Patrick Brankin was a speaker at the ILCMA (Illinois City/County Management Association) Winter Conference 2022 on March 31, 2022. The title of the session was “Manager-in-the-Middle: How to Handle a Contentious Board.” At these twice-yearly conferences, members come together to discuss current practices in local government and attend training sessions to develop managerial skills. The winter conference focuses primarily on the nuts and bolts of local government management.