The Square

Latest Episodes:

Episode 22: The one with Strawberry Point City Administrator Alison Osweiler Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

How does a native of Southern California end up as the city administrator in Strawberry Point, Iowa? Find out in this month's episode of The Square! Alison Osweiler, who joined the city in 2016, talks about her interesting journey to Iowa and to municipal government. We talk about what it's been like to manage a city during a pandemic, some of the city's plans for reopening facilities and programs, ideas for making adjustments to the city budget and what it's like living on a farm. Thanks to Alison for the fun conversation! This month's Get to Know Your League features Sara Shonrock, who serves in a joint role with our friends at Iowa State University Extension and leads the Municipal Professionals Institute and Academy. Sara is a native of Ames who got lost in Minnesota for a few years before making the wise decision to come back home! We hope our communities are doing well during these challenging times, and as always, your League is here to support you! Contact us at thesquare@iowaleague.org with any questions or comments you may have.

Episode 21 - The one with Carlisle Library Director Stacy Goodhue Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

The Square is back with a new episode! Enjoy a fun interview with Stacy Goodhue, who serves as the library director for the City of Carlisle. We actually recorded this prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Stacy's thoughts on the importance of public libraries rings true now more than ever. Hear what it takes to run a city library and the various programs and services they provide - you may be surprised at how much libraries do for a community! We are also joined by Emma Kline, the League's Administrative Assistant, for the always entertaining Get to Know Your League segment. We wish all communities good health as we continue to respond to the pandemic, and encourage our members to access a variety of helpful of resources at www.iowaleague.org. Take care and we'll talk to you soon on The Square!

Episode 20 - The One About COVID - 19 Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

The Square took a break from its regularly scheduled interviews to talk about COVID-19 and the impact it has on city governments in Iowa. We cover some League news, including adjustments we have made thus far to scheduled in-person workshops and how we will continue to operate through remote working. We also discuss some of the critical issues cities are facing currently, including the use of electronic meetings to get city business handled. The episode then wraps up with some of the positive stories cities have shared with us that illustrate some wonderful ways communities are coming together to support one another during this trying time. Be sure to check out our Coronavirus Resources page to access a wide variety of helpful information.

Episode 19 - The one with Grinnell Police Chief Dennis Reilly Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

Buckle up your seat belts! The Square chats with Grinnell Police Chief Dennis Reilly for an insightful discussion on community law enforcement and the critical role police departments play in our cities. Dennis shared some of his background of growing up in New Jersey and starting out as a police officer before eventually working his to becoming chief of police, as well as how he landed in Iowa. We also talk about the many jobs of a city police department, which go well beyond writing tickets as police officers are instrumental in effective community engagement. We are joined by Robert Palmer once again for our monthly Legislative Update and sit down with IMWCA's Andrew Justice for the Get to Know Your League interview. We also talk about the value of planning in our Question of the Month. Enjoy the episode and be sure to send any comments or questions to thesquare@iowaleague.org!

Episode 18 - The One With Solons Scott Kleppe Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

Our first episode of 2020! It's a new year, a new decade and we have a new edition of The Square that features a very interesting discussion about municipal public works. Scott Kleppe, Solon's Public Works Director, joins us to chat about how a city's water and wastewater system works. For those who have wondered how water gets to their faucet, or what happens when you flush a toilet, give a listen and find out! Scott also shares some of his background and how seeing his grandfather do city work gave him the first introduction to public works. We have a new segment to go with the new year as we get our Legislative Update with the League's General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs, Robert Palmer. Hear about the latest issues at the State Capitol important to city officials. And we also sit down with Scott Smith, IMWCA's Senior Loss Control Representative, for the Get to Know Your League interview. We wish all cities a happy new year and we look forward to working with you! Send us your questions and feedback to thesquare@iowaleague.org.

Episode 17 - The one with Mayor Tom Lazio Dec 20, 2019

Show notes

Happy holiday! The Square closes out 2019 with an interview of Tom Lazio, Ottumwa Mayor and President of the League Board. We learned some interesting things about Mayor Lazio's career before he entered public office and how that helped prepare him to be an effective mayor. He also shared some of the great work they're doing in Ottumwa, a few of their goals for the future and what he hopes to do as League President. This month's Your Questions Answered asks about cities' ability to set their own council meeting rule of procedure, something we strongly encourage all cities to have. And the League's Senior Accountant, Alison Deiter, joins us for the Get to Know Your League segment. Alison's pay our bills, and issues paychecks to staff, so we took it easy on her! As usual, we wrap up with the answer to last month's trivia (which county in Iowa has the most cities) and ask a new trivia question: what is the lowest temperature recorded in Iowa and where? Send in your trivia answers, questions to stump our staff and other feedback to thesquare@iowaleague.org. Enjoy the holidays!

Episode 16: The one about city names Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

It is a busy time for the League as we are visiting various cities for our Budget Workshops and Municipal Leadership Academy. So, we decided to have a little fun with this episode with an idea that sparked during our travels. We have 942 great cities in Iowa and each have a unique character and some have a unique name. We discuss our favorite city names and attempt to pronounce them right! This is meant to be fun (and funny)! We hope no one takes offense if their city is mentioned and do not enjoy the humor in a funny pronunciation or story behind the city name. This month's Your Questions Answered asks if there is a recall process in Iowa for elected positions and our Get to Know Your League interview features Jess Vogel, the League’s Communication Coordinator. We also cover last episode's trivia question, which asked what year did the League's Municipal Leadership Academy begin? (We may know the official date?!). If you do not know what MLA is, make sure to check it out on our website! It is a fantastic training opportunity for newly elected and for veteran officials. In addition, we offer some new trivia: what county has the most cities? Send your trivia answers, questions and feedback to thesquare@iowaleague.org!

Episode 15: The one about the 2019 Annual Conference & Exhibit Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

You may have noticed The Square took last month off, but we promise we were busy! In fact, we grabbed some live interviews from the Exhibit Hall of this year's Annual Conference & Exhibit in Dubuque and had some fun chatting with a bunch of great city officials from around the state. Give those a listen and enjoy some of the sounds from the luau-themed Exhibit Hall! We also review this year's League awards, which were presented during the Awards Banquet at the Annual Conference. We detail the All-Star Community Awards, Rhonda Wood Smith Award, Legislative Service Awards and our new Hall of Fame inductees. As always, we had some tremendous cities and individuals recognized this year for their outstanding contributions to their communities. This month's Your Questions Answered is a question on whether citizens can petition for a city code change in their community and our Get to Know Your League interview features Heather Roberts, the League's outstanding Director of Information Services. Learn a little about Heather, including how she got started at the League (just a few years ago) and what she likes to do in her free time (hint: she's a dog person!). We also cover last episode's trivia question, which asked where the Red Delicious apple originated (a surprisingly controversial answer to this one). And we offer some new trivia: what year did the League's Municipal Leadership Academy begin? Send your trivia answers, questions and feedback to thesquare@iowaleague.org!

Episode - 14 The One About Training Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

We're back with another fun episode of The Square! This month we focus on the value of training and highlight some important upcoming events hosted by the League. We talk about the 2019 Annual Conference & Exhibit, including some of the great workshops and networking events that attendees can join. And we also discuss this fall's Budget Workshops and Municipal Leadership Academy, which will offer important education at workshops around the state (learn more on our Workshops & Events page). We mixed in a few of our favorite stories from the road as well! Bill Goldy, the League's Membership Services Coordinator, joins us as a guest host and also gets grilled in the monthly Get to Know Your League segment. We put Mickey on the spot again with the Your Questions Answered segment as he was asked about city election systems. And we wrap up by answering last month's trivia question (What year did IMWCA begin offering coverage?) and ask this month's, In what city did the Red Delicious apple originate? Send your trivia answers, questions and comments to thesquare@iowaleague.org

Episode 13 - The One About Safety Jul 25, 2019

Show notes

It's sometimes easy to take employee safety for granted, but cities that have had to deal with workplace injuries know how critical workers' compensation coverage and a safe working environment is to a successful organization. This month we talk to Jeff Hovey and Dean Schade of the Iowa Municipalities Workers' Compensation Association (IMWCA) about the importance of safety and workers' compensation. IMWCA is an endorsed program of the League and is housed in the League offices. Jeff and Dean share their perspectives on working with cities and other local governments and what employers can do to improve their workplace safety. The Your Questions Answered segment features the curious question of whether we have different classifications of cities in Iowa. And the Get to Know Your League interview features Jeff and Dean, who were kind of enough to stick around and share more about themselves. Stick around to the end to hear last month's trivia answer while also getting the next brain buster. Send your feedback, questions and trivia answers to thesquare@iowaleague.org!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected