Shaping Cities through Strategic Vision

Alfred G. Battle, Assistant City Manager, The City of Clearwater

Looking back on your extensive urban planning and public administration career, what key experiences have shaped your approach to managing city operations and driving strategic growth?

Three experiences and learned skills have shaped the way approach my work today. My approach has evolved due to experience, understanding the importance of resource identification and learning how to listen with purpose.

My first experience was leading downtown businesses in the creation of a new organization and approach to downtown development. I was fortunate enough to work with senior executives in a wide range of local businesses who were all very approachable and willing to invest their time and talents in making me better. On some days I was not my best but when I wasn’t they provided guidance and advice on how to be better and stay focused on the task. The entity that was created still exists and has grown in importance far beyond what I envisioned. This assignment was an important part of my professional growth and demonstration of success to my immediate supervisors and the organization.

Another experience that was key in my journey was my first promotion to a senior leadership position. The excitement of the opportunity prevented me from properly planning how to be successful in my new role. I replaced an outgoing director, and as the second in command I didn’t plan to replace myself. This experience was key to my approach to managing city operations and how personnel infrastructure is important to the success of public sector organizations.

“Striving for excellence in service delivery must be the mindset for the organization. This is not possible without an organizational culture that places value on employees and encourages innovation”

The last experience of note was the recruitment of a grocery store to targeted redevelopment area. This project required me to use several skills and strategies to get a successful outcome. In short, the community desperately wanted a grocery store and was considered an urban “food desert”. The importance of recruiting a full-service grocery store with fresh fruit, produce and meats was critical to the existing community and identified as a key resource to recruiting new residents and private investment. Success on this project included getting “buy-in” from three critical points of view – elected officials, impacted community, internal stakeholders. Getting buy-in included a presentation of the business case that involved comparative research/analysis, evidence that all efforts were exhausted, and using both processes mentioned before to gauge and understand public concerns and feedback. The result was the successful recruitment of a well-known, national grocer that wanted to be in the area and enjoyed the benefit of building a brand-new store.

Cities today face mounting pressure to deliver services efficiently. How do you balance immediate operational demands with long-term planning across diverse municipal departments?

Striving for excellence in service delivery must be the mindset for the organization. This is not possible without an organizational culture that places value on employees and encourages innovation. Placing value on employees requires investment in making all levels of the organization feel valued. This includes training and development opportunities that translate into promotional opportunities and increased compensation. When employees see that there is a path for them to grow and succeed, they become the key to operational excellence. The same employees also realize that organizational investment in subordinates sets the stage for successful long-term planning. High-level and deliberate investment in employee pathways for opportunity will address the service delivery system with a well-trained, committed workforce.

As technology continues to reshape public service delivery, how do you see the role of innovation and digital transformation evolving within city management—and how can leaders best prepare their teams for that future?

This is a very interesting question. The pace of invention is much faster than the pace of change in government. In many cases government organizations use technological advancements to solve singular issue – legacy system replacement or dashboards to share performance metrics. In my opinion, the service delivery model for government will not be able to live without innovation and digital transformation. The ease of access to information and artificial intelligence-based platforms have shifted the decision-making paradigm for public sector managers. We now seek technology-based solutions as part of the procurement process because our customers use it and expect us to provide solutions that match other consumer experiences.

For professionals aspiring to leadership in city government, what core skills, mindset, or experiences are most critical for making a long-term impact in public service?

Ascending to leadership roles in local government can be a daunting task. The task is since most organizations do not grow at the rate of private industry. Promotions and advancement opportunities are often the result of tenure and experience in certain roles. Growth and development in many areas of the country have provided opportunities for individuals looking to change careers or move from private sector jobs in engineering, finance or management as exceptional candidates for growing communities where the talent pool has a low level of qualified applicants to fill key roles. Individuals who move from private sector to public sector roles can sometimes get frustrated at the pace of change. In the right organization, individuals seeking public service opportunities should evaluate the culture and work environment to make sure there is a match. If you find the right fit, the private sector technical skills are transferable and they will find the experience gained from working with community members, elected officials and other agencies will allow them to truly understand what it means to service their community.

Digital Transformation