Annual Meeting workshops provide education and Rewards

The MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show will be held in-person on Jan. 20-21, 2023, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. MIIA members whose employees participate in any of the training sessions listed below will be eligible to earn MIIA Rewards credits.

• Municipal law: Matthew Feher of KP | Law, president of the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association, will moderate a panel of municipal attorneys who will discuss how cities and towns may be affected by federal and state cases, agency decisions, new laws and developing issues, such as remote and hybrid meetings, zoning and cannabis.

• Cybersecurity: This workshop, moderated by MassCyberCenter Director Stephanie Helm, will provide an update on the status of municipal cybersecurity efforts. Topics include MIT cyber benchmarking efforts, MassCyberCenter’s Cyber Incident Response tools, and cyber resources from third parties and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, as well as breach and response services.

• Regionalization: Regionalization can be an important tool to help small communities improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of municipal service delivery. This session, moderated by Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski, chair of Small Town Administrators of Massachusetts, will examine three case studies of successful regionalization, touching on approaches, benefits and drawbacks.

• Succession planning: Many municipal employers are facing significant disruptions caused by employee turnover, made worse by an increased rate of retirements and the “great resignation.” This workshop, moderated by Southborough Assistant Town Administrator Vanessa Hale, will examine both tried-and-true as well as new approaches to employee retention and succession planning that will help municipalities more effectively plan for employee transitions.

• Labor law: Attorney Ryan Jaziri of Morgan, Brown & Joy will moderate a panel of attorneys, each with expertise in employment and labor law, who will discuss major court cases, agency decisions and legislation covering workplace safety, civil service, collective bargaining, and pensions, among other issues expected to affect the workplace.

• Effective Manager/Board Relationships: A strong and effective relationship between a town manager and select board is key to a community’s success. A panel of experienced managers will discuss the basics of board/manager relations and strategies they have employed during their careers that have contributed to professional, thriving relationships, as well as how to navigate challenging and politically difficult situations.

• PFAS: Easton Town Administrator Connor Read, the MMA’s designee to the PFAS Interagency Task Force, will moderate this workshop, which will review the task force’s work to address the growing problem of “forever chemicals” and discuss on how municipalities can address PFAS contamination. Attendees will also learn how to leverage state and local tools to combat PFAS and what help is on the horizon.

• Cooling hostility: Jerry Posner, an accomplished training specialist, speaker, strategic coach and author, will provide tools, techniques and strategies for cooling potentially hot situations. He will cover assessing and understanding causal factors; managing stress triggers; avoiding unnecessary arguments; asking the right questions; communicating with empathy and compassion; recovering from mistakes; and outlining effective ways to calm yourself.

• Municipal hiring strategies: If you’re struggling to fill open positions, it may be time to rethink your hiring strategy. Discover how to attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and remain competitive by embracing an innovative recruitment approach. Municipal human resources professionals, led by Jen Breaker, assistant town manager and communications director in Danvers, will share how to reframe the benefits of working in local government, leverage internal and external resources, and adopt timely hiring strategies to set your community up for success.

• Mental health and policing: Law enforcement officials are regularly called upon to handle situations with residents who are experiencing complex mental health challenges. As a result, many cities and towns have expanded their approach to include health care professionals in their public safety efforts. This session, featuring Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn and Earl Miller, director of Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service for the town of Amherst, will focus on the dynamic challenges in this space, while sharing local approaches for incorporating co-responders and alternative responders.

For complete Annual Meeting information, including registration, visit www.mma.org/annualmeeting.

Written by Joyce McMahon, freelance writer