ATLANTIC CITY — The first crop of supervisory-level city employees completed a year-long certified public manager training course recommended by the state’s 2018 transition report.
The state Department of Community Affairs and the city announced the first graduating class Monday of the nationally accredited CPM program. In total, 15 Atlantic City employees completed the program, according to a news release.
City supervisors from departments such as City Clerk, City Solicitor, Information Technology, Licensing and Inspection, Municipal Court, Planning and Development, Public Safety and Public Works, voluntarily completed the course “in an effort to strengthen their work performance and better serve the public,” according to the DCA statement.
“These graduates are truly among city government’s best and brightest, and I am so proud of the work they are doing to strengthen good government in Atlantic City,” said Mayor Marty Small Sr. “The investments the city and state are making in our personnel are paying tremendous dividends in improving the city’s professionalism and ability to tackle challenges.”
Plans are under way for a second class to enter the CPM program, which is administered by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission and delivered by Rutgers University-Newark’s School of Public Affairs and Administration.
The city employees attended public management courses once a week for nearly 10 months — a two-month break in July and August was granted — and were assigned case studies, presentations, papers, self-assessments and a review of current literature that directly related to workplace issues. In addition to going to classes and assignments, the graduates also completed a work-related capstone project aimed at benefiting the department they help to lead.
“I commend the program graduates for their dedication to public service in Atlantic City and their commitment to getting the coursework done while continuing their full-time jobs. They have demonstrated true leadership and have already begun applying their training to their work in the city,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who also serves as DCA commissioner. “The impressive skills they learned in problem-solving, decision-making, strategic thinking and communication are helping to improve how city government functions and meets the needs of the people it serves.”
The 2018 transition report recommended the state and city support enrolling city supervisors in a training program specifically designed for municipal managers to build the capacity of city government.
