They review bids and select contractors to perform work for their agency. Town, city, or county managers in small areas are expected to have knowledge of many topics. For example, they should know about finances, administration, and personnel. In large cities, administrators often specialize in one area and have assistants. Almost all public administrators are elected to office.
City managers are one of the few exceptions.
Thus public administrators spend some of their time campaigning for office. This involves meeting with various groups, attending rallies, and talking to the media. Campaigning is not an official job duty for administrators, but it must be done in order to stay in office. Public Administrators is in the Business, Management, and Finance Career Cluster. Worker Characteristics Good ability to use words when speaking or writing Ability to make decisions and solve problems Ability to work with numbers, such as in managing a budget Desire to be a leader and influence others Willingness to supervise others and be in charge of planning projects Willingness to move between tasks that use different skills Public administrators must be able to plan, organize, and budget.