Many thanks to Geoff Pursinger for highlighting ELGL’s efforts.
Leaders unite to boost image of public sector work
Local government officials see group as valuable tool for building partnerships
BY GEOFF PURSINGER
The Times, Mar 8, 2012
Kent Wyatt admits it’s been awhile since people have seen working for the government as cool and exciting.
But Wyatt, a systems analyst for the city of Tigard, is on a mission to change that perspective with a group of local government officials who have banded together to promote the profession and get people interested in working for the public sector.
“I want to have an energy in government,” Wyatt said. “There are a lot of strict things you have to follow, but it can be a fun profession. It doesn’t have to be one way.”
Wyatt’s group, Emerging Local Government Leaders, has exploded in the last two years, growing to hundreds of members from more than 60 government agencies and municipalities across Oregon. Plans are in the works to start a Central Oregon branch later this month.
New to Oregon, Wyatt started ELGL in 2010 as a way for him and his wife — who works for the city of West Linn — to meet other local government employees in the area, but soon blossomed into a group dedicated to promoting local government and helping the public sector.
“I think it’s a great organization,” said Randy Ealy, an ELGL member who serves as Beaverton’s chief administrative officer. “Most of the members are young, aspiring public professionals, and this is an opportunity for them to work together and network and get exposed to some of the great mentoring opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”
Continue reading at http://www.tigardtimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=133116828000004400