Presenters: 

Date: 

When Politics Matter in Budgeting

• Moderator, Leyne Milstein, Director of Finance, City of Sacramento, CA

• Sean Stegall, City Manager, City of Elgin, IL• Dawn‐Marie Buckland, Director of the Office of 

Management and Budget, Town of Gilbert, AZ• Barbara Johnson, Council President, City of Minneapolis, 

MN May 20, 2014

Logistics Scan the QR code to download the presentation This session is 1 hour, 40 minutes long. There will be time for Q/A at the end. Please use the microphones for Q/A

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Our Speakerso Sean Stegall

• City Manager, City of Elgin, IL

o Dawn‐Marie Buckland• Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Town of Gilbert, AZ

o Barbara Johnson• Council President, City of Minneapolis, MN 

What to ExpectBoth elected officials and finance staff have essential roles inbudgeting and need to work together to make the harddecisions that create a budget delivering the best value for thepublic.

How to effectively adapt to a post‐Great Recession world tobecome more successful dealing with elected officials (SeanR. Stegall)

How elected official and staff roles can complement eachother in the budget process (Dawn‐Marie Buckland),

How staff can set up elected officials for success (BarbaraJohnson).

The Adaptable Finance ProfessionalWhen Politics Matter in Budgeting

Sean R. Stegall, City Manager, Elgin, ILGFOA Annual Conference – May 20, 2014

What to Expect

• This component focuses on the government finance professional as an individual

• Foundations of Adaptable Leadership behavior as applied to working with elected officials during the budget process

• Based upon a premise that the Great Recession has shifted the relationship between elected officials and vis‐à‐vis the public

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an

interest in you.”

~ Pericles

The Adaptable Finance Professional

• The World Has Changed• Adaptability• Moving into the Unknown• The Brain and Efficiency

Developing Adaptability

• StrengthsFinder• Hogan Assessment Systems• Emotional Competence Inventory

– Open to new ideas– Adaptation to situations– Handling of unexpected demands– Adapting or changing strategy

• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

Developing Adaptability

• Aim first then shoot.• Facts vs. Conjecture• Are you trading on old knowledge?• Do you need to update your skills?• Are you relying too much on your position of authority?

• If you left tomorrow what would your supervisor do to improve things? 

Breaking the Mold

• Pay Attention to Your Mental Scripts• Fight Automated Behaviors• Elected Officials have the right to be “wrong”

Summary

• Things ARE different • Uncertainty is the new status quo• Major challenges await us in the future• We must continue to evolve and adapt

The Other Side of the Same Coin

When Politics Matter in BudgetingDawn-Marie Buckland,

Management & Budget Director, Gilbert, ArizonaGFOA Annual Conference - May 20, 2014

The Role of Government

• John Locke – theory on natural law and natural rights

• Dr. Mark Cooray - Liberal Theory of the State

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau – On the Social Contract

Philosophies drive and are driven by community culture

Theories of Public Administration

• Karl Marx

• Max Weber

• Woodrow Wilson

• Dwight Waldo

Why These Matter in Local Government

Why These Matter in Budget

Financial Accountability

Budget Preparation

Budget Compliance

Long-Range Forecasting

Reporting

Financial Impact Analysis

Productivity Improvement

Cost of Services

Performance Measures

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

Policy Research

Improved Organization

Program Evaluation &

Policy Development

Strategic Planning

Policy Analysis

Citizen Satisfaction

Community Needs

Program Goals and Effectiveness

Is it really Us v. Them?

Knowledge is Power

Hoarding knowledge creates a vacuum

Nature abhors a vacuum

Guardians

We protect what we know is important

Know Thyself

• Why are you here?• Why do you do what you

do?• Why does this task need to

be done this way?

Build Reciprocal

Trust

An effective working relationship means that it is just as important that you trust them as it is that they trust you.

First Listen

• Without thinking of what you plan to say next

• Without arguing in your head about why it cannot or will not work

• To truly hear what is being asked

First Listen• Know politic leanings and

priorities of each as individuals• Attend Council meetings and

listen to what they say; each time you are getting a free speech from your client about what their interests are

• Hide your political preferences; this is not the place for them

• Set the elected officials and the community up to succeed

First Listen

• Messaging – change message accordingly without talking out of both sides of your mouth; – how does this proposal meet various interests

• The reality: timing is everything – be aware of sensitivities that may be driven by

upcoming elections

• Districts: understand community needs and loyalties regarding areas of responsibility

Then ask why

• What is the elected official trying to achieve?

• Think in terms of interests– What solutions meet multiple interests

Then share why YOU do what you do

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Simon Sinek – the Golden Circle

What

How

Why

Once trust and respect are established, memorialize them

• Vision, mission, values

• Strategic initiatives

• Long and short-term goals

• Policies – revise when no longer relevant• Procedures

• Performance management and measurement

AN ELECTED OFFICIAL’S PERSPECTIVEBarbara Johnson, Council PresidentCity of Minneapolis

The End

• Questions