Local Gov Life

For four decades, Carl Valente has served local and state governments throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, while also serving five years as financial management director of ICMA. For the past 13 years, Valente has served as the town manager of Lexington, Massachusetts, a town that is celebrated as the site of the first shots of the American Revolutionary War in the Battle of Lexington in 1775. Valente notes in the podcast that this moment in history has an impact on the community to this very day. In this episode of Making A Difference, Valente briefly touches on why he chose the local government management profession - and it came down to three things: 1) a call to public service made by President John F. Kennedy; 2) local government management principles and how important they were to running a local organization; and 3) exposure to policy aspects of government. And after a long career, Valente, who is set to retire in August 2018, credits his longevity to proficiency, keeping up with the changes,