LGA Lyceum

Application Deadline for 2011 Municipal Intern Program is January 14

Attend this upcoming development session for tips on submitting a competitive application

In preparation for the 2011 Municipal Intern Program, Local Government Academy will host a “Competitive Municipal Intern Program Application Session” on Wednesday, December 15 between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM at LGA’s offices. This session is open to representatives from municipalities, municipal authorities and Councils of Government. Representatives from municipalities who have participated in the program in the past will be on-hand to discuss their projects, the process of choosing and working with an intern and the results of the project.

This session is offered free of charge and lunch will be provided. Please reserve your spot by registering on-line today.

In 2010, 10 undergraduate and graduate students from 8 colleges and institutions were placed in nine (9) municipalities and one (1) Council of Government, where they worked on a variety of projects throughout the summer. As you begin to think about your project for 2011, you may want to take a moment to view the project applications that were submitted and chosen and read the final summaries of last year’s projects.

Listed below is a listing of the students that were chosen, the projects the worked on and the municipalities or organizations they worked with. Complete descriptions are available in the Final Report.

Julie Bastianini, a graduate student from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of International and Public Affairs, concentrated on a Zoning Ordinance Review for Tarentum Borough.

Andrew Daugherty, a graduate student from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, focused on Public Outreach & Communication/Website Enhancement for Allegheny Township in Westmoreland County.

Sarah Fink, a graduate student from Carnegie Mellon University, H. John Heinz College, worked on the Reorganization of Tax Office Records and Preparation of a New Comprehensive Plan for Avalon Borough and Kilbuck Township.

Brandon Mendoza, a graduate student from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of International and Public Affairs, concentrated on a Property Maintenance Inspections/Code Enforcement for the City of Aliquippa in Beaver County.

Barbara Nwaokobia, a graduate student from Carnegie Mellon University, H. John Heinz College, focused on the Public Works Department Financial Work Analysis Plan for Neville Township.

Kyle Ross, a graduate student from California University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University of Pennsylvania, concentrated on Vacant Property Assessments for the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments.

Gregor Saulsbery, a undergraduate student at Robert Morris University, worked on the Early Intervention Program (EIP) Research Study for Dormont Borough.

Rebecca Van Regenmorter, a graduate student from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of International and Public Affairs, worked on the creation of a Comprehensive Employee Personnel Manual for Brentwood Borough.

Sarah Wheeler, an undergraduate student from Waynesburg University, focused on Residential Rental Registration for the City of Washington in Washington County.

Bryan Woll, an undergraduate student from Georgetown University, continued his work from the previous summer on Responsible Hospitality Zone Plan Implementation for the City of Pittsburgh, Office of Councilman Bruce A. Kraus.

 

2010 Recognition Luncheon: Municipal Intern Speech

Brandon Mendozza, a student at the Univeristy of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affiars, was one of 10 individuals who completed an internship as part of LGA's Municipal Intern Program. Brandon gave a speech at this year's Recognition Luncheon, reflecting on the value of his experience in working with the City of Aliquippa on a code enforcement project.

 

Hi, my name is Brandon Mendoza. I am a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh (GSPIA). My internship placement was in The City of Aliquippa and I worked with the Code Enforcement Department. On my first day, I had to deal with residents that allowed their dog to lay feces all over their backyard. When I went to speak to them they had no idea what the problem was. I explained to them that it was against city ordinances to allow feces to become unsanitary. After that, I knew I would be getting a lot of complaints this summer, so I thought of ways I could better file and communicate to the residents. With the assistance of the code enforcer and the city, I created a website and database strictly focused on code enforcement.

 

I know many will ask, “Why is code enforcement so important?” For municipalities, their brand is forged by the reputation of their neighborhoods. And locales like Aliquippa are constantly in competition with surrounding suburbs and municipalities. So any resident dissatisfaction can push residents to surrounding locales. Local governments must maintain a sense of pride in their municipality and must always seek to maximize public value.

 

Local government is the purist form of democracy in America. They are direct stewards of their citizen’s resources and, as such, are held to the highest standard. In Aliquippa, if there is a street light out, a resident can literally look in the phone book and call the mayor. The mayor would then call the department responsible for keeping up with the lights. Actually he would call me and I would get in contact with the department! But this is why local government is so important: active citizens can actually make a difference.

 

Municipal governments must anticipate and plan for the unknown and good public management can ensure that municipalities thrive and thwart external problems. Today, local governments must strategically plan and hire managers with the vision to see beyond the present. Managers must be equipped with a broad array of knowledge that extends to all sectors. Local governments must compete with federal and state governments and non-profit sectors for these specially trained individuals. Because of this competition, local governments often have to hire people from different sectors that meet some of the required skills. LGA’s municipal intern program provides local governments with students whom have many of the skills in demand but need experience to enhance them. This program is invaluable to municipalities throughout western PA.

 

Local public management doesn’t sound sexy and isn’t marketed to college kids and graduate students; but simply the job is essential to our evermore complex society. Doctors care for your health, police care for your safety, bankers care for your money, but public managers care for your community. Locating good managers can be the difference between declining and thriving as a municipality. LGA is making sure that western PA continues to thrive by placing management experience in the hands of skilled students.

 

Thank you for your time and enjoy your day.