GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government - Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL)

Latest Episodes:

#508 The Impact of the Great Resignation with Ronnie Dampier, Melody Lenox, & Margarita Hudgins Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

Three guests joined the podcast to talk about the Great Resignation, the impact on the local government workforce, and how to engage staff. Ronnie Dampier is the Chief of Staff for the District Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. Melody Lennox is the Senior Vice President of People Operations for Axxess. Magarita Hudgins is the Assistant Vice President of Colonial Life. They shared challenges and best practices regarding retention.

This episode was recorded from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Forum 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Host: Toney Thompson

#507 Data and Longmont CAReS with Becky Doyle & Sandi Seader, Longmont, CO Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Slaying the data dragon. Two guests from the City of Longmont, Colorado joined the podcast to discuss the City's use of data and recent What Works Cities Certification. Becky Doyle is the Executive Director of Consolidated Services and Sandi Seader is the Assistant City Manager. They discussed the Longmont CAReS program, which makes it easier for community members to receive assistance, and how they are shifting the conversation around data and decision making. They also talked about the assistance the City provided to their neighboring community, Louisville, to help with disaster recovery after a fire.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#506 Improving Fiscal Strategy with Lawrence Greenspun & Mark Funkhouser Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

Creating a better functioning society. Two guests joined the podcast to discuss their partnership to improve fiscal strategy for local governments. Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser & Associates, and Lawrence Greenspun, Director of Public Sector Engagement at the Drucker Institute, discussed a combined learning approach to fiscal strategy. They also discussed making public finance more relatable and a new approach to citizen engagement.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#505 Urban Forestry & Sustainability in Eugene, OR with Scott Altenhoff & Marisa Repka Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Keeping carbon captured. Two guests joined the podcast to discuss urban forestry and sustainability. Scott Altenhoff, an Urban Forestry Management Analyst with the City of Eugene, OR, and Marisa Repka, the Co-Founder and CFO of Cambium Carbon, discussed more sustainable ways of disposing of deceased trees. They covered end users, implementation, and data tracking for the City's new Reforestation Hub Assessment.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#504 Outreach & Education on Building ADUs in Salinas, CA Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

Livable communities for people of all ages. Three guests from the City of Salinas, California joined the podcast to talk about creating an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) educational campaign that included brochures, bilingual workshops for the public, and a technical workshop for contractors and other professionals that develop ADUs in the City. Raul Ortega is a Junior Engineer in Permit Services, Adam Garrett is an Assistant Planner, and Holly Hodge served as an Housing Production Coordinator VISTA. They shared the common questions they get from the community and the impact of the outreach.

Host: Alyssa Dinberg

#503 Technology & Digital Self-Service with Tyler Douthit, Lawrence, IN Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Improving access for utility payments. Tyler Douthit, City Controller / Utilities CFO for the City of Lawrence, Indiana, joined the podcast to talk about how the City worked to increase customer options for making utility payments. He discussed implementing a kiosk and online self-service payments. He also shared how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this work and how they reallocated staff time after implementing digital payment options.

Host: Kirsten Wyatt

#502 Women in Fire Service with Anna Koons & Danielle Dulin, Warrensburg, MO Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

She leads the way. Two guests from the City of Warrensburg, Missouri joined the podcast to discuss women in the fire service. Danielle Dulin, City Manager, and Anna Koons, Fire Department Captain, discussed recruitment and retention strategies for firefighters and how they have achieved a fire department comprised of over 30% women. Danielle and Anna also shared advice for how women can move into local government leadership roles along with messages to young women interested in the profession.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#501 Building a Culture of Equity with Danya Perry, Wake County, NC Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Reach In, Reach Out, Reach Over. Danya Perry, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Wake County, North Carolina, joined the podcast to discuss his work in local government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). He provided a definition of DEI along with what change looks like in local government. Danya highlighted the common mistakes of DEI work and what we can do day to day to improve DEI.

Host: Toney Thompson

#500 GovLove Moments, Producer Picks, & ELGL History Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

A very special episode of GovLove. To mark the occasion of 500 episodes of a podcast about local government, the team looks back at some of their favorite moments of the podcast. Kirsten Wyatt and Kent Wyatt talked about the origins of ELGL and how the organization has grown (00:02:53). The GovLove Producers, Ben Kittelson and Michael Montgomery, share their favorite segments of the podcast (00:44:22). All of the GovLove Co-Hosts discussed moments that have stuck with them from the podcast (01:26:13).

Hosts: Kirsten Wyatt, Ben Kittelson, Alyssa Dinberg, Toney Thompson, Lauren Palmer, Dan Bolin, & Ashley Copeland

Producers: Michael Montgomery & Ben Kittelson

#499 Making Zoning Easier to Understand with Sara Bronin, Cornell University Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Sara Bronin, Professor of Architecture and Planning at Cornell University, joined the podcast to discuss a recent article she wrote about the need for a zoning atlas. She talked about her time on the Planning Commission in the City of Hartford, Connecticut and how they updated the City's zoning code. She discussed founding Desegregate Connecticut and creating the Connecticut Zoning Atlas as well as how better information about zoning affects the conversation about reform.

Host: Ben Kittelson

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