Thank You

Dear City of Apache Junction:

I want to thank you for what has been a wonderful internship thus far. I cannot simply state in words how grateful I am for the opportunity to learn under city management, finance, and human resources. Every day I learn about how much I do not know, which encourages me to work even harder and learn as much as I can before I finish in late July.

I especially appreciate the mentorship that Matt Busby and Bryant Powell have offered, allowing me to ask many questions and to gain from their wisdom through active listening. Without their leadership and the kindness of the rest of the Apache Junction staff, the internship in the city manager’s office would not be the same.

A simple and short thank you is not enough to express my gratitude for the education I have received already in a little over a month. I am looking forward to finishing my projects in Apache Junction and I am excited for all of the new things to come.

All the best,

Boaz Witbeck

The Lessons I’ve Learned

For my internship with Apache Junction, I have learned an exorbitant amount of beneficial information. I am very grateful for the amount of effort that the city manager’s office and other employees within the City of Apache Junction have offered to support me in my master’s of public administration (MPA) internship.

As a student, I pay for my internships because I believe in the power of having real world experience to apply what I am learning in the classroom. I have accomplished that basic goal, but more specifically I will address the three goals that I wrote about in my very first blog:

1. To learn the many ways that the CIP fits into the overall budget plan and to find the best fit from the options I will research for AJ
2. To build professional relationships and get to know the roles and importance of various persons within the city manager's office
3. To prepare myself to be a budget analyst and a future leader in city government

For simplicity’s sake, I will address whether I have accomplished these goals so far in a list of three corresponding comments:

1. This first goal of the CIP is actually one of the main goals that has not come to fruition. It is quite ironic that the primary project I thought would be consuming my time is barely a blip on the radar. Instead, I am editing and organizing the content of the city’s budget book, collecting and creating organizational charts from all the city departments, and doing research for other important managerial issues.
2. I have definitely been able to build good professional relationships and learn about the importance of many departments in AJ. I am offered many opportunities for quality time with both Assistant City Manager (who is actually acting as the interim City Manager) Bryant Powell and Assistant to the City Manager Matt Busby. They both are previous interns, know where I am coming from, and want to help me have the best experience possible at AJ. I have also come into contact with multiple department heads with my projects and it has been very rewarding to learn about everything the city does and how it functions as a whole.
3. I do believe I am much more prepared for the next step in my career likely as a budget analyst or perhaps even an assistant to a city manager. I want to be involved in local government in the future and I will be able to use my experience in AJ to talk about my skills and knowledge as a future leader and administrator.

The most important thing I have learned from this internship is that I like the job of working in the city manager’s office and is something I can see myself doing for years to come. I enjoy the challenge of communicating with many people with various personalities and multiple types of issues at once. I thrive off of difficulty and excelling in potentially stressful situations.

Although I do not know if I want to work in city government all of my life, I see it as a next step to bigger and better things. And as long as I keep learning, I’ll keep growing not only in my career, but also as a person.

"Career Services" Must Die

Andy Chan, the Vice President for Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University in Florida, says Career Services must die. 

In this online lecture about how students and career advisers should approach "Career Services", Chan says that college recruiters often leave students disillusioned by the end of four years about why they should get a good education.

One of the many reasons why people get an education is to get a better job and hopefully make more money than if they did not go to college. And perhaps that's the immediate case with some professions, for example science and engineering. There are some specialized skills that one must learn in college to be able to be the most successful as an engineer or a scientist.

However, a lot of people, including myself, go to college for a liberal arts degree. I got dual degrees in political science and economics. Although I could have chosen a career path as political scientist or an economist, that's not what I'm doing now. I am working in a call center for American Express, delivering great customer service every day (which I am very grateful and count myself blessed to have). 

But I didn't need a degree to get the job, and as Chan says, this is why there is a lot of angst among college graduates--they either aren't finding a job or are working in a job they could have gotten maybe a year or two out of high school.

A good job does not come easily. A lot of times employers are looking for people with experience and don't count a degree as business experience.

But thankfully there is another side of the coin. Businesses and employers have communicated to career services that they want to hire the best student available that is interested in their industry, not just the best business student.

Andy Chan has changed the name from "Career Services" to "Career Development" because he believes any career-related office is a long term commitment by students and employers to develop their career with internships and opportunities to talk with professionals in a field they may still be exploring. The goal of a career-focused department should be to facilitate multiple arenas of career development (ex. interviewing, internships, etc.) and to encourage students to engage with employers well before they get to the end of four years of college.

A Positive Perspective

"I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind." - Ecclesiastes 1:14

One of the podcasts I have been listening to  recently has been talking about the message of the book of Ecclesiastes. Without critical analysis, reading this biblical book will get you depressed. Why would a book in the Bible say all is vanity, that everything under the sun is utterly worthless?

Is life really worthless?

The perspective from the author is to show two opposing perspectives, which I think are very relevant for opposing worldviews in the United States.

1. The first worldview is that history is cyclical. That there is no ultimate purpose in the events that happen on earth. Nothing new every really happens. Life is lived in the present only, without an eternal perspective. It is the perspective that says "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" because everyone will die and evil happens to everyone.
2. The second perspective says that there is a God and that there is an ultimate purpose in the events  (good and evil) of the past and present that are leading to an eternal outcome. This is a worldview that says the actions that you do on earth matter eternally. 

Ultimately, the author of Ecclesiastes reveals his true opinion at the end of this persuasive book which juxtaposes two conflicting perspectives:

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

The author concludes in the last two sentences that the end of the matter lies in a God who exists whom we should honor and obey. And in the end, God will judge the righteous and evil deeds of men to reveal his justice.

Moving Tomorrow

Moving to a new place is almost always something I dread. Especially in the Arizona heat.

There's always the ominous giant couch or something else that you know is extremely heavy that you do not want to lift, even with the help of two or three other people.
And in the back of your mind you have the horror stories of 14 hour days of moving things back and forth because you didn't get enough people to come and help you. Or, in what my opinion is the worse scenario is when you go to help someone move and they have only packed half of their stuff, so a good portion of the time you're packing instead of moving.

Packing and moving at the same time is a nightmare.

I am of the opinion that almost everything should be packed beforehand and there should be just a handful of things that can be packed in the last hour before people start arriving to help. Since my lease is up for this year and I am getting new roommates, I have a new season of my life starting and moving is just one of those steps to help me get on track.

For everyone else who is moving sometime in the near future in Arizona, stay hydrated, make sure to plan your packing ahead of time,  and invite people to help earlier rather than later.

Can Eternal Life Be Earned by Being Good?

I have been reading through the Bible chronologically this year and currently there have been some reoccurring themes I have noticed in my studies. Also, at my church (Tempe Vineyard Church), we are going through a sermon series of the book of Romans written by Paul the apostle and author of much of the New Testament of the Bible.

The main theme that has been highlighted to me is that salvation and eternal life is something only God can give. It cannot be earned. It cannot be gained by doing good things. It cannot be because of the works of any man.

Paul argues:

 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." (Romans 3:23-25)

Also, I read today in Galatians 2:16, which is also written by Paul, that:

"yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law,because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Through my studies I have come to have a more full understanding of the grace of God. Salvation and eternal life are not something I can earn, but it's a gift of God for those who have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Although this is just a portion of scripture, the truth portrays that God is love and that He is truly good in all that he does for all mankind. That every person sins and does wrong, but he still chose to offer his Son for all of mankind.

Public Service and Urban Governance

Apache Junction is an excellent example of a local government that portrays the ideals of public service and urban governance.

Public service, which is generally defined as a service or public good provided to citizens within a particular jurisdiction, is the basic purpose of any local government. Apache Junction provides services that include: public safety, public works, public library, development services, and many more areas of public need.

The overall good for the city of AJ is the completion of projects and promotion of private individuals to all work together for the common good. Public service in order to be successful requires good urban governance.

Urban governance is broadly defined as a political institution that influences the economic and social aspects of society through policy, participation, and accountability. Good governance is the political authority responding to it's citizens in a way where the overall society benefits from the decisions made by the government.

Apache Junction strives to meet these ideals of serving the public and offering good governance through the services provided by local taxes.

Free (Legal) Christian Music

One of the things I have come to enjoy a lot is listening to new music. My preference is Christian alternative/worship music. Although a thin vein of all of the available music being produced nationally/globally, I appreciate the lyrics' affirmation of my beliefs and enjoy the growth in creativity in about the past 10 years.

I wanted to share with you some ways that I get free (and legal) new Christian music every week. I usually download about 10-20 new songs each week if I have time and as a college student, it's nice when your music budget ends up close to $0.00.

Just to give you a heads up, most of the sites listed below require you to create an account with their website, but as long as you're okay with giving out an e-mail address you may or may not use too much, you'll be good to go. I love music and since there is a lot of diversity with the content of this blog, I wanted to share the methods I use for free, safe, and legal downloads online:

1. New Release Tuesday aka NRT (http://newreleasetuesday.com/): I love this site. It has grown so much just since I joined the site in 2009. The administrators of the site always have least 3 new downloads each week as well as previews of new albums. For example, I previously listened to the new Planetshakers album on NRT before it was released. If you don't read anything further, just visit this site.
2. Noisetrade (http://noisetrade.com/): This site is for Christian and secular music, but for a diverse site, they have some really good selection of Christian musicians. Go ahead and go to genres and select "Christian/Gospel" and you'll see 10 potential albums or partial albums you can download. Try not to be overwhelmed. And don't worry about "tipping" unless you want to support the artist financially. You're only required to give out your email in order to get the download link.
3. iTickets (http://www.itickets.com/): this site gives you two Christian music downloads a week. Sometimes it overlaps with NRT, but still is consistent is giving out free music.
4. Hear It First (http://www.hearitfirst.com/downloads): just give your e-mail address and pick the Christian song you want. Doesn't get much easier than that. Usually has one download a week.
5. Free CCM (http://freeccm.com/): This site usually gives out one song a week, usually an older song. Nonetheless, they are consistent in updating and every once in a while I get something that I really like.
6. Rapzilla (http://www.rapzilla.com/rz/): It's not really my style (unless Lecrae or Andy Mineo releases a new mixtape), but for Christian hip hop and rap, this is the place to get your free music.
7. Freegal Music (http://freegalmusic.com ): This is something I get with my membership with the Tempe Library. I'm assuming if you have a library card, most public libraries offers something similar if not this exact same service. I get to choose 5 various songs from any artists under the Sony Record label and affiliates each week just for having a library card. My local sales tax is coming back to me with wonderful music!
8. Integrity Music (http://integritymusic.com/): Once or twice a year they have a sampler that they give out. Looks like they have a 5 song sampler from major artists that's offered right now.
9. Jesus Freak Hideout (http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com): This is a fairly new discovery for me in Christian music sites. It seems to have a pretty lengthy list of music downloads that do not expire, but there is not as many downloads available weekly as seen in sites such as Noisetrade or NRT.

That pretty much sums up the major places. Hopefully this is helpful. If you go to any other sites where you get free music, let me know! To be honest it can be a little time consuming, but if you enjoy the music at very little cost, it's worth it.

A Contradiction of Terms? Leadership and Internship?

One of the last things people think about when I mention I'm an intern is that the internship is an opportunity to show my leadership skills. And to a certain extent, they are right to assume this.

When people think of "the intern", they think of the guy who is asked to work for free, make a coffee or donut run for the office, do menial office tasks, clean the fridge, someone they can make jokes about, and pass off any unwanted tasks.

All of these examples are obviously stereotypes, but if you've interned with multiple places while you were in high school or college or even out of school like I have, you've had at least a handful of these experiences.

The internship I have in the city manager's office in Apache Junction is antithetical to this stereotype intern. The staff at AJ give me a tremendous amount of respect and allow a lot of input in what I do to help them on projects. The blessing is that they have all been interns before and have seen the benefit an internship has had on their careers. They allow me to lead and add my own creativity to the projects they have assigned to me.

In a sense, it's very difficult to be a leader and an intern. Why? Because you're the new kid on the block, per se. You're just learning about the organization and how everyone interacts with one another.

Are you going to become someone's supervisor in the first month of your internship? Probably not. But you will get to see other people demonstrate leadership abilities around you and ask a lot of questions.

I get to view two leaders in particular in my office: the assistant city manager and the assistant to the city manager. They have a couple dozen projects and items going on at a time and its impressive to see them balance so much work and be able to maintain relationships with people throughout the City of Apache Junction. They have a lot of responsibility and since the current city manager will be retiring soon, the pressure is on them to perform at even higher levels than their position requires.

This internship excites me more than others have in the past. I get to be involved in the city manager's office. Since they all are excellent managers, I get to be in the midst of leaders. Though I may not able to practice leadership, I have the opportunity to observe leaders close up and see what they do on a daily basis. I am excited for all the future learning experiences I have in AJ.

The Presence of a Leader

AJ City Manager George Hoffman recommended an article from the Public Management Magazine, which address the topic of executive presence. The tricky part in learning about executive presence is that it is not easy to define.

Some may say that the presence of an individual leader is one's personality, which can influence a group of individuals. This is a characteristic of a true leader and oftentimes is crucial for leaders to become chief executives of their companies, organizations, or governments.

My experience firsthand observing executive presence is at my full time job at American Express. During my training class, Jim Bush, the Executive Vice President of World Service at American Express, did a visit through the entire building and made a specific appointment to visit the 15 or so individuals in our training class.

He is basically my boss' boss' boss' boss' boss. I have no idea if there's a general term other than VP to describe my relationship to him as an employee...perhaps it's just he's really really important!

As he entered the room, I could tell by his demeanor and the tone of his voice that he was comfortable, confident, and someone who could take charge of almost anything. Being asked a question by him was intimidating even with his relaxed expression.

The article mentions that executive presence is not the same as leadership, rather that it is a byproduct of leadership. Executive presence is built upon the character, trustworthiness, and effectiveness of a leader. Jim Bush has done a lot for American Express, specifically in the area of customer service where he helped establish a prominently used survey question to measure the effectiveness of customer service agents.

The main takeaway from this article is the primary areas of executive presence that I can work on:

• "Seriousness of Purpose": the willingness to be very prepared for major decisions and tasks
• "The Ability to Forge Relationships Built on Trust": being consistent in my actions and developing relationships where I can be counted on to give my all even if I do not always succeed
• "Strong Personal Connection": keeping up clean and neat appearances while maintaining strong and consistent body language as well as being confident under pressure
• "Focused Awareness": the realization of the many dynamics going on around me and how I need to be attentive to the many needs and problems that arise

Career Profiles in the City Management Office

Am I suited to be a city manager some point in my career? This is the fundamental question that I asked myself as I interviewed the Assistant to the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager and the City Manager of Apache Junction, Arizona.

So far, my experience interning with Apache Junction (AJ) is an incredibly rewarding experience. They want to engage me and help me sink my teeth into the departmental operations, the current managerial difficulties within AJ, the financial details within the annual budget and the importance of intergovernmental partnerships for AJ.

Below are career profiles describing the stories and advice of city managers in Apache Junction:

George Hoffman, City Manager
 

George "Geo" Hoffman first became interested in the career path as a city manager in his undergraduate degree for public administration at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His first position in government was in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio as the National Municipal League Murray and Agnes Season Good Government Fund Intern.

"I mean, how could one forget a title like that?" quipped Hoffman.

What was an internship he did not think he would get ended up being "really enjoyable, and a pivotal experience" in shaping his career path.

The next step for Hoffman was contemplating law school and even pursuing a doctorate degree in public administration at Arizona State University, which led to another internship with the city of Glendale in the Economic Development department, then moving to the position of the Assistant to the City Manager of Apache Junction. Through a quick promotion to Assistant City Manager and the then-City Manager's conviction of a second DUI, Hoffman became the Interim City Manager of Apache Junction. Thinking that he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure as City Manager due to personal matters at home, he looked toward an open position in Gilbert as the Assistant City Manager.

"I would have been the number two role in a much larger shop," Hoffman said.

But that ended up being the "the road not taken," so he worked with the City Council of AJ, who ultimately decided to hire him as the City Manager. "Running my own show at AJ was an itch I needed to scratch," Hoffman admitted.

The main functions of a city manager are "addressing the strategic issues that face the community," "is more oriented to spending time with council members," and helps the "functionality of the organization on a human level through a leadership role." The assistant city manager role is more responsible for day-to-day operations.

Some advice that George gave me to be the best in a career in city management is as follows:

• Learn public speaking skills because "communication is key."
• Have an understanding and be able to grasp internally why you want to be in this profession. You have to have thick skin and deal with a lot of tough issues as a city manager.
• Build a "good cohort and network to get input on issues."
• Be an expert in mediation and conflict resolutions. "You will have to deal with council members, community and staff. How you view conflict is fundamental," Hoffman said.

George lastly left me with some advice that if I wanted to be a city manager in the future, the goal is ultimately to get into the manager's office and have some level of supervisorial experience. He also warned that you have to be mindful of the expectations of the City Council, to set boundaries and maintain clear communication standards.

Bryant Powell, Assistant City Manager

Bryant Powell has a different story than George. He grew up in a family where both parents worked as school teachers. So for his undergraduate, he went to Southern Utah University with plans to be a Spanish teacher and coach on the side. But that changed when Powell starting dating in college, since "they wanted to stay at home" and not both be working. "With teachers making $36,000 a year, I had to think otherwise for my career."

Powell's opportunity came when he ended up being the only student interested in getting a masters of public administration (MPA) at Brigham Young University (BYU).

"I had never heard of an MPA degree before this," said Powell. "I spent an hour asking the representative questions about the program."

Powell decided that an MPA would be something he would like to gain to increase job opportunities. Through the program at BYU, he got an internship with Cedar City, Utah, leading to a budget analyst position in San Antonio, Texas, and finally as the Assistant to the City Manager in Apache Junction. When George Hoffman moved in as the City Manager, Bryant moved in as the Assistant City Manager.

Bryant gave me a few helpful pieces of advice for what to expect in the career path of city management:

• "You have the power to have a huge impact on the long term and system wide improvements of a city," said Powell. "I like the diversity of the job."
• The three areas where you need the most expertise as a manager are: management and communication skills, human resource knowledge and skills and an education of development services (from the areas of economic development to engineering).
• "Don't expect to be in a manager's office soon. And don't expect after two years to be the assistant city manager. Be open to taking on assignments and the tough projects in an organization."
• For a work life balance, make sure to "get your own balance and set some limits." Also, "combine community events with family events because it can be an Achilles' heel if you're not involved in the community."

Matt Busby, Assistant to the City Manager

Matt Busby did not have a preconceived notion of entering into the field of city management as a young adult. He grew up in a family of accountants and realized it was not something he wanted to do.

"Mentally, some people don't get it -- I was one of those people," said Busby.

Getting his bachelors degree in epidemiology, Busby knew he was passionate about helping the public and decided to supplement his education with a MPA degree. His first job out of graduate school was working for the State of Arizona as a Joint Legislative Budget Committee Analyst. This led to him accepting a job in Apache Junction as the Assistant to the City Manager where Busby says, "I got lucky."

Following both Bryant and George as assistants to previous city managers, Busby says that he has been able to get his hands into a lot of different issues and learn a lot about the budget and more recently how to improve his supervisory skills.

The main piece of advice that Matt has about the work life balance is finding the right organization that will allow you to have balance.

Busby shared his honest opinion, saying: "I've struggled with the balance on a personal level, being involved in work, church, and family. It's busy, really busy. You just have to know when enough is enough and prioritize, use time management."

Final Thoughts

All three of these interviews have given me a good foundation of what it means to be in the city manager's office and what to expect with a city manager career path. I am excited to see what the future holds and what opportunities are ahead for my career path. I am sure that someday I will be on the other side of the table being interviewed by interns and giving advice to them, encouraging their own self-discovery and perhaps in some respect, guiding the direction they will take for their future.