The International City/County Management Association student chapter at Texas State University (ICMA-TXST) hosted an event titled, “Navigating Council” on February 24th. The Zoom session consisted of a structured conversation with James Fisher, city manager of Brenham, Katherine Caffrey, assistant city manager of Cedar Park and Clay Pearson, city manager of Pearland.
The session centered on the strategies for navigating the working relationship with current and former councilmembers to manage a municipality, while avoiding political landmines. Participants stressed the importance of availability, honesty, and openness in council-manager relations. The panelist also provided advice for students considering a career in city management including the importance of individual’s understanding their own strengths and weaknesses and the importance of experience and networking.
For more information on Texas State’s International City/County Management Association student chapter, please contact Dr. Marc Wallace at maw301@txstate.edu.
