In this kickoff-to-2026 episode of Generation on the Rise, hosts Dave Pribulka, Brandon Ford, and Eden Ratliff tackle the question: what is the real role of a municipal manager in forming local government policy? They trade stories about leaf-blower bans, stormwater fees, single use plastic bags, and the emotional discipline it takes to “inform the process, respect the outcome, and then deliver with enthusiasm.”
Along the way they talk about translating up (staff to board) and down (board to staff), how much emotion managers should bring to policy disagreements, and why this generation of leaders may be more willing to push the system.
This is a great listen for anyone interested in the work of local government or just wants to understand how it really works. Be sure to leave your comments and questions for the crew to tackle in a future episode.
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“Our job is to inform the process, respect the outcome, and then deliver with enthusiasm.” - Eden
“We took ‘leaf blower ban’ as a goal and did what staff does—we turned it into options, wrote the ordinance, and recommended a seasonal ban. The board said, ‘Thanks, but we want a full ban.’ And that’s democracy.” - Brandon
“Sometimes the textbook says, ‘The board sets policy, the manager administers.’ The real work is everything in between—the translation, the conflict, the opportunity costs.” - Dave
* 00:00 – New Year banter & Y2K
* 03:30 – First-week-back routines & “Purge Day”
* 06:30 – Reorganization meetings as the “real” New Year
* 09:00 – Setting up the topic: managers and policy formation
* 10:00 – Textbook council–manager model vs reality
* 12:00 – How Eden reads and frames board policy priorities
* 13:30 – Who really sets the agenda? Chair vs manager
* 14:30 – Is capital equipment a policy question?
* 16:00 – Municipal vs nonprofit vs corporate boards
* 17:30 – Disagreeing with the board and processing it at home
* 21:00 – Culture, roles, and “no big emotions” about policy
* 24:00 – Translating decisions up and down the organization
* 28:00 – “Negotiation” vs expectations and culture
* 29:30 – When managers do and don’t make recommendations
* 33:00 – Budgets, tax policy, and whether a balanced budget is a recommendation
* 36:00 – Assistant manager perspective: one functional unit
* 38:00 – Preemption, home rule, and plastic-bag bans
* 44:00 – Inertia, backlash, and revisiting policy after it “marinates”
* 47:00 – What’s distinctive about the Generation on the Rise cohort?
* 48:00 – When operations are failing and the manager must force the policy conversation
* 49:00 – Closing reflections & takeaways
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