What makes you strong?

I think that Casa Grande's biggest strengths can be found in their people. I think organization not only has strong leaders in the leadership roles, but also strong leaders in all other levels of the agency as well. The people who work for the organization work towards bettering their community and the region. They look towards the future and through innovation.

I think that the organization operates on a well managed budget that promotes growth while not going outside of their means. The city is growing at a steady rate that will only strengthen the economy and the agency is matching the growth demands through the services offered as well.

I think that strengths come in many forms but aren't always acknowledged or appreciated, however, I think that CG makes efforts to acknowledge the strengths they offer, especially in their staff.

Public servitude & the world of urban governance

Seeing as how my internship was with the City Manager's office, everything that we did was done as public service in the form of urban governance. All of the various city departments, together, worked to give the citizens of Casa Grande what they needed from their government. I worked on projects that involved surface streets and funding, interstate exits, economic development, public safety, the legalities surrounding the airport and its tenants...the list goes on and on. 

Everything that I found myself working around was done for the public. And it made me incredibly happy, every day. Some people grow up wanting to be business professionals, or athletes, astronauts, or writers. I have always wanted to work for the public good. One could say my public service motivation ranks fairly high. 

Airports and the early morning

Rise and shine beauties, it's a gorgeous Sunday morning! I've already been up for a few hours so I could catch a flight back to Los Angeles after a few days in Phoenix. My trip was a full two days with school, work, friends and family.

Now that I am sitting at Terminal 4 at the Cartel Coffee Bar, I'm enjoying the people watching and the experience of sipping my dirty chai as the sun comes up higher in the sky. I love people watching in general, I mean, psych undergrad, hello. While I was waiting the other day for my friend to pick me up there was a slew of interested homecomings to witness. But first thing on a weekend morning is a completely different experience.

I was getting dropped off at the curb a little bit after 6 this morning to check my bags and I was lucky enough to get stuck behind a long line of musicians piling out of one of many escalades and tahoes. I'm not sure if it's from the State Fair or what other event was taking place, but there were instrument cases EVERYWHERE. I was able to jump ahead of them, seeing as I only had two bags. As I made my way to security I was stopped for the hand residue testing, told to go into the business line, and made my way to the C gates.

As you (may, should, probably) know, ASU kicked some serious butt last night in the homecoming game against Washington. So imagine my delight as I walked up to my gate, directly next to Cartel, and I pass a whole flight full of sad looking Washington fans! I was going to just sit and work on homework and revel in the win in silence, but it was just way too easy when a couple fans came up and started a conversation. They had to catch their flight but it was a little fun to discuss the loss and the fantastic win of the Sun Devils homecoming!

The desert versus the western coastline

I'm an Arizona baby, through and through. I love the desert rain, summer sunsets, and the saguaro  cactus in the background of my surroundings. I grew up hiking the trails of the Superstition mountains and Sabino Canyon. So when I found myself back in Phoenix for class, and stranded due to car troubles for 10 days, I made sure I took a trip out into the desert for a little soul TLC.

As much as I love my desert home, I have always been quite partial to Southern California and the beaches when I needed an escape. It's a 5 hour drive or an hour long flight to find yourself kissing the pacific ocean from my home. Family vacations were often spent in Newport, Balboa, or Huntington beaches and I've escaped to Venice and Santa Monica countless times with friends. So now that I find myself living a mere 12 miles from the coast, and worked less than a mile from the PCH, I'm blessed to make much quicker excursions.

Tuesday was such a clear day that I could see the waves of the Pacific from the fourth floor conference room as we sat in a phone conference. I decided that I needed to be down in the sand after work so I made a detour west, instead of heading home inland in KTown. 

Wednesday was another coastal adventure a little bit further south. Travis and I ventured down to University of California San Diego for their Graduate school fair as representatives of the School of Public Affairs. After a four hour fair and some interesting interactions with some students, we packed up to leave. It was forecasted to be a rainy day, something strange for those living in SoCal. As Travis put the boxes into the car the rain had started. Regardless, we headed to the cove for some salt air. 

Whether I am by the waters edge or next to a 300 year old saguaro, I am so happily at peace that it makes it hard to declare a favorite. I am so excited that I have the ability to be in one place one day and the other the next. True blessings to be thankful for!

Leadership. Is it a thing?

I think that the current 'Government Shutdown of 2013' is an interesting time to be thinking about leadership, specifically leadership in the public setting of the government. Although, I think that there are a few things that need to be differentiated between what is going on in the federal setting and the role of municipal government. 

There are many who lump government together as one entity...POTUS and the City Mayor are the same, your council members are to blame for what takes place in the house, etc. Civic engagement is something that I am spending a lot of time looking at in my current position and it's fascinating to see how few people pay attention. Right now, the whole world is looking at the United States and are in an uproar about what is taking place. But still people have absolutely no clue about what is going on (take note with this lovely example). 

That snip it aside, the public reaction can be summed up in one statement: Our leaders aren't leading for the People.

What is leadership? Peter Decker said "management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." In this instance, our federal leaders aren't really appearing to be managing and they certainly aren't leading. Yes, there is a need to make sure that what passes is correct for the constituents, however, being stubborn isn't the answer either. 

That is one of the things that I find so wonderful about being involved at the city level. Leadership and management take on a different role. Sadly, citizens don't get involved enough to know the difference. 

In Casa Grande, I truly believe that the city is run by leaders. The Council and the Mayor run in a way that benefits their constituents and the staff works in the same manner. I was given ample opportunity to showcase leadership skills through the freedom and flexibility I was provided in my time with the City. The freedom, as an intern, to be allowed (and expected) to do my job, and do it well, however I saw fit for the task at hand, allowed me to put my experience as a leader to use. I was surrounded by individuals who did their job not just because it was "in their job description" but because they were civically minded with their citizens best interest in mind. 

Hey, I want to be you someday!

Seeing as how I am not placed in my internship anymore, I can't exactly do a winning interview. However, it only took a few days of observing Jim Thompson's office to know that I would really enjoy a career in city management. 

My first introduction to Jim, I won't even try to deny that I was incredibly nervous afterwards about my ability to do anything in a city manager role. Not because he's an intimidating, mean man. Rather, he's brilliant and I wasn't sure I had what it takes. My first time meeting him I was observing a budget meeting and he knew specific numbers that weren't on the print out in front of him. And I mean, to the dollar, in big budgets. He is so knowledgable and has so much experience that he is spectacular at his job. 

Jim Thompson is city manager of Casa Grande, Arizona. He has worked for various cities in Washington, Colorado and Arizona in his career. He received his bachelors from Indiana in the realm of finance and business. He has his masters, as well as his PhD which he received for organizational behavior. He is responsible for overseeing the operations of the City of Casa Grande and is the liaison between the council and Mayor and the cities departments. He works with the financial department to create an operational budget for each of the departments, oversee's the requests of the city needs and works for the citizens and the staff. His job isn't easily wrapped up into a nice, neat job description. His task is to take the resources available to the city and extend them to make Casa Grande the best version of itself. He has been with Casa Grande for a number of years and has a good relationship with the council and staff. 

Like I said previously, I was at first intimidated and briefly thought I would not be able to do the job of a city manager. But there were a few things he said after the budget meeting that quickly brushed away the fear. He stated, in so many words, that the job of the city manager isn't to always be the nice guy. It's to be the person who sometimes says no, but know that you are doing it because you have to. You won't always be favored for your decisions because everyone feels that their department needs something more importantly than another, you can't always give everyone everything. Instead, know your numbers, know what your city needs and work with that in mind. Say no, but work with them to give them everything they need to succeed. When they succeed, so do you.

I don't need to have a photographic memory to be a city manager, I have different skills that will benefit me and any agency I work for. But I do have to have the drive and the service state of mind. If I retain that, I can do well with whatever I decide to do. 

A summer spent abroad.

My brother is a freshman at ASU and is looking at changing his major to English (from business). It makes sense for him because he wants to build a career in publishing. We were discussing a lot of the decisions he's going to need to make in the next few weeks. We spent some time talking about the options about studying abroad, of which ASU offers a monumental list of options! I spent a summer session in Lyon, France a few years ago and it was by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Lyon is the second biggest city (after Paris) in France, but still feels quaint and village like. We studied at the Université Lumiere Lyon 2 and not one of my professors knew any english. We were talking about the benefits surrounding living and studying in a country that has a different language. I've never really put too much thought in it (shocking if you know me and that I overthink EVERYTHING) that I lived, studied, and did really well in a country place where no one knew english. Seriously, it's not like Paris where everyone speaks english too, Lyon is straight french. I highly recommend studying abroad to everyone who is tossing around the idea. Even traveling abroad, to a place where they don't speak english and immersing yourself in their world for a few days is lifechanging. Don't try to find the people that speak english, practice a new skill, have an adventure!

Job search begins....now!

Did you know that Career Services keeps an archive of past webinars? I do now thanks to our Career Services Manager Maryjo Douglas Zunk . You can find the archive HERE!

Since I will be graduating in May with my MPA I decided I should watch the Job Search Webinar and see what things I could learn that will help in my quickly approaching venture towards careerdom. In this 47 minute video they went over the process to best benefit you as the searching employee. They started with mentioning a few good tips that I have heard before...

• Do NOT wait until you need a job to start looking for a job.
• The best time to look for a job is when you already have one. 
• If you are graduating in May, start looking in August. (ring, ring, ring, are you paying attention?!)

Before you start your quest there are five things you should do:

1. Identify the job that you want. 
2. Build a winning Résumé. 
3. Find open positions meeting your wants.
4. Brush up on your interview skills.
5. Evaluate the offer. 

When building your résumé, keep it to 1 page per 10 years of work experience! And here are some great buzz words to keep in mind when creating that eye catching résumé!

They mentioned the importance of LinkedIn account in todays job market. (Side note to the importance of a LinkedIn, my mother was scouted by her current company through her LinkedIn to be the current Vice President of Development. They found her profile and decided they wanted her for the position. It's a great tool when used to your advantage!) Other outlets that you should use to your advantage is the SunDevil CareerLink. 

When preparing for an interview, use the Career Services Center to set up a mock interview if you feel uncomfortable. Don't forget to make a list of questions to ask the interviewer as well! I always struggle with the questions but there are oodles of suggested questions on the web. Here are some to keep in mind.

After ou have rocked the interview and there is an offer, what do you do? Take it and run? No...negotiate! These were the things they suggested when talking about evaluation of the offer:

• Research the salary ranges, know the market value of the position you are being offered with other companies or agencies.
• Know YOUR worth, the skills you bring to the table are valuable, how valuable? 
• Let them bring up the salary+benefits and look at the entire package, benefits are valuable.
• When starting salary range, it is okay to extend the range by $5,000. (I don't believe that is translatable to all sectors though)
• Focus on your goals!
• Know when to stop the negotiation...there needs to be an end and if you go too far you might risk the position or relationship.

I was going to start my search around this time anyways for after graduation, but I'm glad to know that I'm not being too eager! 

RECon 2013

RECon is a large scale conference for retailers and municipalities held in Las Vegas. Thousands attend to meet with brokers, retailers both large and small and municipal governments in an effort to bring together businesses and communities. It is no small feat to get prepared for this conference and it was another of my large assignments while being at the city.

Week 5: 

This week had me working on economic development, looking at vacant properties that could be filled with business we were hoping to meet at RECon 2013. RECon is an annual convention that is held in Las Vegas occupying the country’s largest businesses and Cities from across the country, trying to build connections to bring the businesses to the various cities. Alex, the other intern, and I were compiling a list from the 420+ pages of attendees that we felt would benefit the City of Casa Grande by meeting with, and discussing the options of bringing their business to the Sun Corridor of Arizona. Another piece of this puzzle required a COSTAR report of all of the vacant retail, office, industrial and restaurant space in the city limits. The hope and expectation is that at RECon, the City of Casa Grande will be able to bring new businesses and greater opportunities to the city by presenting the vacant property and establishing the need for their business here. And there are plenty!

Week 7: 

I am now fully juggling both the RECon assignment, the TTF assignment, and picking up little things in the office for learning experience. This week I was able to read 10 proposals we received after an RFP (Request for Proposal) was sent out for a new road construction project off of the Interstate 10.

In addition to reading through the proposals and ranking them, I also assisted in designing a new logo for the Sun Corridor to take to RECon this year. Instead of Casa Grande going as a single city, this year they opted to get a bigger booth and go as a region. The Sun Corridor Arizona is built up of Casa Grande, Coolidge, Eloy, Florence, and CAREDF (Central Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation). In doing so, we wanted a uniform appearance to be presented at the conference. My supervisor and I updated the logo to be used this year and we created a new polo as well as other material that will be going along to RECon. 

Week 9: 

Monday started with a 6 hour long budget meeting. It was the study session taking the entire city budget to council for clarification and to ask any questions. Each agency director sat in front of council as piece-by-piece of the budget was gone through. It went by more quickly than one would expect from a day-long session talking about every dollar the city has. There was another RECon meeting as well as time spent in Scottsdale working on the project.

A list had been compiled with all of the contacts we wished to reach in regards to meetings at RECon. The final list was 87 contacts of retailers, restaurants, and hospitality organizations. Everything from Toys’R’Us to Dunkin’ Donuts were included. Between Alex and I, we contacted all of the 87 businesses, sometimes multiple people at each organization, to request an appointment. Cold calls and emails took up the majority of a day and we left many a messages requesting contacts. It was interesting to see how many businesses simply were not expanding into Arizona at this time, despite the growth that Arizona is seeing once again. The Sun Corridor is experiencing 22.4% growth annually!  

Week 10:  

It is supreme crunch time for RECon. Everything must be ordered to get to the City in time to take with. Shirts, printed material, the furniture, as well as securing meetings with businesses, and building site criteria. The majority of the contacts we were in touch with have responded, however there were a few that we simply weren’t getting a response from. Of those 87, we had set 5 meetings. That is a huge success considering they were the businesses we were most interested in getting to come to the City of Casa Grande!

In addition to the materials needed for RECon, I officially finished all of the necessary documents for TTF for review by the consultant. Everything was put into a binder that John will be able to take with him on his trip this upcoming week. In two weeks, John and I will meet to make sure nothing else needs to be done and then we will take our information to the airport manager at the end of the month for presentation. It was a relief to snap the binder rings shut and see all of the work accomplished over the last few weeks.

Week 11: 

This has been the final leg in the home stretch to RECon. This week consisted of putting the finishing touches on site criteria packets for the businesses we were interested in, packing up the vehicles for the trip up to Las Vegas, and meetings discussing the final pieces of the large puzzle.

In order to get the site criteria packets to be most presentable, we first looked up the site criteria that many businesses post for the public. For instance, if you are interested in a Dunkin’ Donuts, you can google their criteria and come up with a list of the things they desire when considering opening a new location. We then set to seek out the perfect locations in our city that met the desired criteria. Utilizing ArcGIS, we were able to export maps into the documents that included the sites/PADS as well as coinciding criteria like traffic counts for the intersections they would be near to, the zoning, and nearby businesses or other tenants in the plaza. Population demographics can make or break a site selection seeing as how many businesses require a minimum number of people to consider it as an option. I chose to make the site criteria packets match the company’s existing logo and customize them further, matching fonts and colors while adding their logo at the top of the page. I’m hoping the personal touch will catch their eye at RECon and allow my supervisors to proceed with explaining why the spot is perfect for their business.

It’s been a long process to get to this point but I believe everyone feels good about where we are at in regards to progress. We have a great listing of appointments set up with the business we were most interested in bringing to Casa Grande. We have built packets to give to those businesses and we are hopefully going to be able to show that we do meet all of their needs and we will offer them room to grow with our always expanding city. As big of a relief as it is to be done, I’m anxious to see what comes of the actual conference this upcoming week.