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

Latest Episodes:

#717 Unifying Rural Fire Districts with Reno County, KS Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Two guests from Reno County, Kansas joined the podcast to talk about the process behind unifying rural fire districts. Randy Partington is the County Administrator for Reno County and Adam Weishaar is the Director of Emergency Management for Reno County. They shared the challenges the fire districts were facing that led to the unification such as equipment, training, and staffing issues. Then they discussed the transition toward consolidation and lessons learned and takeaways from their experience.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#716 Building a People-Centered Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Alex Lawrence, Chief People Officer for the City of Boston, Massachusetts, rejoined the podcast to talk about organizational change, development, and human resources. She discussed change management and the importance of communication for human resources. She shared how her background in innovation has influenced her career. She also reflected on local government trends from the last 10 years.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#715 How Not to Engage Historically Marginalized Communities with Chyanne Eyde, Washington, DC Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Chyanne Eyde, Deputy Chief of School Planning for the Government of the District of Columbia joined the podcast to discuss how not to engage historically marginalized communities in public outreach. She shared difficulties she was having in engagement and how it was negatively impacting her work. She then discussed how the engagement process has evolved and lessons learned in engagement.

Host: Toney Thompson

#714 Breaking Down Silos and Changing Culture with José Madrigal, Durango, CO Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

José Madrigal, City Manager for the City of Durango, Colorado joined the podcast to talk about leadership and changing culture. He discussed his decision to take on the City Manager job and how he decided to leave Texas for Colorado. He shared how he got to know the organization, figured out what to change, and how he has worked to break down silos in the organization and create a unified leadership team.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#713 Floating Flower Islands with Yocelyn Galiano, Pinecrest, FL Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Yocelyn Galiano, Village Manager for the Village of Pinecrest, Florida joined the podcast to discuss their floating flower islands project to help with water pollution. She discussed what the project entails, the primary inspiration behind launching this pilot program, and how have the floating islands have performed so far in reducing invasive plant species and improving canal water quality.

Host: Meredith Reynolds

#712 Leading Through Grief with Alyssa Dinberg, State of Colorado Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Alyssa Dinberg, former GovLove Co-Host and Director of Strategic Federal Funding Coordination for the State of Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about her transition into leadership after the passing of a colleague. She shared her work regarding federal funding coordination, how she processes grief in the workplace, and the importance of strong relationships between state and local governments.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#711 Utilities, Leadership, and an Employee-First Culture with Cathy Bailey, Cincinnati, OH Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

The First Lady of Water returns. Cathy Bailey, Assistant City Manager for the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, joined the podcast to talk about her transition from Executive Director of Greater Cincinnati Water works to the City Manager's Office. She discussed highlights from her time leading the utility, how her background informs how she approaches the job as an Assistant City Manager, and the importance of community engagement. Cathy shared how she shifted the culture of the utilities department from customer-first to employee-first and why that was important. She also reflected on local government trends from the last 10 years.

Host: Ben Kittelson

#710 Canine Mayor with Jake the Dog and Shani Leichter, Somerville, MA Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Jake the Dog, Mayor, and Shani Leichter, Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff for Mayor Jake joined the podcast to talk about their work in the community. They shared how they campaigned, duties of a canine mayor, and important issues to the community.

Host: Lauren Palmer

#709 Land Use Cases of the Year with the Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Three legal expert jointed the podcast to discuss the Land Use Cases of the Year. Reed Asselbaye is a Law Clerk at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Craig Notte is a Partner at Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., and Scott Hazelton is the Owner of Sunflower Peak Planning. They discussed impactful land use cases related to the National Environmental Policy Act, rent control, eminent domain, and affordable housing.

Host: Dan Bolin

#708 The 2025 GovieLovies Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

It's moment you have been waiting for all year! From new forms of government, interesting case studies, and tales from local government leaders our episodes covered a wide array of all that goes into local government. To celebrate 2025 and look forward to 2026, the GovLove co-hosts teamed up to give out the most prestigious award in local government podcasting. Lauren, Dan, Meredith, and Ben each selected three of their favorite episodes to award a GovieLovie.

Hosts: Lauren Palmer, Dan Bolin, Meredith Reynolds, & Ben Kittelson The 2025 GovieLovies Lauren

Dan

Meredith

Ben

Pizza Mike Producer Pick