Edward Beaman understands every detail of how to operate a coke furnace. After all, he's a retired superintendent of maintenance for the former Pittsburgh Coke and Chemical Co.

But understanding the ins and outs of running a municipality is another matter for Mr. Beaman, one of Aleppo's newest commissioners.

That's why, on a recent sunny Saturday morning, he was sitting in a University of Pittsburgh classroom listening to a lecture on wastewater management, rather than enjoying the leisure of his retirement.

Mr. Beaman is one of more than 90 newly elected officials from five Western Pennsylvania counties enrolled in the Local Government Academy's 2005-06 Newly Elected Officials Course, designed to provide new municipal officials with a tutorial of their basic duties.

In 10 sessions, the course addresses the nuts and bolts of running a municipality, including the scope of municipal powers, leadership and ethics, finances, personnel law, police and public safety, zoning and development, hiring, planning and infrastructure.

Newly elected officials probably know "less than they think" about municipal management, said Cranberry Manager Jerry Andree, a Local Government Academy board member.

What they do know, said academy executive director Susan Hockenberry, is that they have "aspirations for their communities, goals and interests they would like to put into action."

The course aims to provide the know-how needed to advance those goals after a candidate has won election.

"This gives them an opportunity to hear facts and connect with key people in those issue areas," Mr. Andree said.

"It gives guys like me who have no experience a lot of confidence," Mr. Beaman said.

The academy draws on experts from the civic, government, academic and business sectors to teach the classes. Presenters include professors from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University as well as engineers, attorneys and county, state and municipal officials.

A recent session on storm water and wastewater management included presentations by John Schombert, executive director of 3 Rivers Wet Weather Inc., and Andy Blenko, a project manager for Gateway Engineers.

Many of those attending the sessions said the business cards they snap up following the lectures are every bit as important as the notes they take during the talks.

"Everybody who teaches a class puts their card out and tells us, 'If you need something, call me,' " Mr. Beaman said.

The Local Government Academy was launched in 1983 by Allegheny County commissioners with the goal of promoting excellence in government through education. It has since expanded to serve Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, Washington and Armstrong counties and gets financial and other support from businesses, universities and nonprofits.

More than 500 officials in southwestern Pennsylvania have participated in the program during its 20-year history. The current session kicked off in November with a 2¹/₂-hour mock council meeting designed to give newly elected officials a taste of what they can expect from their turn at the dais.

Municipal managers and previous class participants made up a "council," complete with a mock agenda and an audience peppered with "residents" voicing complaints.

"We let them get belligerent and antagonistic. ... As closely as we can, we try to replicate what a real meeting is like," said John Barrett, the academy's director of programs.

Academy officials also used the mock council as a means to demonstrate correct procedure, such as when it is proper to abstain from a vote and what must be communicated to the public following a closed-door session.

But the intent isn't to teach just protocol. Academy officials also want elected officials to learn the skills needed to be a positive presence in the daily workings of local government.

"We teach not only what the minimum expectation is but we also promote the concept of good government and try to raise the bar," Ms. Hockenberry said.

It's the kind of support Mr. Beaman was looking for as he stepped into his new role. In recent years, Aleppo municipal business has been mired in infighting, animosity and litigation, which, he said, has turned the township into "a laughingstock."

He hopes his conduct and that of his running mates, Drew Forsyth and Greg Smith, all of whom were elected on a Good Government slate, will help "erase the humiliation," he said.

Even when the atmosphere isn't contentious, new officials might be surprised by the issues that consume their time, Ms. Hockenberry said, because the topics often are unrelated to the issues that prompted candidates to run in the first place.

"Candidates run on the issues they care about. But they don't have a choice if it's time to renegotiate the garbage contract. They have to do it," she said.

Tim McLaughlin, a new member of the Moon board of supervisors, is enrolled at the academy with fellow supervisor Mike Hopper. Mr. McLaughlin said that initially, he had some trepidation about the courses.

"At first I though, I'm 50 years old, I don't want to go to class," he laughed. But that feeling melted away almost immediately.

"I would recommend it for any public official. They do such a thorough job of schooling you on everything from budgets, to the Sunshine Law, to zoning. Each class you learn so much and you get to meet other people who've just been elected -- it's been a great experience."

Stephanie Triko-Selelyo, of Robinson, felt confident about her understanding of planning and land use issues thanks to her background as a project manager for family-owned Triko Enterprises and her longtime interest in the proposed Maglev project. She was less confident about her grasp of municipal finance, however, and that concerned her.

"It's no longer your company's money. It's your neighbors' money and that's an awesome responsibility," she said.

She signed up for the course on the advice of a fellow municipal official who had previously taken it. She has found the classes to be a confidence booster when it comes to finance issues.

"When you cut the fat away, it's like running a business. And I've done that before," she said.

Ms. Triko-Selelyo said she appreciates the academy's nonpartisan, good government approach.

"It takes the politics out of it and reminds us all of what we're truly there to do," she said.