James M. Bourey - A Guidebook for City and County Managers: Meeting Todays Challenges

Jim Bourey has accomplished the difficult task of presenting complex and sometimes technical detail on a wide variety of subjects in a very readable, easily understandable manner. He doesnt talk down to the reader, but writes with a personable manner in this very rewarding read. There is very little available on current subject of city/county management issues that is so complete or presented in such a straight-forward, practical manner as in this book. Bourey obviously has a great deal of experience in the subject material, and clearly and successfully shares his deep knowledge with his audience. While this work will appeal to practicing managers of all levels of experience, it should be required reading for students majoring in public administration, political science, planning, social services, policing, and other fields related to local government services. It fits well for any student from university to graduate school and would help prepare them for the local government management profession.

Thomas Hutka

Whether you are a student preparing for a career in public administration, a mid-career professional manager or a seasoned veteran, A Guidebook for City and County Managers provides policy guidance and advice to local governmental challenges and issues.

Assuming a knowledge of the basics of public management, James M. Bourey provides real-world recommendations for issues managers are facing this decade and beyond. Relying on experience from his long career in local government in chief executive positions in city, county and regional council management in locations throughout the United States, Bourey outlines the best approaches to the most critical issues for local governments. The book is comprehensive in its breadth of subject matter yet targeted in the recommendations that focus on the most critical issues. Social equity, environmental protection and global warming, good fiscal management, adequate public infrastructure and active citizen engagement are important themes throughout.

Merely being an administrative caretaker is not sufficient; managers must have the knowledge of ways to improve their communities and take the initiative to enhance the quality of life of its residents. Making a difference is both the reason for the job and its reward. This book helps provide a roadmap for the journey.

James M. Bourey works as an author and part-time consultant on local government management through his firm, Bourey Consulting. For most of his 43-year career, Bourey served as a local government manager, working in chief executive positions in city, county and regional council management in locations throughout the United States. He also worked in the private sector as the Director of Corporate Development for Elliott Davis and Director of Management Services with McGill Associates. Jims management career includes serving as the County Administrator for Hennepin County, Minnesota (Minneapolis), and City Manager for Newport News, Virginia, and Greenville, South Carolina. He held a variety of other local government management positions in Seattle, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jim has developed over 20 annual budgets, some exceeding one billion dollars and has been the chief executive in organizations with as many as 10,000 employees.

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A Guidebook for City and County Managers

Meeting Todays Challenges

James M. Bourey

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COVID-19 Pandemic, Public Policy and Institutions in India

Issues of Labour, Income, and Human Development

Edited by Indranil De, Soumyadip Chattopadhyay, Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan, and Kingshuk Sarkar

For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Research-in-Public-Administration-and-Public-Policy/book-series/RRPAPP

Meeting Todays Challenges

James M. Bourey

First published 2022

by Routledge

605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158

and by Routledge

4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2022 James M. Bourey

The right of James M. Bourey to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this title has been requested

ISBN: 978-1-03-219798-2 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-03-220224-2 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-00-326275-6 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003262756

Typeset in Times New Roman

by Newgen Publishing UK

This book is dedicated to my wife, Ann, who has been my constant companion and partner for the past 44 years since we met. Throughout our 43 years of marriage, she has supported my professional and personal life in a way that everyone dreams for a life partner. That has included some very challenging times with work and through a few significant health issues. She has also provided wonderful support in my writing each of my two books. Neither this book nor my career would have been possible without her love and support.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003262756-1

Managing cities and counties has never been an easy task, and many may very well argue that it is even harder in this century and, particularly, in this decade. Tough issues involving land use and transportation, water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste have been around for decades as have social service challenges. But the very difficult issues involving significant socio-economic disparities, racial prejudice and the police use of excessive force that have been too long in the background must be addressed. Additionally, the rising lack of civility and the proliferation of social media and widespread misinformation have made the job of city and county leaders that much more difficult.

In my previous book, A Journey of Challenge, Commitment and Reward: Tales of a City/County Manager