Who Are You? with Chris Shrout, City of Jenks, OK

Posted on September 23, 2015


As part of the grueling ELGL initiation process, new members are asked to complete the our version of the Wonderlic test. It’s an open book test and participants aren’t faced with the challenge of using a dull number 2 pencil to fill in tiny circles. 


Chris Shrout (LinkedIn) is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Jenks, OK. Previously, he served as Supervising Senior Auditor for the City of Austin, TX. Chris is a University of Oklahoma MPA graduate.

Complete the following sentences.

I feel…. excited to visit Seattle and attend the ICMA conference.
I joined ELGL because…..I want to be a part of a grassroots organization focused on improving local government.
My life will be complete if…. I make a positive impact in the world…and retire on a beach with my wife.
You should probably know that I….
boomer-sooner-o
..,.am an OU alum and a diehard Oklahoma Sooners football fan.  I lived in Tempe, AZ and Austin, TX and proudly proclaimed my Sooner love.  Greatest college football program in history.
If I was in a talent show I would perform…. maybe some sort of cooking demonstration?

Do you agree/disagree with the following statement(s)……Explain….

My peer group views local government as a desirable profession. 
Disagree.  Local government has many professions and it’s hard to say that my peers would find most of them desirable.  However, I think my peers respect the people and services that local government employees provide.
Local governments should have an employee dress code. 
bd4864b855e8c8b07d6896ffeb46165d9445a1abe6e42fd3828fc120c5f29d2e

Agree.  The dress code should reflect the job requirements and the expectations of the public served.

I plan on spending the rest of my career in local government. 
Agree.  That’s the current plan.  However, I expect to work another three to four decades – so who knows what I’ll be doing in 2040 or 2050.
Potlucks are a good idea.
Agree.  Always a good idea, frequently poorly executed.
City staff should be required to live in the city in which they work. 
Disagree with one caveat.  City executives should always live in the city in which they work.  A residency requirement for the entire workforce is a good idea in theory, but depending on the city it may not be practical.
 

Close window