ABSTRACT
Local government managers know they should be engaging and often do engage with surrounding communities. At the 2008 International City and County Management Association (ICMA) annual conference held in Pittsburgh, a panel discussed the role and nature of cross-jurisdictional collaborations in the future of local government. A group of experts presented a balanced but tepid response to how the profession of city management should approach regional problems. Their message was clear-“the first priority of a city manager is internal and a manager should look outside only when no internal option exists.” The practitioners in attendance were out in front of the experts as they spoke most passionately of the need to risk personal consequences to accomplish multijurisdictional goals.
