#23 - Tom Vernau - Through the lens of a municipal manager

Today an episode about the ways municipal managers think about their work and the challenges that they learn to embrace.

Tom Vernau has been managing Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania since 2005. Like all the best managers, Tom makes those around him look good while staying under the radar. Today we shape the conversation around how he thinks about challenges confronting local government and some of the important ways his career has been shaped.

Among managers, Tom stands out for his wisdom, his openness to considering new ideas, and his steadfast, abiding values centered around public service.

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More about Thomas G. Vernau, Jr.

Tom graduated from West Virginia University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Following a stint in the State of Florida where he worked as an Independent Accountant and for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tom moved to Harrisburg and went to work for Lower Allen Township as Accounting Supervisor. He was named Finance Director in 1995, Assistant Manager in 2002, and Manager in 2005. He received his master’s degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University in 1998.

He has served on the Board of the Government Finance Officers Association of Pennsylvania, where he was President from 2004 to 2008. He has served on the Executive Board of the APMM from 2017 to 2020 and was its President from 2018-2019. Tom is a member of the ICMA and has served on the Northeast Regional Leadership Council and as Chair of the Northeast Regional Nominating Committee.

He has sat on numerous advisory boards, including the Board of Advisors for the Capital Region Insurance Trust and the Municipal Utility Alliance, and currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees for the Keystone Municipal Insurance Trust and on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Municipal Health Insurance Cooperative.

Tom is married to Tami, and they have two sons and four grandchildren.

More information about Tom HERE or on the Lower Allen Township website

Topics today:

4:11 History and evolution of Township

7:47 Public safety umbrella

9:50 – Comprehensive Plan - decision to create a Development Authority – from vacant BonTon to Trader Joes – how a manager thinks differently from a developer – lingering zoning challenges

22:40 - Shifting demographics of the Board; younger members want to be more involved - unintended consequences of private sector benefits without private sector pay.

30:02 – New boards, building trust, and how much information is too much information for the Board?

36:46 – How a Traffic Improvement District came about and the importance of good relationships with neighboring municipalities.

41:44 – How APMM made Tom a better manager

43:42 – Building the pipeline for future managers.

50:51 – People who have impacted Tom’s career and stand out today.