A study done by The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) found that one of the biggest factors in city manager turnover was the local economy. In bad economic times, city managers often receive the blame for a city’s decline, and can be asked to leave.

On the other hand, if a city experiences boom times and its economy takes off during the tenure of a particular city manager, that individual is much more likely to be head hunted by cities looking to give their own communities a boost. This same ICMA study found that the national average for city manager tenure is seven years, an average within a wide range. Just as in any profession, some people will change positions quite often, while others will settle in on their first assignment and never leave.

If there is a change in the elected leadership, city managers may find themselves fighting to keep their position, and unfortunately, on occasion, a major overhaul in the City Council is often followed by radical changes in management. Often this is no reflection on the city manager’s historical performance, but rather an unavoidable part of a city’s evolution.

Still other times it is simply time for a city manager to move on for personal reasons. The skill set developed in local government management often leads people toward careers in financial planning, nonprofit management, education or public advocacy. As in any other profession, careers grow and change with time, and it is important to respect that, to follow passions and interests.

City managers are hit by of a trifecta of pressure every day, coming from the public, the city’s employees and the elected officials. They facilitate everything from graffiti clean up to the building of a new overpasses. It is challenging work, to say the least and pretty much a thankless job. Basically like politics. If your lucky, 50% of the general population will like and support you at best.

But if you’re passionate about your city, willing to pour yourself into it, and at the same time are able to make space for your own personal wellbeing, odds are you will thrive. In other words: you have to really care, but not too much.