Room to grow -- Leadership development in Eastern Iowa

Are you or your organization working to develop the next generation of leaders in Iowa? Share your stories and ideas with us: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com

‘Building the bench” is a term most sports fans will recognize. After all, your star players today aren't going to stick around forever. To reach the top and stay on top, a team always must recruit, cultivate and support the new talent that will become their future starting lineup.

So it is in public service. Because while it's relatively easy to declare a candidacy for county supervisor, city council or other elected office, it takes a lot of community support to win the seat - which itself is only the beginning. Public office holders face a significant learning curve, as any newly elected official can tell you.

So what are communities doing to 'build the bench” of future public servants? What more can we do? The question has some urgency. Even as our average state population continues to grow older, the makeup of Iowa's elected bodies also tends to be older, too.

'When you look around the state at those serving on city councils - using an age range from 18 to 81 - you're definitely going to see more elected officials closer to 81 than 18,” Alan Kemp, executive director of the Iowa League of Cities, recently told us.

Take, for an example, the public bodies in Linn County, where a few longtime elected officials are opting for retirement and even more are considering next steps. The average age of the 111 people serving on city councils in Linn County is just over 55 years old. Only nine of those officials, or 8 percent, are younger than the county's median age of 37. A full quarter of those serving are over age 65.

'I don't think public service was meant to go on forever,” said longtime Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston, who recently announced she won't seek another term in office.

'It's important for there to be turnover. It's good for the public and for policy when passionate people serve and then make way for the next passionate leader to come on board.”

Most communities rely on local county political parties or their affiliates to identify and groom prospective candidates for elected office. That's one part of the solution.

But there are many more prospective future leaders who are not affiliated with or active in either party. Is it possible to develop a homegrown, community-centered leadership program that prepares and funnels a more diverse field of candidates onto local boards, commissions and ballots?

'I don't know of anyone who was elected to local office without some prior leadership experience,” said Swisher Mayor Christopher Taylor, 32, a small-business owner who is one of Iowa's youngest and newer mayors. 'I have colleagues who worked for non-profits or were community organizers or volunteered to lead initiatives to better their respective cities. All of that gives you leadership experience you can bring to public office.”

Taylor told us he prepared for public office by serving on his church board.

'There should be opportunities for students to learn to be leaders,” Kirkwood student Mbololwa Mundia, 20, recently told us at an editorial board meeting with residents addressing violence in Cedar Rapids. She said she is optimistic about the future but frustrated by the lack of opportunities for the very young, noting that the school she attended before moving to Cedar Rapids offered student-to-student mentoring opportunities in elementary, middle and high schools. The program was a win-win, she explained, helping the students being mentored while giving mentors a chance to model and practice leadership skills.

Her thoughts are echoed by Taylor, who recently became the 10th person in Iowa to receive a Certified Elected Municipal Official designation through training provided by the Iowa League of Cities.

'I would love to see that kind of training made available to those thinking about getting involved in government,” he said. 'Cities and government entities could definitely do a better job advertising those opportunities, and maybe subsidizing younger people's training.”

Kemp told us he is thinking about that, too, wondering if there might be ways for the League of Cities to expand beyond its traditional role of educating and training recently elected city officials.

'We haven't done that in the past,” Kemp said, 'but the more we talk about it, the more I can see where it might fill a gap.”

Langston, who has helped fill leadership positions within the national county association, added that it can sometimes be difficult to convince people in historically underrepresented groups to apply for such roles.

'Many people still question if they are able or are the best choice for a larger role. I've especially seen this when I've approached women about applying for leadership,” she told us. 'I've always felt it was important to learn about the people around me, to identify skills and talents that mesh with the needs or mission of committees, boards and task forces. I think that's key if we want existing leaders to help give the next crop of leaders a push into new roles.”

NEXT STEPS

Several programs, both public and private, offer mentorships and/or additional ways for the community to develop and support potential leaders. Some of the most well-known in Cedar Rapids are run under the umbrella of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, and they are making progress. It's largely due to alliance's workforce-related programming that new faces are being seen in planning and community meetings that only a few years ago seemed to be attended by the same group of long-term business leaders, elected officials and other community volunteers.

Regionally and statewide, groups have emerged to focus on recruiting and electing more women into leadership roles or elected office. Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses not only prompt national organizations to seek out local leaders for their causes, but have sparked initiatives within the Hispanic and African American communities to nurture and train community organizers and future leaders.

All of the initiatives are welcome. Still, we think there is more to do.

Coordination and communication between existing programs will help prevent duplication of services and hopefully cast a wider net. Connecting with college-age students and introducing them to the larger community can help to keep the students we educate in Iowa. Because not all Iowans immediately pursue traditional higher education, however, efforts must be made to provide even younger Iowans opportunities for leadership and then support them as they grow into their roles.

' Gazette editorials reflect the consensus opinion of The Gazette Editorial Board. Share your comments and ideas with us:(319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com