ELGL’s mission is to connect, communicate, and educate. In this ongoing series, ELGL members tell their story including how they got into local government.
Matt Monedero (LinkedIn) has a served as Budget Analyst with the City of Garland, TX for the past two years. Previously, Matt has served as Budget & Management in Analyst in El Paso, TX, and Management Intern in Overland Park, KS. He received his Bachelors in Political Science & History from the University of North Texas and his MPA from University of Kansas.
I started working in local government when… I was a 1st year grad student at the University of Kansas. I worked in the City Manager’s Office at the City of Overland Park. It was there that I first became familiar with terms such as “Fiscal Sustainability”, “Public-Private Partnerships”, and “The Ralph Lauren Collection”.
My most frustrating experience in local government was… when I worked on a Management Study with three other Analysts in the Budget Office in El Paso. The 
study analyzed the City’s entire Fee Schedule and made suggestions on where it could more adequately recoup the costs of the services being provided. Although I learned a lot in the process, the Council ultimately voted against the new Fee Schedule, arguing that the City’s fees were fine as they were.
My top three career accomplishments are….
- creating the City of Garland’s first Fee Schedule,
- streamlining Garland’s Quarterly Reports, and
- standardizing the Departmental Budget Hearing Presentations.
When no one else is in the car, I… sing Gwen Stefani’s “Don’t Speak” at the top of my lungs.
Right now, I am working on… creating the City of Garland’s first Budget-in-Brief (NOTE: The City initially compiled a Budget-in-Boxer Brief about eight years ago, but it really didn’t fit the Council at the time).
Here are three tips for interviewing…
- Take a deep breath and remain calm
- Answer their questions directly and with short responses (don’t go off on a tangent or into excessive details; they’ll ask more questions if they need to)
- Have your resume memorized; as long as you know that like the back of your hand, you should be A-OK.
In terms of telling the local government story, I think local government… is where the rubber really hits the road in the US. I know that sounds cliché, but I heard former Washoe County CAO Katy Simon mention it at an ICMA Conference, and it really stuck with me. Local-level government is where you can see an idea become an initiative, an initiative become a project, and a project blossom into reality….within a time frame of 5 years of course (give or take 3 years).
My Super Bowl pick is… the Kansas Jayhawks (Sorry. I’m not really a fan of the current contenders and right now I’m already in March Madness mode).
I aspire to… one day (in the distant future) become a city manager of a mid to large-size city…or win the lottery. Either or.
You should have asked me… if I would vote for Frank Underwood and Selina Meyer in the 2016 election.
My Story – Archives
- My Story with Justin Tramble, State Bar of Georgia
- Aimee Kane, City of Boulder, CO
- Jessica Beise, City of Victoria, MN
- Emily Vincent, City of Olathe, KS
- Toy Beeninga, City of Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Heidi York, Person County (NC) Manager
- Barack Matite, City of Eudora, KS
- Cathy Wilson, Town of Carrboro, NC
- India Adams, Albemarle County, VA
- Derek Matheson, Kent (WA) Chief Administrative Officer