Once you've been elected to public office, it’s not all congratulatory messages from friends and neighbors. People who’ve known you for years will start treating you differently.  Citizens will expect you to master the details of every issue, or attend every public event in town.  

You’ll endure seemingly endless meetings, eye-straining staff reports, and countless hours of public testimony. You’ll face the challenges of working with strong-minded, passionate colleagues. They, too, are elected independently, striving to make good decisions– just like you. 

On Saturday, December 8, 2012, PSU’s Center for Public Service is offering a one-day “Leadership Boot Camp” especially targeted at newly-elected local officials. 

Our Goal:

As quickly as possible, help you to shine in your exciting new role as Local Government Official. The topics covered in this one-day, intensive workshop include:

• Opportunities and Constraints: Understanding your role(s) as an elected board member; 
• Ground Rules: Forging effective working relationships with elected colleagues;  
• Your New Best Friend: Constructing an appropriate, working relationship with your city manager/county administrator;
• Lines that Matter: The key differences between policy and implementation;
• Effective Delegation: How to work with other boards, task forces, and advisory groups;
• Within the Fishbowl: Representing yourself and your board in public settings;
• Effective Meetings: Everyone’s responsibility, not just the presiding officer’s;
• Keeping Faith with your Voters: Effectively promoting your own priorities;
• Building Consensus: How you can – and when you shouldn’t try. 

Our Faculty:

• Scott Lazenby has been city manager of Sandy, Oregon for 20 years.  He is past-president of the Oregon City/County Management Association, and has local government experience in Washington and Arizona. In addition to his PhD in Public Administration and Policy from PSU’s Hatfield School of Government in 2007, Scott has also written several novels featuring public service protagonists.
• Joe Hertzberg – a partner in Solid Ground Consulting and formerly on the Political Science faculty at Yale University – has worked in Oregon for more than 25 years, specializing in strategy, leadership, and organization.  He has helped many local governments set goals and decide how to work together effectively, including Portland, Beaverton, Bend, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Tigard, Wilsonville – and Los Angeles. (That last one may merit some explaining).

Pricing: 

• $250 for the first newly elected board member from a given jurisdiction. 
• Just $125/person will be charged for others from the same jurisdiction – e.g. other newly-elected board members, veteran members, or city managers/county administrators. Choose the "1st Attendee" rate above for the first participant, and "Additional Attendee(s)" rate for each additional participant from the same jurisdiction.
• The price includes parking and a working lunch. 
• The price does not include EventBrite processing fees (2.5% of the ticket price + $0.99)

Important Note: This session is a designed to complement  “Governing Basics: What You Need to Know” offered by the Oregon Local Leadership Institute.  OLLI’s workshop focuses on the legal rights, hurdles, and challenges facing public officials.  Choose to take OLLI’s excellent training to help you comply with your many new legal responsibilities, along with our Leadership Boot Camp to help you set realistic goals, use your time well, and be a truly effective leader – and we’ll offer a $50 discount per participant. (For more details on OLLI, go to www.orcities.org). Please contact Christine Hanolsy at hanolsy@pdx.edu for the discount code.

Refunds and Cancellations:

We regret that no refunds will be available after 12pm on Tuesday, December 4.

With the election looming, now’s the time to think about what winning might really mean – and how to make the most of it. Register now!