Let's Get Boring

Expectations for Sam Sanders were high when he became Charlottesville’s city manager in August 2023. As the seventh person to hold the position since 2018, there was widespread optimism that he would bring much-needed stability to city government. At a press conference held to announce his new role, Sanders highlighted an important accomplishment of his prior role as deputy city manager.

“I think we have successfully brought back boring government. It is my charge to keep it here, keep it stable and keep it focused,” Sanders said, as reported by The Daily Progress.

Boring government? Is that a good thing?

“Yes,” says Strategic Solutions President John Trant, who doesn’t just think so, he knows so. Having worked in dozens of public sector organizations, Trant thinks that county, city, and local governments are at their best when they’re boring. Not boring as in dull or lacking ambition, but as in predictable.

“The trains have to run on time,” Trant says.

Too often governmental priorities are derailed by disorganization, drama, and sometimes chaos, and Trant has observed that this is often the result of a lack of city management capacity to coordinate and carry out essential government functions.

“Government is much more than pushing paper,” Trant says. “Responsibilities such as ongoing code enforcement and public safety, and long-term financial and land use planning need quality leadership and dedicated staff. But even the right personnel can get overwhelmed in a chaotic situation.”

New legislation working its way through the Pennsylvania legislature could help build capacity within local governments. Introduced in 2023, the legislation would allow Pennsylvania boroughs, second class townships, and third-class cities to hire professional firms or organizations to serve as permanent city managers. Currently this option exists only for first class townships; all other classifications can hire firms on an interim basis.

“Some small communities don’t have sufficient leadership because they can’t afford it,” Trant says. “Hiring a consulting firm to serve as a manager offers potential cost savings by not having to provide a full-time salary and benefits. We’ve served in interim management roles many times, and while a manager employed full-time may be the ideal situation, sometimes reality dictates otherwise. Firms providing long-term leadership may provide the stability that many municipalities crave.”

In those interim management roles, Trant says he personally enjoys the challenge of making chaotic environments “boring,” but the new legislation would help communities avoid chaos in the first place. Trant attributes his successful endeavors to establishing effective communication, internally between departments and externally with the public.

“Listening and engagement often gets overlooked or de-emphasized. I’ve seen first-hand the value of facilitating dialogue and building bridges.”

His success also stems from bringing insight and experience from other places.

“It’s easy to get pigeon-holed within one’s own municipal boundaries, so it can be advantageous to have a firm who can point to communities with similar challenges and show what worked, what didn’t, and why.”

With more than 2,500 municipalities in Pennsylvania, “There aren’t enough managers to go around,” Trant says.

As Strategic Solutions’ government administration specialist, Laurence Christian helps communities identify qualified people for leadership positions. He says that fewer young adults choosing local government as a profession compounds the problem.

“Many smaller municipalities aren’t able to compete for experienced professionals and have trouble finding future leaders dedicated to public service,” Christian said, adding that this challenge extends beyond municipal managers. “Individuals who oversee essential infrastructure, plan for future growth, and enforce codes and ordinances are vital to day-to-day operations. Keeping everything running behind the scenes can be viewed as boring, but without that ‘boring’ everything grinds to a halt at the local level.”

After Sam Sanders’ first 90 days as Charlottesville’s city manager, he clarified in an interview with the C-VILLE Weekly that “boring” government doesn’t mean living in the status quo but being able to work without being overrun with distractions.

“Boring government means that you come in and you punch a clock and you get work done in the course of that day. And it’s a predictable enough day that you can anticipate what you’re going to be dealing with, you’re going to get those things done, and you’re going to actually move the needle to this place, and you’ll come back and you’ll do it again and you’ll do it again and you’ll do it again.”