Municipal leadership has grown beyond traditional areas of infrastructure, law enforcement and economic development ? it now includes public education, children and youth services, and family strengthening initiatives.
 
In some cities, there is a mayor?s education advisor who looks out for the municipal interest in school reform, early childhood learning or higher education and who is a liaison to the city?s private, parochial and charter schools.
 
In other localities, a coordinator between the city and county helps to strategize ways to promote youth participation and development, including working with at-risk youth.  

Still other cities have a deputy mayor or assistant city manager responsible for the city?s involvement in a wide variety of services affecting children and families.

?Changing Roles of Local Officials? was a featured workshop at the Congress of Cities. It provided participants with strategies to bring key stakeholders to the table, challenged the myth that children, youth and family issues are not a local government concern and highlighted methods to assess the needs of the community.

Challenging the Myth

?We recognize and value the lives of youth and families in Pasadena,? said Mayor Bill Bogaard of Pasadena, Calif., in opening the session. ?We also recognize that their needs are not always seen as a municipal issue.?
 
Fellow panelists agreed that this is a common misconception among municipal leaders.

?When Mayor Anthony Williams first offered me the job as deputy mayor for children, youth, families and elders for Washington, D.C.,? said panelist Neil Albert, ?I wasn?t too sure at the time that the city had the capacity to address these needs and that I was the man to do it.?

A handful of city governments have deputy mayors, yet it is rare to find one that is specifically responsible for developing, implementing and improving city programs available for children, youth and families.
 
Another panelist, Robbyn Wahby, serves as the mayor?s education advisor in the city of St. Louis, Mo. She has seen her role transformed from a part-time city staff person to a full-time position that provides a bridge between the mayor, superintendent, school board and other community leaders.

?Schools in our city were in bad shape and a lot of changes needed to be made, yet no one wanted to step up to the plate,? said Wahby. ?But our mayor saw this as an opportunity to venture into unknown territory and create a gateway to educational success in our city?s schools.?
 
The result is a successful city/school initiative built upon the development of a common vision with various community stakeholders.

Working with a broad array of stakeholders is one approach any city can use. Although cities are diverse in many ways including size and ethnicity, they each experience similar global issues.
 
?After looking at the statistics from our youth mapping project in Columbus, Ind., we discovered that relevant issues such as juvenile crime and youth engagement were critical not only in our city, but also for other cities in the county,? said Pamela Clark, another panelist.
 
In order to bridge this gap and strategize collectively, Clark took on the role of director of youth services for all of Bartholomew County. She is now responsible for managing youth development initiatives and working with a variety of youth in the county, including juvenile delinquents and at-risk teens.

Your City?s Next Steps

Panelists encouraged the audience to take action in whatever ways would work best in their communities.

Workshop participant Al McGeehan, mayor, Holland, Mich., says he will continue to be an advocate for healthy public schools, work with business and industry leaders and use his office as a bully pulpit for change in state and federal policy.
 
?This workshop could not have come at a better time,? said McGeehan. ?Over the past three years ? despite Holland?s economic slowdown, homeland security issues, health care costs and infrastructure needs ? my passion has always been the health of our city public schools.?
 
?We can do a great job barricading the street with orange and white construction barrels with bright flashing lights that say ?detour? as we rebuild new city roads,? McGeehan said. ?But are we as capable of addressing the need for world class public schools as we are when it comes to addressing pot holes?  I would suggest that we have to be even better!?

Details: For more information and access to resources, visit NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families website at www.nlc.org/iyef.