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

Latest Episodes:

#388 Common Community Engagement Mistakes with Kevin Lyons, FlashVote Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

Pizza, beer, & public input. Kevin Lyons, CEO & Co-Founder of FlashVote, joins the podcast to discuss community engagement. He highlights common mistakes made with various types of communication channels as well as mistakes organizations make in town halls, social media, online forums, and surveys. Kevin also shares with resources to improve community engagement.

Host: Alyssa Dinberg

#387 Placemaking in Native Communities with Joseph Kunkel, MASS Design Group Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

Sustainable planning and design. Joseph Kunkel, Principal at MASS Design Group and Director of the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab, joined the podcast to talk about planning projects with Native communities. He discussed his work on affordable housing in Indian Country and engaging with the community to incorporate local context and art. He also shared examples of projects incorporating placemaking.

This episode is part of ELGL's Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#386 Community Engagement During COVID-19 with Ashley Traynum-Carson & Jay Dawkins Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

From public meetings to communications. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about how communication and engagement has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley Traynum-Carson, Communication Specialist for the City of Asheville, North Carolina, and Jay Dawkins, CEO of Public Input, shared their perspectives and lessons learned. They discussed how receiving comments changed and how local governments are using technology. They also shared how the changes made make participation more accessible for residents.

Host: Kirsten Wyatt

#385 Consumer Safety & COVID-19 with Commissioner Nikki Fried, State of Florida Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Adapting the Agriculture and Consumer Services Department. Nikki Fried, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the State of Florida, joined the podcast to talk about her journey to becoming Commissioner and what her Department does. She discussed how COVID-19 has impacted the work of the Department and how they have adapted, highlighting the Be SMART Florida campaign. She also shared advice to other women considering running for office or applying for executive-level positions in government.

Host: Alyssa Dinberg

#384 Using Behavioral Nudges in Local Government with Alissa Fishbane & Aurélie Ouss Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

Reducing unnecessary warrants and jail time. Alissa Fishbane, Managing Director at ideas42, and Dr. Aurélie Ouss, Assistant Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about their study to reduce the number of arrest warrants for failure to appear in court in the New York City criminal justice system. The guests highlighted the use of behavioral interventions, or nudges, that were low cost and easy to implement. They also shared how other local governments can apply behavioral science practices.

Host: Toney Thompson

#383 Community Court for Homelessness with Christopher Leonard, Fort Lauderdale, FL Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

Social services, not jail. Christopher Leonard, Administrative Supervisor for the City of Forth Lauderdale, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about the City's community court that serves individuals experiencing homelessness. The program focuses on the root causes of each defendant's issues and applies mandates such as community service, drug treatment, or social services to have their cases dismissed. He also explained how the court has continued to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host: Kirsten Wyatt

#382 Managing Your Hometown with Nick Edwards, Joplin, MO Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

Who says you can't go home? Nick Edwards, City Manager of the City of Joplin, Missouri joined the podcast to talk about his career path in local government and coming home to Joplin to become the City Manager. He talked about building new relationships during COVID-19 and how the City has responded to the pandemic. Nick also shared the City's strategic planning process and his plans for 2021.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#381 COVID-19 Vaccine Public Sentiment with Eyal Feder-Levy, Zencity Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Building community trust. Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO & Founder of Zencity, joined the podcast to talk about the work Zencity is doing to track the public sentiment of the COVID-19 vaccine in cities across America. He shared there is currently twice as much negative sentiment towards the vaccine as positive. He also outlined the impact local governments and leaders can have on the sentiment of the vaccine for their community. Zencity recently published a guide to help local governments build trust in the vaccine.

Host: Toney Thompson

#380 The Kinston, NC Arts & Cultural District with Raney Rogers, Adam Short, & Sarah Arney Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

Redevelopment through arts and culture. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Kinston, North Carolina has redeveloped their community through the implementation of a arts and cultural district. Raney Rogers, Executive Director of smART Kinston, details the 12-block residential area in downtown Kinston where artists live and work by long-term residents in colorful houses. Adam Short, Planning Director, and Sarah Arney, Community Development Planner, for the City of Kinston outline the positive impact this district has had on the City, highlighting increased tourism and lower vacancy rates.

This episode is part of ELGL's Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#379 Equity and Workforce Diversity with Nefertiri Sickout, Philadelphia, PA Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

Building an inclusive government. Nefertiri Sickout, the Acting Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about the work of advancing equity and improving the diversity of the City's workforce. She shared how the City has changed specific hiring practices and methods to improve the diversity of candidates and how the City is working to improve the diversity of businesses that participate in the procurement process. She also shared her career path into local government and how COVID-19 and the protests in 2020 impacted her work.

Host: Ben Kittelson

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