PAUL A. REAUME

Paul Reaume (1932-2003) believed in public service. He thought that all of us have an obligation to contribute to the public good. For almost fifty years, he lived out that belief as a Navy Officer, a City Manager, and a Consultant to local governments.

He served in the Navy as an Officer in Naval Intelligence. Afterward he went to graduate school at the University of Kansas and earned an MPA degree in 1963. He always remained actively committed to and supportive of the University of Kansas MPA program. The Paul A. Reaume Scholarship has been established at the University of Kansas from funds bequeathed by Paul and by contributions from many individuals, including fellow KUCIMATS.

Paul's first local government position was with the City of Highland Park, Illinois as an Administrative Assistant. He then went to work for the City of Lake Forest, Illinois. His first position in Lake Forest was as an Assistant to the City Manager. He then became Assistant City Manager. In 1964 he became the City Manager of Lake Forest, a position he filled with distinction for eight years.

His work as a Consultant to local government grew out of his commitment to public service. Paul was a pioneer. In 1972, he created the first executive search firm which focused exclusively on providing services to local governments. He built that firm into a nationally recognized standard of quality, integrity, and excellence.

When Paul first established his firm, two icons of city management agreed to be on his Board of Directors: Perry Cookingham and Professor Edwin O. Stene. Their willingness to support Paul and his work was reflective of their respect for Paul and their understanding that local government management needed executive search services just like corporations in the private sector.

"Assisting in the Achievement of Excellence in the Public Service" is the Mission Statement which he defined for his company in 1972. This was long before the idea of a mission statement became a part of the culture of many organizations. It was also long before the focus on excellence became popularized and was adopted by many public and private organizations over the last 30 years.

That dedication to public service and excellence was carried out by Paul with the highest sense of integrity to every client and candidate who ever came in contact with him. He could be trusted. He could be relied upon. Everything he did was done at the highest level of professionalism. At the same time, he always treated each individual client and candidate with great personal care and attention.

He was an active corporate member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for over 35 years, a supporting member of National Association of County Administrators (NACA), the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) and ICMA’s Hispanic Network. Over the years, Paul was active with the Kansas University City Management Training Program, and served as an advisor in the establishment of training and curriculum recommendations for public management programs at Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and Lake Forest College in the Chicago area. He has been long recognized for his successful efforts in mentoring city management and public management consultant aspirants and for strong advocacy of effective, responsive, and responsible local government. He received the Distinguished Service Award from ICMA in 2001.

After Paul died, many people sent notes to his family and to his associates at The PAR Group expressing their sadness at his passing. They also spoke about how he touched their lives in a positive way. Below are some of the comments taken from those cards and letters:

"What a great and gracious gentleman."

"He was a tireless supporter of public service professionals and always demonstrated the essence of professionalism."

"The ideals, integrity, and commitment to public service will live on in many places and forever be a testament to Paul and his life."

"While I worked directly for Paul, I learned the value of dedication and perseverance, to believe in what you are doing and to always give every project your best effort."

"He set an example we can hold up to present and future KU students. We will miss him but what he stood for is ingrained in the KU program, and it will be passed on from generation to generation."

"Paul was always there to put a positive spin on a bad day, offer suggestions on how to cope and get through that day, and give direction to one's future."

"He was kind, respectful, concerned, giving, and performed his unique miracles under most difficult circumstances with grace while being the perfect gentleman."

"Paul Reaume probably had a greater impact on professional city management than any other
individual in the nation."

"Paul was a wonderful, positive mentor and friend to me."

"I enjoyed Paul's good humor and marveled at his work ethic."

"It is because of the professional that he was that I always thought of Paul when I sought a career change or needed recruitment assistance."

"Local government has lost a champion in Paul's passing."