What Is the Local Government Leadership Institute?

"The mission of the New York State Comptroller’s Local Government Leadership Institute is to inform and challenge elected local government leaders through constructive engagement on regional issues of common concern, while reinforcing key leadership principles throughout each program – leadership skills that can help them navigate today's increasingly difficult fiscal environment."

In partnership with Hofstra University and Cornell University’s Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI), the Office of the State Comptroller created the Local Government Leadership Institute in 2009. The Institute provides local government officials with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, leadership, and decision-making skills. The goal of the Institute is to bring together officials across various classes of local government in a venue designed to increase dialogue and regional collaboration on common concerns.

The Institutes will be held at Hofstra University on June 14, 2012 and at the Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse on June 20, 2012. Following the Institutes, participants will be encouraged to develop networking groups designed to address common challenges.

With local governments facing the new fiscal realities driven by the current economic condition, the 2012 Institutes will assist local officials by focusing on:

• Lessons learned during the first year under the Tax Levy Limit and strategies for sustaining fiscal health
• The fiscal state of upstate cities and how their declining financial condition impacts the region (Syracuse Institute)

Addressing these diverse issues requires pragmatic leaders who can make informed decisions on the increasingly complex array of challenges facing their communities. The training and instruction received by Institute participants will not only enhance leadership skills and networking opportunities at the local government level, but will also serve as a foundation for a more efficient State government.