{"product_id":"city-council-101-insiders-guide-for-new-councilmembers-9798986219530","title":"City Council 101: Insider's Guide for New Councilmembers","description":"\u003cp\u003eLocal government can be fascinatingly intriguing, significant, and captivating. This book grew out of years of determination while I was a Mayor, Councilmember, and Planning Commissioner to make local government and public meetings approachable, friendly, customer-oriented, accessible, accountable, and understood. It is a process that needs work on all sides of the dais - by the public, by staff, and by elected representatives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the first directly elected female Mayor of my town, I achieved all of the goals I set for my two years in office except one: I wanted to set up a course for new Councilmembers to teach them their roles and responsibilities as directors on the many Boards on which they sit. This book is my fulfillment of that goal. Boardsmanship is an art, a science, and a learned skill that isn't taught, but which would enhance the service we provide to those who elect us if we understood how to do it well. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe problem is that there is no playbook, no job description, no education for newly elected representatives or for the public that explains what is expected of us and what our jobs are. It's all happenstance. The electeds get thrown in at the deep end, and their constituents often don't even get to the pool, or they check in with their representatives in a haphazard way. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI became familiar with local government practice and process by osmosis over the course of thirteen years. You can do that too, but you will be much more effective and waste much less time if you learn how it works before you take up your role. \u003cem\u003eCity Council 101\u003c\/em\u003e will shorten your learning curve so you can hit the ground running. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeterson, Debbie:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - A former Mayor, Councilmember, and Planning Commissioner, Debbie Peterson works on both sides of the dais as an advocate for good government.By the age of 28 Debbie was an award-winning entrepreneur and food manufacturer in Great Britain and has negotiated more than five hundred win-win transactions as a residential real estate broker in California.Debbie studied journalism and radio-tv, at CSU Fresno, completing a BSc in Communications with a major in Public Relations from the University of Idaho. Debbie is the author of The HAPPIEST CORRUPTION: Sleaze, Lies, \u0026amp; Suicide in a California Beach Town, and the California Cake \u0026amp; Cookie Cookbook and was requisitioned by the Scottish Development Agency to write Great Scotswomen in Business. Debbie was the Scottish 'Young Business Personality of the Year' before returning to California to raise her son. She now spends her time writing, speaking, running her real estate company, and skiing and traveling with friends and family.","brand":"South Third Street Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51834648199442,"sku":"9798986219530","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_44ebfef4-1a00-403c-943f-cd6b4f8d79dd.jpg?v=1767097239","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/city-council-101-insiders-guide-for-new-councilmembers-9798986219530","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}