Class highlights interest in municipal government
STEVE Agee, dean of the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University, wasn’t sure what to expect when he offered to the public a seven-week program on municipal government leadership and administration. The response left him encouraged.
Thirty-two people wound up paying the $250 to attend seven, four-hour classes held each Saturday morning from early September to late October. Most of those completed the requirements necessary to receive a certificate.
Agee was pleased at the mix of those who attended. Some were college students, including one young woman who made the drive from the Seminole area to attend. Others were senior citizens.
All were interested in learning more about how municipal government operates. The program was the work of Agee and Frank Merrick, president of Foundation Management, which serves private foundations, charities and nonprofits across the country. The Oklahoma Municipal League, the Oklahoma Academy and civic leaders had a hand in shaping the course.
One goal was to educate people who are considering running for city council. “Whatever it is that drives individuals to public service, it’s critical that candidates start with a basic understanding of how to govern once in office,” Agee and Merrick wrote in The Oklahoman this summer.
As it turned out, many of those who enrolled “were not necessarily interested in running,” Agee said. “I think they just wanted to know, how does this work? And what do I need to know if I am interested in running?”
The program began with an overview of city government that included City Manager Jim Couch, former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick and Mike Fina, executive director of the Oklahoma Municipal League.
Other sessions focused on labor and labor relations; campaign finance; financing municipal governance; land use; tax increment financing and economic incentives, and negotiation and dispute resolution. Each session was presented by experts in those areas, and was non-political in nature.
The setting, an executive classroom at OCU, “was perfect for this size of class. It was perfect for the instructors who came in,” Agee said. “The level of instruction for this type of class, for the cost that they paid, was off the charts.”
Participants were quizzed before each session about the topic to be explored, and took another quiz after each class. The post-test results were better than the pre-test results in every instance, which showed that the lessons sank in.
To earn a certificate, students had to attend at least six of the seven classes and take all the quizzes.
Agee says he was heartened by the back and forth between students and presenters, and by the willingness of attendees to give up seven Saturday mornings. The plan is to offer the course again next fall, and perhaps include a session on school board governance.
Kudos to OCU and those who helped with this worthwhile project. We’re glad to see it was so well received.