Nate Heffron, city manager, city of Negaunee

NEGAUNEE — What is a city manager? What do they do? It’s a question I get often but not one that is easy to answer. Every community is different and has different demographics, needs, and expectations.

The simplest explanation often comes from a specific community’s charter. The charter is the document that frames how a specific local government works, kind of like the U.S. Constitution.

In Negaunee’s case, the charter designates the city manager as the city’s chief administrative official to manage all the affairs of the city.

Those elements include things like public safety, parks, streets, water, electrical, sewer, general maintenance, financial management, employee conduct, grant writing, planning, ordinance enforcement to name just a few.

From my view, the city manager’s most important function is to manage activities that are guided by the objectives of the community as directed by the elected officials — the city council.

The city manager is the only employee who reports directly to the council and therefore acts in accordance with the will of the council. All ordinances, processes, and projects are approved by the council and implemented by the city manager.

This system, on a smaller scale than our federal or state government, has its own checks and balances, wherein the council acts as the legislative branch and the manager as the executive branch.

While municipal managers have the power to exercise their authority, they still tend to work within the constraints of a variety of competing factors.

State and federal laws, policies, insurance regulations, union contracts, contractor contracts, financial constraints, and laws of nature are just some of the issues that determine how a manager can implement many activities.

In addition, communities are comprised of a variety of diverse groups with competing interests and needs. Municipal leaders must think in terms of the health, safety and welfare of everyone in a community.

In my opinion, a good manager’s motivation is always balancing the interests of groups and individuals with the health, safety and welfare of the entire community he helps to govern.

We are part of that community, working to achieve the overarching goals suggested or desired by members of that community who have taken the time to engage their government.

Without this guidance by the people, municipal leaders would not have a clear and defined direction. Some of the ways we gauge the community’s needs and desires are through survey responses from our residents and business owners, meetings, and locally formed advisory committees.

Direct interaction is how our government works. This is how we carry out the will of the people. That will may not be the will of all the people, but is that even possible? Is that practical?

Probably not, but as our national constitution states, we are “To form a more perfect union,” because we can never be perfect, but it’s something we try to strive for!

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my job from my own perspective. It is my privilege to work for such a great city and my desire for Negaunee is to provide great service to a community that I love.

Fighting the good fight, advancing Negaunee, helping to work together in providing a community our residents deserve and can be proud.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Nate Heffron is city manager of the city of Negaunee.