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April Member Profile
By Amanda Millirons, Public Works Division
Manager, City of Palm Bay
Brad Johnson,
Assistant City Manager, City of Lakeland
FCCMA
member since: 2005
ICMA member since: 2005
Current
Occupation: Assistant City Manager, City of Lakeland
Brief Job Description:
As the Assistant City Manager I
assist the City Manager in the general management of city
operations. I have responsibility currently for the Public Works
Department, Fire Department, Risk/Purchasing Department, Human
Resources Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and the
Office of the Internal Auditor.
How did you become
interested in public service?
From a young age I had
been exposed to the realm of public service. Growing up in Maryland,
I had relatives and close family friends who served as State
Senators and Representatives. A sense of civic duty was a key part
of our family culture. So I guess I could say that the interest was
inherent but it wasn’t until graduate school that I think it truly
started to develop, and I determined how I wanted it to fit into my
life. While pursuing a graduate degree in counseling at the
University of Missouri, I started to take courses in the Public
Affairs school and immediately it felt right. I found myself
connecting more with what I was learning and experiencing in that
coursework than the courses required for my degree plan. Ultimately
I transferred into the PA school and never looked back. It was the
best decision I ever made, although my counseling background has
served me well in this profession.
Advanced
Education:
I received my Masters in Public
Administration, with a focus on Public Management, from the Harry S.
Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri.
Most rewarding part about working in local government?
For me it is being able to see firsthand the fruits of our labor.
Traveling around your community and meeting people and knowing that
you had a part in a project or initiative that has touched their
lives in a positive way is a great reward.
Greatest
challenge you face today working in local government?
At this point in time, the challenge that sticks out to me is the
blanket mistrust of government that is held by the public, which has
unfortunately filtered its way down to cities and counties. We have
seen this creep into our organizations at all levels and it has a
tremendous impact on morale. But I think it is also an opportunity
for us as local government managers to begin to educate the public
about the value that public service brings to our communities and
for us to tell our stories.
Most memorable
experience working in local government?
In my last year
of graduate school I did an internship in a small town outside of
Columbia, Missouri. This town was about 10 sq miles and had a
population of about 8,000; however, roughly 1,000 of those people
were living in the prison located within the city. During my first
day on the job as the newly hired intern, the City Manager walked in
and sat down and said “Well let me tell you why I really hired you.
I can’t afford an Assistant CM so you’re the best thing I got for
the next four months.” And from there it was off to the races.
Long story short, I spent the next four months negotiating cell
tower agreements, resolving employee disputes, performing
compensation survey’s, and even ridding City Hall of a brown recluse
spider infestation (yes I took on the role of Spider Czar). I had
the time of my life and confirmed that this is what I want to do
with the rest of my life.
Hobbies and interests:
I have always enjoyed traveling and the outdoors, and I
am also an avid runner. However, my wife and I welcomed our daughter
into our family about six months ago so my hobbies and interests now
tend to revolve around her and my family. It is an easy tradeoff.
If you could give one piece of advice to young
professionals interested in a career in public service, what would
it be?
I think the advice that has served me well in my
career is to have a good sense-of-self. And by this I mean you need
to know what makes you tick and what you are passionate about to
ensure that a life in public service aligns with your values.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and having a defined set of
goals is invaluable in any professional situation but more so in
public service because of the stress and rigors that can come with
the job. Having the confidence in knowing that this is the
profession that you are committed to helps to combat the external
pressures you may feel.
Who were your mentors and
how have you disseminated this information down to other young
public administrators?
I have been truly lucky to have
the mentors that I do. I won’t name names but they know who they
are. I certainly attribute a large part of my ability to navigate
through my career to the sound and candid advice and guidance that I
have been given by these individuals. I have come to believe that
the true test of a great mentor is if they are willing to tell you
the things you don’t want to hear.
What has been interesting
is that as I have progressed in my career, I now have the
opportunity to pay this forward and feel privileged to do so. What
it really comes down to is building solid relationships with people
and being able to offer support and assistance when needed. The
words of wisdom that come to mind when I think about what has been
passed on to me are concepts like “Always act ethically and morally
in any situation,” “Always do what you said you were going to do,”
“Never underestimate the value of people,” and my all-time favorite
“There is no box”.
Have you always been in the public
sector and have you had experience in the private sector?
Yes, my career has been spent solely in the public sector.
Actually, what a lot of people may not know (and some may remember)
is that my very first job in Florida was working for FCCMA, and my
assignment was to follow then FCCMA President William Whitson as he
rode his bike across the state of Florida to raise money for the
FCCMA Foundation. I am proud to say that I only lost him once. It
was an invaluable experience, and I met a lot of great local
government managers, some of which I can now call friends.
What career field would you choose if you were not a public
administrator?
I had an opportunity in graduate school
to teach and really enjoyed the experience and process. If not a
public administrator, I would probably look to teach at the
university level. Although, my preference would be to teach public
administration; so I don’t know that I could ever really get away
from it. Besides that, maybe a helicopter pilot (childhood dream).
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