It Always Begins With Leadership: A City Manager's Perspective

By Milton Dohoney Jr.

About the Book
Those seeking to enhance and hone their executive skills need only remember: It always begins with leadership.
An authentic story containing personal insights, humor, and "real talk" from a municipal executive with over thirty years of experience, this book is designed to cultivate leadership skills. It's most applicable for those aspiring to become city managers, yet it encourages people to lead from wherever they are.
Written by an African American who has served in four large cities in different parts of the country, the information presented is both unique and relevant to today’s aspiring leaders. This is not a textbook; rather, it recounts a personal journey of one city manager’s experience with leadership.

About the Author
Milton Dohoney Jr. is an active board member of the Vitalyst Health Foundation in Phoenix, as well as a member of both the International City/County Management Association and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. Currently, he serves as the city administrator for the City of Ann Arbor.
When he is not on duty, Milton Dohoney Jr. loves to read novels, cook, or root for his favorite sports teams—the Cowboys and the University of Louisville collegiate teams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Apr 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887296166

Book preview

Dohoney_Title_Page.eps

The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Milton Dohoney Jr.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

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I really found reading this enjoyable, and found myself shaking my head in agreement throughout the book.  I hope you have the opportunity to speak at a conference, and share your journey!! – David Ellis, County Manager, Wake County North Carolina

"It Always Begins with Leadership is an indispensable read for anyone working in city leadership. I will be a better mayor for reading its lessons. Whether it is Milton’s illustration about how small interactions impact an organization to his leadership lessons from the pandemic and September 11, this book prepares municipal leaders to succeed. City leaders know they must prepare for the unexpected—one of the best ways to do so is learning from one of local government’s top practitioners." – Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego

With his wealth of knowledge and experience, Milton is a dynamic straight forward leader who knows how to build great teams to accomplish big things. His insights are invaluable and will benefit any current or aspiring leader. He is without a doubt the best boss I ever had. – Mark Mallory

"In this book Milton Dohoney Jr. walks us through his path to leadership and uses clever analogies and insightful personal stories to authentically address the critical topics facing our communities such as trust, policing and race. It Always Begins with Leadership is a fascinating read full of practical leadership advice for those of us called to public service." – Lea D. Eriksen, Director of Technology & Innovation and CIO, City of Long Beach

Acknowledgements

I have thought about writing a book for more years than I can remember. Being cognizant of the impact of the various projects, issues, and initiatives I have had the opportunity to work on, I felt that capturing my story on paper might benefit others who are rising in the profession. The plausibility of actually doing it always seemed to tilt towards waiting until my public career was completely over. For reasons that I will touch on later, I decided not to do that. In considering the career I have had to date, there are two groups of people that I need to acknowledge: the elected mayors I have worked for, and the administrative assistants who were completely invested in my success.

Therefore, I extend my gratitude to Mayors—Dr. Harvey Sloane, Jerry Abramson, and David L. Armstrong (late), all from Louisville; Teresa Isaac (Lexington), Mark Mallory (Cincinnati), Congressman Greg Stanton, Interim Mayor Thelda Williams, and Kate Gallego (Phoenix). Although I had a much closer working relationship with some of them more than others, they all had one thing in common. In different ways, they came to see certain skills and abilities I had, and they allowed me to use them to gain results.

From being in the city management profession as long as I’ve been, I know that it is not something you can always take for granted. In the case of Mayors Sloane and Abramson I was not in the top administrative/executive roles when I worked for them, so perhaps they took more of a risk letting me have the latitude to perform.

The success and longevity I’ve had in this profession could not have been realized without the symbiotic relationship I had with my administrative assistants. I was able to trust each of them completely and welcomed each of them doing things and suggesting things to enable me to be a better leader.

 My profound thanks is extended to Patricia Zimmerman, Vickie McAlister, Amira Beer, Rosalinda Erives, and Corey Williams. Both Amira and Corey have continued to support me even after I left their respective cities. We are fortunate when we have people like that in our lives. I have always pushed myself hard to perform at a high level. Working in tandem with my AAs meant they had to adjust to my pace and completely grasp my style. I was fortunate to have people who took care of things in a manner that I didn’t have to worry about them.

During my nearly eight years serving in Cincinnati, I experienced an enormous amount of professional growth. Aside from the myriad of development projects that were completed, there were several instances that required reflection on the principles that were important in influencing our strategy and execution. Addressing police issues, wrestling with how to make impactful progress on inclusion, and ensuring that growth impacted all neighborhoods were critical in the Queen City.

Mayor Mark Mallory provided me an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the why and how things needed to be done to achieve success. My relationship with him enabled me to become a better leader and to reach for results through risk. His friendship and counsel have extended long past my time there.

In movies and in conversational circles we hear phrases like you’d want him in the foxhole with you or he always has my back. There are three people who come to mind. They all played key roles in my success and my longevity. Hilary Bohannon (Bo) was with me in three cities. I interviewed and hired him as the HR director when I was the deputy mayor of Louisville.

When I left for Lexington, and the state law was changed to allow public safety to collectively bargain for the first time, I hired Bo to lead our negotiation team. When I was chosen to become the city manager in Cincinnati, I hired him again to be the HR director. Prior to public service, he was a long-tenured HR professional with General Electric. He was an innovative problem solver and was a wise counselor as I grappled with decisions well beyond the HR realm.

David Holmes worked with me in two cities, and we had hoped to make it three. I did not hire him in Lexington, but he served at the commissioner of law while I worked there. He was a stellar professional whose military service greatly benefitted his effectiveness. I hired him as one of my assistant city managers in Cincinnati. I always admired him for his ability to tug my elbow and suggest when I needed to reconsider a road I was going down. He really excelled as he became a student of the city management profession.

Finally, Scott Stiles worked as my other assistant city manager when I went to Cincinnati. He helped me tremendously to understand the culture of the organization, and how the relationships intertwined. He was strong in navigating council relations. He left after I did and has been serving as city manager in Garden Grove, California.

Additionally, I would like to thank Meg Olberding and Charlie Boland for helping me with this book. Meg has served as an advisor, colleague, and friend for many years. Charlie B, as I call him, has been a colleague and family member for decades. Their help in shaping my thinking which enabled me to tell my story has been invaluable.

As with many significant projects, it requires a steady effort coupled with a major push to get across the finish line. For this project, the key person that helped me get across the finish line was former colleague and friend Julie Watters. Her encouragement to give more of myself in some places, while pulling back in others, motivated me to rethink some of the assumptions I had made.

It is certainly not uncommon for those in the city management profession to work for several cities over the course of a career. Those of us that are willing to move around the country have benefitted from a vast array of experiences and situations. Engaging with all types of personalities, assimilating into different organizational and community cultures, and problem solving in intensely pressurized environments all serve as building blocks for our professional growth.

Even with that, I’m not sure anything could have really prepared those of us in leadership for what we would face with the onset of the COVID pandemic. Given that the last one was a century ago, none of us has ever faced anything like it during our careers. Relying on our emergency plans was simply not sufficient to carry us through the nightmare we have experienced.

In Phoenix, I was asked by Mayor Kate Gallego and city manager Ed Zuercher to lead the city’s efforts in responding to the pandemic. Phoenix was the first city that I worked for where I was not in the top administrative/executive role. There were times where the adjustment to the assistant’s role was quite a challenge for me. Navigating the operational and emotional obstacles was formidable. It sounds counterintuitive, but it was both draining and exhilarating at the same time. It was a test of personal resiliency, and a sobering reminder of what truly matters in life.  

Make no mistake, it took the efforts of thousands of people to help the organization work through and emerge from the pandemic. Success required decisive, consistent, and steady leadership. With lives on the line, anything short of that would have been unacceptable. The mayor and Ed trusted me to perform. They didn’t have to do that. Because they did, I was able to gain another level of leadership growth and development. Professionally, I am forever changed by the pandemic experience. It will make me a better leader going forward.

When I began my government career in Louisville in the early 80s, I did not have my sights set on becoming a city manager. In fact, back then I didn’t know about all the possibilities that a public career might offer. When I landed my first top administrative position, even then I did not fully grasp all of the sacrifices my family would have to make for me to function as a public figure. With each passing year, I gained a deeper understanding of just what that meant. As we moved to different communities, their support never waned. I am keenly aware of things I have been afforded the opportunity to do, but also what I have missed while serving in this noble profession. To Pam, Jordon, and Chanse, thank you for supporting me throughout all the twists and turns public service requires.

MY PATH

My hometown is Louisville, Kentucky. Though not born there, my life as I know it began there. It’s the largest city in the state, sitting at the mouth of the Ohio River. One mile across would land you in southern Indiana. Muhammad Ali, the Kentucky Derby, artificial heart surgery, and the premier place to acquire real bourbon are hallmarks of the city. The population in the mid-1980s was about 300,000.

I began my public service working for the City of Louisville back in 1984. I landed a newly-created middle manager position in the Department of Neighborhood Advocacy. Along the way there were floods, sewer explosions, a major airport expansion, a mass shooting, and taking down a long-standing stereotypical public housing development.

Following several promotions, nearly fifteen years later I was named deputy mayor (CAO). Louisville had a strong mayor form of government. The ever-present Louisville Slugger was a long-established institution, but things like 4th Street Live, Xtreme Park, and Louisville Bats baseball stadium did not yet exist when I got to the mayor’s office. Being part of the team that made those things happen was valuable experience.

Before leaving city government, I also had a nearly three-year stint as director of public safety. In fact, I was in that role on the morning of 9/11. Though Louisville was far from the epicenter of the tragedies, the community felt a sense of loss, but also apprehension over what else might be coming. The following May, we were charged with coordinating the first international event on U.S. soil post-9/11—the Kentucky Derby.

This event typically draws north of 150,000 visitors. Patrons had historically enjoyed double digit access points into the facility. Coolers, packages, thoroughbred ownership groups from around the globe, and scores of vehicles all moved about