Bayside Village Manager Earns National Post

Andrew Pederson, village manager of Bayside, has been elected as Vice President of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Pederson is one of 18 vice presidents in the ICMA and will represent ICMA to state associations of local government management.

He is only the third village manager in the state to be elected to the position.

The ICMA is an international organization that allows leaders of small village to large city governments to communicate ideas on how to build their communities. The organization provides assistance, training and information in areas of ethics, community development, technology and other areas.

Pederson got his start in government in Apple Valley, MN as an intern before becoming the administrative assistant from 1998-2001. He brought his knowledge to Wisconsin in 2001 in Whitewater, then to Brown Deer in 2003 as assistant village manager before coming to Bayside in 2005 as village manager.

When Pederson was elected, he said it was a feeling that he will never forget.

"Personally and professionally it’s humbling and an honor," said Pederson. "Through a lot of hard work we've done at the village, it’s much appreciated that people recognize that."

Pederson added that his membership into the ICMA would add no burden to the taxpayers of Bayside and would add benefits to the village from being able to interact with members from other communities around the country and the world.

Pederson said, "Ideas come from different parts of the country, make it useful for the residents, save money and bring them a new service at very little cost."

Pederson’s election into the ICMA was a two-year process and took letters from peers and a few elections.

Pederson is trying to push the ICMA's message of "Life, Well Run." It supports the notion that communities run by a professional manager, like Pederson, can be better-run communities. 

The experience that Pederson gained from just his first board meeting in the ICMA was something that he knew Bayside couldn’t put value on.

"In sitting through my first executive board meeting at the end of September, the amount of things I learned from that one meeting alone that I was able to bring back to Bayside was of tremendous benefit," he said. "You can't put a price on that knowledge you get."