City Manager Appointed to Sustainable Communities Committee

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently selected Redlands City Manager N. Enrique Martinez for a one-year term on the organization’s Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee. According to ICMA President-elect James A. Bennett, more than 300 members of the organization applied for a limited number of spots on ICMA committees for the coming year, in some cases requests outnumbered available positions eightfold. According to the organization’s website, ICMA’s Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee supports the advancement of more sustainable, livable and resilient communities through promoting sustainability as a best practice of local government and a core competency of city and county management; serving as advisors, partners, peer-to-peer mentors, and advocates for creating more sustainable communities; and assisting ICMA in expanding its portfolio of grant funded sustainability initiatives. “Today, more than ever, local governments have become a critical player in advancing more sustainable, livable, and resilient communities,” Bennett wrote in an email appointing Martinez to the advisory group. “As a member of the Sustainable Communities Advisory Committee, you will continue to promote sustainability as a best practice and core competency of local government management.” Martinez identified sustainability practices as a crucial element to the City of Redlands in 2007 when he was selected as City Manager. At the City Council’s direction he was instrumental in guiding City staff who worked with a group of community volunteers beginning in 2008 to produce the City’s Community Sustainability Plan, adopted by the City Council in March 2011. “Two of the most important responsibilities for municipal government are to maintain sustainable finances and sustainable resources,” said Martinez. “I am very happy to have a role in recommending policies for sustainable practices for ICMA’s member cities and counties internationally.”