would often find myself making new fiscal year’s resolutions.  First and foremost, I would promise myself I would not ever be late again… Read More »

“We’re All Stakeholders in the Budget” View PDF   We all have a stake in the City budget that is likely being presented as we speak.   CITY MANAGER’S BUDGET Although the budget that will be adopted by the City Council is technically called “the City Manager’s Budget,” the City Manager relies on a team… Read More »