Who Are You? with Erik Clarke, Ohio State University

Posted on April 21, 2016


As part of the grueling ELGL initiation process, new members are asked to complete our version of the Wonderlic test. It’s an open book test and participants do not have to use a dull number 2 pencil to fill in tiny circles.

AAEAAQAAAAAAAASeAAAAJGRlMmU3OTdlLTg3NmItNGJhYS1iODVlLTM2MzJjNjJjYjc0ZQ

Erik Clarke is a Master of Public Administration graduate student at The Ohio State University. He is interested in a career in city management. Erik has experience working for the City of Delaware, OH.

Complete the following sentences.

I joined ELGL because…..

I local government leaders should be involved in collaborating and innovating to solve local challenges. Learning from the policies and practices of local governments across the country and the leaders who make them special has huge benefits to our own communities.

On my way to work, I am thinking…

… about possibilities. What can be accomplished today, tomorrow, and over the course of the year. I’m thinking about how to solve challenges and completing my ever-present to-do list.

In 2016, I will….

OhioStateDougie_original

… be a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Master of Public Administration degree (August 7th)!

Once I win the lottery, I will…

… pay off my student loans and make some smart investments. #diversify

You should probably know that I…. 

… am passionate about what I do, like to work in groups, and I have a zero tolerance policy for littering.

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

Police departments should equip each officer with a body camera.

Agree, especially when officers are on-foot. This is a big topic right now and it’s a relatively expensive endeavor. Purchasing, maintaining, and equipping officers with cameras is only the beginning. There are more expenses associated with storage and retrieval of data- and a question about community privacy.

I am well versed on my retirement benefits. 

Agree. I am 24 and already aware of retirement options. I believe in practicing good planning in all aspects of life. If you work for a city and can carefully plan every step of a development, then you should definitely bring that set of skills into your personal life.

I have no idea, nor do I care, how to use Snapchat.

funny-snapchat-1

Disagree. I am very good at using LinkedIn (/in/erikclarke), Twitter (@ErikJClarke), and Snapchat

I rather be an assistant manager than the manager.

Neutral. I would rather be really effective at what I’m doing. I’m currently a budget analyst and I always seek to be the best darn budget analyst that ever did analyze a budget. Whether I’m working in budget and finance, or economic development, or as the assistant manager or manager of a city, then I’m going to be the hardest working person in that role I can be. I know what I know and I know what I don’t know- and I know how to learn what I don’t know.

I am a big user of the sharing economy.

Agree. I’m a frequent Uber, Airbnb, and Chegg customer. I think our economy is moving in this direction, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more sharing economy firms popping up- and local governments finding creative ways to implement those principles.

Close window