ICMA’s Executive Director Marc Ott reflects on his career as both an African-American city manager and as executive director of ICMA
In honor of Black History Month, ICMA staff sat down with Executive Director Marc Ott to discuss his personal experiences as the first African American CEO of ICMA and the first African American to serve as city manager of Austin, Texas. It’s worth a look back.
Marc Ott was not shy about his experience serving as the first African-American manager in Austin, Texas. This is what he had to say.
“I guess the most poignant moment for me…was the next day in council chambers. The whole room was full. I will tell you, in my mind’s eye, the image was predominantly filled with African Americans, and they were in the chambers….and in the atrium, and it was full. The local paparazzi was all over. You could feel that energy. That’s when it hit me, the meaning of it. The significance of it. How important it was to them. To have senior African-American people shaking my hand, congratulating me, and [telling me that] they’d been in the Austin area for 10, 15, 20 years, or longer and saying “I never thought that I would see the day when there would be an African American in this position in Austin, Texas.”
I was almost overwhelmed by that…. [Not only] for the love of the profession and [the] love of public service but also because I was “the first” and feeling that if there was going to be a second, I had to do a good job.
That’s what it felt like to me, [and] it feels that way here, too, in terms of being the first person of color, not to mention African American, to serve in this position of executive director of ICMA. I’m proud of the fact that I’m African American, just [as] I’m sure you’re proud of who and what you are and what you represent. And that does have something to do with my drive in life, especially given the history of this country, and how we came to be here. It’s not lost on me. I don’t want it to be lost on me. I don’t want it to be lost on you. That’s why it’s good we’re doing this [interview] today.”
Check out the full interview here.
