Deputy City Manager Molly Mehner on Oct. 23 was installed as Midwest Regional Vice President of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, during the organization’s 105th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Mehner was elected for the three-year term in June.
“I am honored to serve ICMA and particularly the Midwest Region. I will do my very best to promote and advance professional local government management and the value it brings to municipal organizations and communities worldwide,” said Mehner of her appointment.
“Professional management of our city is key to good stewardship of community resources and outstanding service delivery,” said Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox. “Our Council is very proud to have Molly Mehner representing our city at this level.”
As one of 18 vice presidents, three of whom are elected from the organization’s Midwest Region (including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin), Mehner will represent ICMA to state associations of local government management and maintain relationships among other affiliated organizations.
ICMA’s 21-member Executive Board acts in the capacity of directors, overseeing the organization’s financial, member-related, and programmatic affairs and selecting the board president. The board also enforces ICMA’s Code of Ethics, which governs the professional and personal conduct of the membership. ICMA Executive Board members attend four board meetings annually with expenses paid for by the organization.
ICMA’s mission is to advance professional local government management worldwide through leadership, management, innovation, and ethics. The organization’s 12,000+ members from 34 countries include appointed chief administrative officers (city, town, and county managers), assistant and deputy administrators, and other employees who serve local governments and regional entities around the world. ICMA’s membership also includes educators and students.
“We are honored that Molly will join the ICMA Executive Board as Midwest Vice President,” said ICMA Executive Director Marc A. Ott. “The individuals who serve on the ICMA Executive Board are outstanding leaders, not only in their own communities but also in the field of professional local government management. These individuals are committed to moving our organization and our profession forward, and we appreciate the time, energy, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness that Molly and the other newly elected members of the board will bring to ICMA.”
Mehner started her career as a city planner in Carbondale, Ill., and later ascended through leadership positions in Glendale and Paradise Valley, Ariz. As the Deputy City Manager for Cape Girardeau, Mo., she is now directly overseeing critical departments including Public Works, Development Services, Geographic Information Systems, Human Resources, Finance and the Regional Airport, while directing key initiatives such as radio interoperability primarily serving public safety. Mehner has a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Public Administration from Arizona State University.