From Elected Official to City Manager: The Ultimate Career Glow-Up

Posted on February 24, 2025

Ithaca, New York, City Hall

Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Deb Mohlenhoff, City Manager for the City of Ithaca, NY. Connect with Deb on LinkedIn. 

In 2008 I was asked to serve on the City of Ithaca’s Comprehensive Planning Committee as the “young professional” representative. This was my first true immersive experience in local government. And I loved it. Loved it enough that the mayor appointed me to a vacancy on the Common Council and I ended up serving for over 12 years as an elected official. In a weird turn of events, after a long career as an administrator in higher education, I made a big jump — and was selected to serve as the city’s first-ever city manager. 

What happens when you go from being the person making the policies to the one making them happen?

Here’s what I’ve learned about making the switch from council chambers to city hall’s top office:

Building The Plane While Flying It

As if the transition wasn’t challenging enough, I stepped into the city manager role during a time of significant change for Ithaca. The city had recently restructured its government, shifting from a mayor-led system to a city manager model, which meant that not only was I new to the job — so was the job itself. It’s hard to be “the first” at anything. There was no established roadmap, no predecessor to call up for advice. Instead, I had to create the systems, policies, and expectations for what city management would look like in Ithaca, all while navigating the everyday demands of running the city.
 
Having been on the other side of the city in the role of a council member has allowed me to design a new form of government from both perspectives and clearly articulate the division of responsibilities between the elected officials and staff. Now that I have been in the job for a year, we are learning that the method of find and replace every reference to “mayor” and switch it to “city manager” was not the most effective way to overhaul legislative policies and procedures. I am looking forward to establishing a working group that will tackle a more intentional approach to changing some of the city’s administrative functions with input learned from one year’s worth of experience. 

Step One: Building a Strong Team

One of the first and most important things I did was build a strong leadership team and bring city departments together under one functional umbrella. Previously, different departments often operated in silos — each with their own priorities, workflows, and communication styles. I knew that for Ithaca’s new city management model to work, we had to move toward a unified, collaborative approach.
 
I focused on assembling a leadership team with the right mix of expertise, institutional knowledge, and fresh perspectives. A strong leadership team isn’t just about hiring the most experienced people — it’s about creating a group that works well together, challenges each other constructively, and shares a commitment to the city’s long-term success. As leadership expert Patrick Lencioni outlines in “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” successful teams thrive on trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. These were the guiding principles as I worked to bring the organization together.

Change Is Good, But It’s Not Easy

There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to stepping into the city manager role after having been an elected official.

Getting Used to a Different Kind of Accountability: Elected officials answer to voters. City managers answer to the city council. Instead of worrying about re-election or elevating constituent concerns, I now focus on performance — making sure government services are efficient, responsive, and aligned with council priorities. It’s a shift from public persuasion on policy to behind-the-scenes execution, and it requires a whole new level of strategic thinking. It’s also quite a challenge to be the person implementing policy that is divergent from what staff may recommend. Having the perspective from the council chamber seat has helped me guide staff through that process. When you’re on the council, you’re on the outside looking in — collaborating with city staff but not managing them. Becoming city manager meant stepping into a leadership role where I had to earn the trust of employees, understand their challenges, and create an environment where they feel supported. It’s not about being “the boss” — it’s about being the kind of leader who helps people do their best work.

Actually Getting Things Done: One of the biggest frustrations of being an elected official is that progress can feel slow. You fight for policies, advocate for funding, and then wait (and wait, and wait) for things to happen. As city manager, I get to oversee real, tangible progress — whether it’s improving public services, launching a major infrastructure project, or making internal systems more efficient. It’s incredibly satisfying to see an idea move from a policy discussion to an actual change in people’s lives.

Using Insider Knowledge to Bridge the Gap: Coming from an elected background means I understand how the council thinks, what they need, and what challenges they face in responding to constituents. That experience has helped me bridge the gap between policy goals and operational realities, making government work more smoothly. I also see the dedication of public employees firsthand — the people who fix the roads, maintain public spaces, and keep the community safe. Being in a position to support them and help them do their jobs effectively is one of the most rewarding aspects of this transition. It’s like having a dual-language translator for politics and administration — helping both sides understand each other better.

Final Thoughts — Care Loudly

One of the things I did early on as a new city manager was to start a “lunch lottery” — five employees are chosen at random and I treat them to lunch in my office. (We record and share the picks each month at this site: wheelofnames.com — very fun!) It’s a great opportunity to get five people who would not normally interact together in one space. I ask them how they would improve the city, how it’s going in their day-to-day, and what they love most about working for the city. It’s the highlight of my month. 

Moving from elected office to city management is like going from the ideas phase to the execution phase of government. It’s a shift from asking “What should we do?” to “How do we actually do it?” It requires a new mindset, strong relationships, and a willingness to embrace the not-so-glamorous but deeply important work of running a city. Instead of the 30,000-foot view, I had to get used to the 3,000-foot one.

And when you’re also building the job itself in real time, it’s an even bigger challenge — but also an even bigger opportunity. It’s about being OK with uncertainty, knowing that you won’t get everything perfect on the first try, and embracing the process of continuous improvement. Because at the end of the day, making local government work better isn’t just about having the perfect plan — it’s about having the resilience to keep adjusting, keep problem-solving, and keep the plane in the air.

Leslie Knope once said, “What I hear when I’m being yelled at is people caring loudly at me.” That’s the essence of public service. Whether you’re an elected official, a city manager, a concerned citizen, or a dedicated city employee, local government runs on people who care — sometimes loudly, sometimes behind the scenes, but always with a deep commitment to making communities better. The work isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

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