Understanding the legal roles and responsibilities of working at city hall.

AWC’s 2023 Elected Officials Essentials Workshop was a dynamic event where city elected officials gathered to learn the legal roles and responsibilities of their work at city hall. AWC hosted live events at nine locations throughout the state, plus online—and welcomed over 400 attendees representing 65% of the cities in Washington. Here are ten key takeaways from this energetic and educational event:

1. You can make a difference.
   A special introduction from Washington Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck set the tone and reiterated the importance of reaching out to one another, connecting, and listening. Heck shared that despite his 47 years in public service and more than 20 times on the ballot, no election was as personally impactful as his first one. He offered all attendees—newly elected and re-elected—his congratulations and gratitude for their service.

Heck referenced concerning statistics about a rise in incivility in our region and nation, citing recent polls by the Pew Research Center and others that found that 93% of the public believes incivility is a problem in our democracy; 89% of Washingtonians somewhat or strongly agree they feel concern about the future of our democracy; and 24% of Washingtonians have recently stopped talking to a friend or relative altogether because of politics.

Reflecting on what to do about what he described as a level of incivility unheard of in the public arena, Heck noted that we have a few choices—we can wring our hands, shut down and grow apathetic, become cynical and angry, or roll up our sleeves, concluding that “Everyone here has chosen to roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

Heck stressed that impacts from incivility are likely to continue—and that it can be difficult to reach across differences to hear one another.

“Democracy does not run on autopilot,” he stressed, adding that he found inspiration from those in the audience and their commitment to public service. “Every generation has to renew our commitment to it. It’s never been easy. It’s always been hard.”

Everyone here has chosen to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

2. Counties and cities are granted broad local authority to exercise home rule.
   Article 11, Section 11 of the Washington State Constitution grants local authority so long as it doesn’t supersede state or federal law. There may be additional constraints within local charters. That authority is exercised through ordinance—for all manner of issues. Understanding home rule authority is vital to maintaining local decision-making powers and serving the specific needs of your community. Read AWC’s report and work with your city’s legal counsel to learn more about your city’s powers.

3. Cities also have emergency authority.
   The Legislature grants exclusive authority to the mayor (or city manager) in an emergency. It’s important to understand and prepare for that responsibility.

4. There is a dividing line between the responsibility to legislate and the responsibility to implement.
   The mayor is, by law, the presiding officer at council meetings. In a strong executive government, the mayor is independent, while the city manager works for the council.

5. Working together to solve problems is much more effective for your community.
   Whatever parliamentary procedures your council uses can help make public meetings run more smoothly, but you won’t need to rely on them as much if there’s respectful discourse. Remember that while you do have immunity when you’re speaking in your legislative capacity, your right to free speech is not a free pass. Incivility is too mild a word to describe some of the tensions in our communities. Make every effort to resolve issues in a civil way, even when you disagree.

6. Building diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into your city’s policies is important and required by law.
   Learn what other cities are doing in the area of DEIB and get inspired.

7. Develop thick skin.
   Public comments are often critical, sometimes even hostile. When receiving public comments, cities will often set time limits—both to ensure everyone has time to speak, and to ensure that no one commentor dominates the process. It’s important to have guidelines for public comments—just banning hate speech isn’t a solution. Rules of conduct can also be set and enforced with other elected officials. Remember, too, that your own words count—whether it’s a conversation in the grocery store or a conversation with a friend on social media. See the article “When hate comes to town” by Oskar Rey of MRSC in this edition of Cityvision for more information.

8. During meetings, the chair is the servant of the group, and the group is the final authority.
   If you need an assist with learning how to run meetings, or what the rules and responsibilities are under Robert’s Rules, make use of the comprehensive resources from this article “How to run a council meeting with Jurassic Parliament,” in this edition of Cityvision for more information.

9. When in doubt, ask your city attorney.
   Governance is complex, and every city and situation is different. Your legal counsel is there to provide support, so get in the habit of turning to them when you’re uncertain of your roles or responsibilities. See the Legal Q&A article in this edition of Cityvision for more information.

10. There is much to learn, and the responsibilities can be daunting—but you are not alone.
    Learning about your role as a newly elected may feel like trying to drink from a firehose, but as Duvall Mayor Amy Ockerlander said on the experienced leader panel, “Get involved in AWC. I believe it’s the best association in the country. I think they provide the most comprehensive support you can have.”

This is a curated sampling of the wealth of information from the Elected Official Essentials Workshop; for a complete synopsis, review the recordings and materials.

The event ended with some of our long-time leaders and experts on a panel together to share their advice. This review wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t share a few of those gems here. We hope you’ll take them to heart:

• Set clear and reachable expectations.
• Consider starting your budget process with a collaborative retreat.
• Nobody likes surprises—including mayors—so communicate early and often.
• Collaboration is not a dirty word. It’s what’s expected. Sit and listen. That’s our job and most critical skill.
• Assume positive intent.
• Dissenting views can and should be shared, but don’t make them personal. Save that for the campaign trail.
• Be kind to your staff.
• AWC really (really) loves our members!