GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Feeling politics. Brandon Davis, Assistant Professor of Law and Society for the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration, joined the podcast to discuss a recent paper he published titled, Feeling Politics: Carceral Contact, Well-Being, and Participation. His paper is about the impact that contact with police and the criminal justice system have on civic participation. Brandon discussed what his research found and how local governments can address this issue. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Creating a City of lifelong learning. Jennifer Henecke, the Communications Manager for the St. Joseph County Public Library, and Rick Wartzman, Head of the KH Moon Center for a Functioning Society, joined the podcast to talk about a new online learning resource developed for South Bend residents. The Drucker Institute partnered with the Library and the community to create Bendable, a platform with curated resources for professional development and training. They also designed community collections with local experts on topics like buying your first house, coding, and film making. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Increasing impact through data. Natalie Evans Harris, the Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Initiatives at BrightHive, joined the podcast to talk about using data to improve local government's response to COVID-19. She shared how BrightHive is partnering with public sector agencies and their recently released Responsible Data Use Playbooks. Natalie also discussed trends she's seeing in public sector data use. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Focusing on people, not just place. Majestic Lane, Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about the creation and work of the City's Office of Equity. He discussed gentrification and how cities need to focus on people and impacts of who is served by new investments. Majestic also talked about workforce development efforts and the work Pittsburgh is doing to improve the diversity of businesses it works with. Host: Ben Kittelson

Meaning making and synthesizing. Carrie Christensen, Senior Planner for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, joined the podcast to talk about how she has used art and artists in engagement. Using artists has improved the quality of engagement and brought more diverse residents to the table. This is part of ELGL's Creative Community, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Linking innovation and impact. Andi Mirviss, Program Manager for the Centre for Public Impact, joined the podcast to talk about failure in government. She shared how failure is key to innovation and embracing it allows people to embrace new ideas. The Centre for Public Impact has a new report about Failing Forward and understanding how local governments can fail forward and create a culture of innovation. Host: Javon Davis

Lessons from the Great Recession. Richard Berry, former Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined the podcast to talk about the work of the Kauffman Mayors' Council and the long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He shared what it was like to go through the Great Recession and the need to support local businesses. He also discussed how Albuquerque supported entrepreneurs through accelerator programs and changing the regulatory environment. This interview is part of a four part series with the Kauffman Mayors' Council. The Mayors' Council harnesses the knowledge and experience of former mayors to support cities across the county in efforts to build equitable community wealth. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Community organizing in government. Ben Duncan, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer for Multnomah County, Oregon, joined the podcast to talk about his career working on equity issues which began with environmental justice and health issues. He discussed the County's Workforce Equity Strategic Plan and how employees have been engaged to improve their workplace. He also shared the work he's done on the strategies Multnomah County is implementing to improve the diversity of their workforce and how the organization uses an equity lens. Host: Ben Kittelson

An entrepreneurial mayor. Sly James, former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, jointed the podcast to talk about the work of the Kauffman Mayors' Council and attracting talent and supporting entrepreneurs. He shared two programs led by the City of Kansas City, an innovation partnership program and a startup in residence program. He also discussed the racial gap in entrepreneurship and the need to incorporate equity in economic development. This interview is part of a four part series with the Kauffman Mayors' Council. The Mayors' Council harnesses the knowledge and experience of former mayors to support cities across the county in efforts to build equitable community wealth. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

One Albuquerque. Sarita Nair, the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined the podcast to talk about a new approach to public safety and implementing innovation. She discussed the City's new Community Safety Department, the impacts of COVID-19, and creating a fund to support the Black community in Albuquerque. She also shared how innovation training has changed culture and her career path into local government. Host: Ben Kittelson

Managing ongoing uncertainty. Betsy Hodges, former Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, jointed the podcast to talk about the work of the Kauffman Mayors' Council and leading during a time of crisis. She discussed the importance of communication, understanding what's right, and self care. She also shared why she ran for Mayor and what it was like dealing with the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting. This interview is part of a four part series with the Kauffman Mayors' Council. The Mayors' Council harnesses the knowledge and experience of former mayors to support cities across the county in efforts to build equitable community wealth. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Public service and voter education. Janice Allen Jackson, Principal at Janice Allen Jackson & Associates and Host of Local Matters, joined the podcast to talk about her career path in local government and her current efforts to engage and educate voters through her podcast. She discussed how the conversation about defunding police should shift to interdisciplinary public safety. Janice also shared stories from her time leading the cities of Albany and Augusta, Georgia. Host: Ben Kittelson

Thinking outside the box about economic development. Mark Stodola, former Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas and attorney, jointed the podcast to talk about the work of the Kauffman Mayors' Council and the importance of entrepreneurship. He talked about his work as Mayor including his time as President of the National League of Cities (NLC). He also discussed the work of the Kauffman Foundation to support small businesses. This interview is part of a four part series with the Kauffman Mayors' Council. The Mayors' Council harnesses the knowledge and experience of former mayors to support cities across the county in efforts to build equitable community wealth. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Planning for a stronger, more equitable Minneapolis. Joy Marsh Stephens, the Director of the Division of Race & Equity for the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, joined the podcast to talk about the work her team is doing to advance racial equity and the current moment of activism around structural racism. She discussed the City's Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan and the policies the City is pursuing to address racial equity. She also talked about the importance of cultural change and capacity building. Host: Ben Kittelson

Support for crisis response. Raylene Yung, the Co-Founder and CEO of US Digital Response, joined the podcast to talk about how they are connecting technologists to work with governments in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These volunteers with experience in software and technology help governments find creative ways to deliver services and operate during the pandemic. She shared examples of their work and how to work with US Digital Response. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Understanding the drivers of poverty. Two members of the Office of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives joined the podcast to talk about their work addressing poverty and working with departments to use data. Henry Fitts is the Grant Management and Research Coordinator and former Director of Innovation and Kate May is the City's Chief Performance Officer. They discussed the City's work in helping residents find employment and testing a micro loan program for entrepreneurs. Host: Ben Kittelson

Making the career leap. Christian Williams, Planner for the City of Goodyear, Arizona, joined the podcast to talk about his recent career change to working in planning and his career path in local government. He shared how the City is engaging residents in the planning process and encouraging people to participate. Christian also discussed his recent post about his experience as a Black person and being vulnerable in sharing his stories. Host: Ben Kittelson

Don't be clever, be conscientious. Lawrence Greenspun, Director of Public Sector Engagement for the Drucker Institute, and Tanya Ange, Deputy City Manager of Boulder, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about leadership in times of crisis and the new Drucker Playbook for the Public Sector. Lawrence shared the story of Peter Drucker and the principles of leadership that inform their training and approach. Tanya discussed how the City of Boulder is using the Drucker Playbook to train staff and develop leaders. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Keeping the fire lit. Joey Garcia, Senior Administrative Analyst for the City of Torrance, California, joined the podcast to talk about his career path and public works. He shared his experience finding that first job in local government, what he's learned from working in public works, and the impact of COVID-19 on their operations. Joey also discussed culture change and finding your passion. Host: Ben Kittelson

Creating a culture of health. Sean Knierim, the Co-Founder of SidePorch, joined the podcast to talk about resources for communities in reopening after COVID-19 shutdowns and expanding testing capacity. He talked about the need to be adaptive and flexible in procurement as well as being ready to scale small actions. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

"Y'all, I'm hurt." Christina Roach, Digital Content Officer for the City of Dallas, Texas, and Victor Henderson, Communications Specialist for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, joined the podcast to talk about what it's like working in communications right now. They shared what they deal with as black government social media managers and managing social feeds with nonstop reminders of unjust and lethal treatment of people of color. They discussed how coworkers can be supportive and what led them to share their experience in a post to other government communicators. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Rick Cole, long time public servant and former City Manager of Santa Monica, California, joined the podcast to talk about his vision for how government needs to change to meet the new challenges it faces. He shared lessons on leadership and how to shift government from providing legacy services to solving problems. He also discussed his career path and departure from Santa Monica. Host: Ben Kittelson

Thinking creatively about being mission critical. Alison Rhodes, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Boulder, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about operating during COVID-19. She shared how the pandemic has affected the work of her department and what they are doing to creatively offer services. Alison also talked about her career path and how she sees the parks profession changing after the pandemic. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

A bottom-up revolution. Chuck Marohn, the Founder and President of Strong Towns, joined the podcast to discuss about his new book and the work he is doing to shape the conversation about development in cities. He shared what led him to leave the engineering and planning field to start Strong Towns and his new book, Strong Towns, A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. He talked about how the way America has built cities since World War II has led to developments that do not generate enough tax revenue to pay for their infrastructure. He also shared the ways that local governments can change their approach and create stronger communities. Host: Ben Kittelson

Smart cities for dummies. Jonathan Reichental, is the CEO of Human Future, author, and former Chief Information Officer of Palo Alto, CA. He joined the podcast to talk about the role of government technology and his view on what makes a smart city. He also shared what he thinks the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on government technology will be and how organizations will change. Jonathan discussed a book on smart cities that he is writing and a new training for public sector leaders. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

If it's not for all, it's not for us. Shannon Harding, the Council President for the City of Columbus, Ohio, joined the podcast to talk about how the City is responding to COVID-19 and the policy responses they are pursuing. He discussed the disparate impacts of the pandemic on marginalized communities and how they are bringing equity into the response, from providing a hotel for homeless community members to supporting black businesses. Shannon also shared his career path into public service. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

From preparation to reopening. Greg Preece, Human Resources Manager in Oakland, California, and Matt Hartleib, Human Resources Manager in La Porte, Texas, joined the podcast to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their organizations. They shared how each human resources office prepared and managed the crisis, as well as the unique leave and telework dynamics of their organizations. They also discussed the planning process for reopening each workplace as states begin to relax stay at home orders. Host: Ben Kittelson

Becoming an elected official during a pandemic. Josh Schoemann, the County Executive of Washington County, Wisconsin, joined the podcast to talk about running for office and leading a County during the COVID-19 outbreak. The form of government changed from an appointed County Administrator to an elected County Executive, and Josh chose to run for office to keep his position leading the County. He talked about the experience of running for office and how they are navigating reopening after the shutdown. Host: Kent Wyatt

Curbside pickup to digital story time. Jamie Eustace, the Library Director for the City of Baytown, Texas, joined the podcast to talk about how running the library has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared how staff have found creative ways to continue serving library patrons and how operations will change once they are allowed to open the library again. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Strategic planning and managing resources during a crisis. Gregory Patrick, the Budget Director for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, joined the podcast to talk about how his office is putting together an annual budget during COVID-19. He shared how their process has changed and what the financial impacts of the crisis may be. Gregory also talked about budget engagement and his department's telework policy, which was in place before the pandemic and allowed their office to keep talented employees. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Providing water and wastewater during a pandemic. Todd Danielson, Chief Utilities Executive of Avon Lake Regional Water, joined the podcast to talk about how COVID-19 is impacting utility operations. He shared how they have changed shift schedules to protect staff and adjusted their billing to aid customers. Todd also talked about working with the Ohio EPA and how they have adjusted their planned capital projects. Host: Ben Kittelson

From economic resiliency to teleworking. Blaine Williams, the Manager of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, joined the podcast to talk about how his organization has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. He discussed preparation, issuing a stay at home order, and coordinating with the State of Georgia. He also talked about working with the Mayor and Commission in the response and enforcing social distancing guidelines through education. Host: Ben Kittelson

Outreach and operations during a pandemic. Lorena Molina, the Director of Operations for the Census Open Innovation Labs, joined the podcast to give an update on how Census 2020 is being impacted by COVID-19. She also shared outreach tools and the value of continuing to share the importance of completing the Census during this time of uncertainty. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

From public comment to live broadcasting. Lindsay Lara, the City Clerk for the City of San Rafael, California, joined the podcast to discuss how the City Clerk and Digital Services teams set up public meetings in an age of social distancing. She talked about the changes to public meetings rules in California and how residents of San Rafael are still able to participate through YouTube comments. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Strategy and public health information. Warren Kagarise, Digital Engagement Manager, and Colette Cosner, Public Health Digital Lead, from King County, Washington joined the podcast to talk about communicating during COVID-19. King County has been one of the epicenters of the outbreak and has been dealing with cases since February. They shared their tips for communication strategy, keeping residents informed, and self-care in a time of pandemic. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Data science for public service. Sarah Martin, the Vice President of Health Solutions for mySidewalk and former Deputy Director of the Kansas City Health Department, joined the podcast to talk about the role of public health and responding to disease. She talked about the policy role of public health departments and how they are responding to COVID-19. Sarah also discussed her work for mySidewalk and shared the resources for local governments they are providing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Host: Ben Kittelson

Changing how communities are built. Two people joined the podcast from Verdunity, a planning, engineering, and engagement firm focused on fiscal sustainability. Kevin Shepherd, the Founder and CEO, and AJ Fawver, Program Leader, talked about the mission of Verdunity, how cities can build better places, and the cost of maintaining infrastructure. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Intersection of community development and arts. Lynn Osgood, the Executive Director of Civic Arts Austin, joined the podcast to talk about bringing arts and culture into the way cities are built. She discussed some example projects of how artists have helped communities with visioning and design. This is part of ELGL's Creative Community, a partnership with ArtPlace America and Civic Arts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

It does not happen by accident. Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez from Oregon Metro, the regional government for the Portland, Oregon area, joined the podcast to talk about his choice to run for office and how to build inclusive communities. He talked about engaging with residents to ensure local government meets their needs and a ballot measure for dealing with homelessness. Councilor Gonzalez also discussed how Metro is working on transportation and affordable housing. Host: Kent Wyatt

The best of American politics. Emily Farris, Associate Professor of Politics at Texas Christian University, joined the podcast to talk about teaching local politics. She shared how she includes local government in her courses and gets students to learn about what's going on in Fort Worth, Texas. Professor Farris also shared her career path and what influenced her to study this field. Host: Kent Wyatt

Creating good government and fiscal sustainability. Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser & Associates, joined the podcast to talk about his career as an auditor, running for Kansas City Mayor, and more. He talked about navigating the Great Recession as Mayor and the importance of an independent auditor. He also shared his career path into public service and his time as Publisher of Governing Magazine. Host: Javon Davis

Improving transparency in government. Ginger McCall, the former Oregon Public Records Advocate, joined the podcast to talk about her time in the State of Oregon and the importance of providing transparency to the public. She discussed the events that led to her resignation and keeping the public records advocate independent. Ginger also shared best practices for providing public records and how local governments can meet the needs of requesters. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Connecting leaders to improve policy and service delivery. Tyler Kleykamp, the Director of the State Chief Data Officers Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University, joined the podcast to talk about how data can be used to inform policy decisions. He shared how he supports Chief Data Officers across the country and the skills needed to become a Chief Data Officer. Tyler also shared his career path, which included being the first Chief Data Officer for the State of Connecticut. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Data and fire service. Chief Reginald Freeman of the Hartford, Connecticut Fire Department joined the podcast to talk about his department's FireStat program and change management. Chief Freeman discussed how they monitor and evaluate performance measures, engaging with fire fighters, and his philosophy on leadership. He also discussed his career path into the fire service, including time in the military. Host: Ben Kittelson

Using arts and culture to shape communities. Lyz Crane, the Deputy Director of Artplace America, joined the podcast to talk about the work strengthening the field of creative placemaking, which is about integrating arts into community planning and development. She gave examples of how communities can integrate artists in local government including using artists to improve engagement. Lyz also announced a new Creative Community partnership with ELGL around highlighting these local government stories. This is part of ELGL's Creative Community, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Engagement from campaigning to governing. Ed Fields, Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist for the City of Birmingham, Alabama, joined the podcast to talk about how they engage residents in the work of local government. He also discussed transitioning a new mayoral administration and how he works to drive Mayor Woodfin's agenda. Host: Ben Kittelson

Equitable growth and reducing displacement. Khabirah Myers, the Coordinator for the Office of Tenant Legal Services, joined the podcast to talk about her work aiding renters in the City of Newark.The City created an Office where residents facing eviction can turn for resources and even legal representation. Khabirah talked about the eviction issue in Newark, how her Office is working to combat the problem, and how reducing evictions is part of an equitable growth strategy. Host: Ben Kittelson

Economic development through transportation. Karina Ricks, the Director of the Mobility and Infrastructure Department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about how Pittsburgh is working with transportation companies in a collaborative way and how her department emphasizes mobility. She also shared details of the City's new Bike Plan and her career path into local government. Host: Ben Kittelson

Improving access to city programs online. Erin Hattersley, Manager at Google.org, and Maegen Fisher, Program Manager Fellow, joined the podcast to talk about how Google is partnering with the City of Boulder, Colorado and the goals of the Fellowship Program. Google.org launched the Fellowship Program to bring small teams of Google employees into nonprofits and local governments to provide six months of pro bono work. Fellows use their technical expertise in product management, software engineering and UX design. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Human Resources as a strategic partner. Kylie Bayer, the Human Resources Manager for the City of McMinnville, Oregon, joined the podcast to share the issues and trends that she sees affecting the human resources industry in local government. From pay equity to sabbaticals, and why City Managers should bring HR to the executive leadership team. Kylie also gave a preview of #ELGL20, ELGL's Annual Conference in Portland this May. Host: Kirsten Wyatt