Voices in Local Government

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**Voices in Local Government**

Voices in Local Government tells stories, inspires ideas, celebrates progress, and acknowledges challenges faced by local government managers and staff in serving the public.

Latest Episodes:

Advocating for the Profession May 08, 2023

Show notes

ICMA Southeast Regional Director, Randy Reid joins the share nearly 50 years of wisdom on:

Advocating for the profession of local government administration.
Responding to public criticism and handling an unwanted spotlight as a city/county manager.
Separating local government service delivery from the partisan pitfalls of national or local politics.
Specific strategies to identify and support the next generation of managers.

Resources

ICMA Local Government Reimagined Conferences, Louisville, May 10-12 and Long Beach, June 7-9.

Free E-Book: The 2023 State of Local Government Report

Mental Health Ask Me Anything with Johnny Crowder May 03, 2023

Show notes

Mental health for local government leaders, their staff, and their residents is discussed with Johnny Crowder. ICMA Affinity partner, Cope Notes, is a daily text service that interrupts negative thought patterns with positive stimulus to help improve mental wellness.
Co-hosts Jessi Atcheson and Joe Supervielle collected questions about mental health and the Cope Notes model from ICMA members, staff, and others for an Ask Me Anything interview, including:

How does peer support connect with neuroscience?
How does it fit in or compliment with seeing a professional, certified therapist?
Stigma to even have a conversation about mental health has made progress, but how do you show people it's okay to seek support?
How can text messages possibly make a meaningful impact on mental health?
How do local governments or other organizations with group subscriptions measure success if it's all anonymous?

Resources

Preliminary effectiveness study of the Cope Notes digital mental Health program in the Journal of Mental Health.

Recap from Crowder's session at ICMA Annual Conference Columbus, and his TEDx Talks.

Local government healthcare resources from Cigna.

Islands of Excellence Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Lawrence E. Henderson, Jr., President & Chief Learning Officer, Business Operational Support Services (BOSS), LLC, shares insights on how to move from leadership clichés to behavior and habits that:

Build and maintain high performing teams
Effectively delegate
Inspire and support

Resources

Message Lawrence Henderson on LinkedIn and mention ICMA's Voices in Local Government podcast for a free 1-1 consultation.

Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance (or a lack of) to decide what to do, delegate, or hold.

Free, self-guided website solutions demo from CivicPlus.

Assistant Manager Exchange Program Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Cedar Park, Texas deputy city manager, Katherine Caffrey created the TEXChange program in Texas to benefit assistant city/county managers in their daily work . In this episode, Caffrey outlines the goals of the exchange for participant and host, lessons learned in the inaugural group of 14, what's planned for 2023, and how to set up a similar informal program in your own region or state.

Resources

ICMA Blog: How We Created a Successful Exchange Student Program for Assistant and Deputy Managers

katherine.caffrey@cedarparktexas.gov

Free, self-guided website solutions demo from CivicPlus.

10K Match for Resident-driven Small Community Engagement Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Sue Lessard, town manager, Bucksport, Maine, tells a familiar tale of a small town struggling after a major industry closed its doors. With renewed focus on economic development but still searching for a way to reshape the town's identity, local government determined how to get out of the way when it comes to community engagement - Community Heart and Soul.

Jane Lafleur explains that it is a resident-driven process that relies on in-person interviews along with other digital methods to engage the entire population of a town. This identifies what is most loved about the community, the future the residents want for it, and how to achieve it. Local government can secure grant funding and provide the infrastructure.

The result is participation based on positives, not complaints, and real data to inform council decisions.

Resources

Apply for a $10,000 seed grant for communities under 30,000 population

Obtain Community Heart and Soul's free intro book or email them at info@communityheartandsoul.org

ICMA's Local Government Reimagined initiative and conferences

ICMA's Strategic Planning in Small Communities: A Manager's Manual

Accessing Federal Infrastructure Dollars: A Conversation with NLC Executive Director Clarence Anthony Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Why local governments are the best stewards of federal funding opportunities.
How investment decisions can help address issues of inequity and expand upward mobility and opportunities for all residents.
How specific cities like Tacoma, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland; and Union City, Georgia are using their federal funds, included in NLC's ARPA Investment Tracker.
How small and mid-sized communities in particular can get access to technical assistance for grant writing to apply for federal funds.
Why it’s so important for communities to gather community input on the front end of city projects and then communicating intentions and results across various channels to a diverse public.

Resources

Zencity 360: essential tools to help government agencies improve services, build community trust, and increase overall satisfaction, from our partner recently named a 2023 GovTech100 company.

ICMA's Local Government Reimagined initiative and conferences

ICMA's Strategic Planning in Small Communities: A Manager's Manual

Building Resilient Cities with Duluth Mayor Emily Larson Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of CitiesSpeak, NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony sits down with Emily Larson, Mayor of Duluth, Minnesota to talk about how the city of Duluth is addressing big issues from revitalizing its downtown core coming out of the pandemic to addressing the impacts of climate change and building a more sustainable community.

GIS Aerial Imagery Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Show before, during, and after shots of projects to communicate progress with the public, council, and commissioners.
Capture multiple high-resolution images per location per year.
Integrate at an enterprise level with cross-department functionality.

Resources

Exclusive free two-week trial: Enhance government workflows with premium aerial intelligence from Nearmap.

ICMA's Strategic Planning in Small Communities: A Manager's Manual

Inventive Solution for the Homeless Crisis Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Leaders from Baldwin Park and the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust explain:

How Tiny Home sites are selected and set up.
Scalability to show how this program can help your town address the homeless crisis and reduce service calls. This is not just an L.A. problem or L.A. solution.
Complementary programs, including: workforce development, food recovery, landlord outreach, recreation, crisis intervention, prevention, and diversion.
Funding and the financial case for the program.
How to engage with city council and the public.

San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust with RFP templates, case studies, and more to help take a first step.

Contact Brielle Acevedo with questions about Tiny Homes or Regional Housing Trusts at bacevedo@sgvrht.org.

ICMA Annual Conference Presentation Slide Show

Sponsor Resources

Exclusive free two-week trial: Enhance government workflows with premium aerial intelligence from Nearmap.

Veterans in Local Government Management Program Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

LTC Dean Huard, ICMA Fellow, Georgetown, Texas, and Lynn Phillips, ICMA senior program manager, explain the process, benefits, and challenges of ICMA's Veterans in Local Government Management Program for transitioning service members and local governments.

The program is zero cost for the organization, with no obligation to make a permanent hire.
What fellows typically do day-to-day to gain critical experience and fill needs for the host organization.
Creating a work plan to maximize impact and measure success.
Transparent and calibrated expectations by the host locations and fellows, including what locations and position-level to target.

Cohort dates cycle throughout the year, but can be adjusted for specific situations:

January - April

May - August (Applications open in January)

September - December

Contact Lynn Phillips at lphillips@icma.org for next steps on becoming a host.

Resources:

Download the Free EBook: Measure What Matters: Tips for Aligned Strategic Priorities and watch the video on How Minneapolis Prepares for the Future with Strategic Budgeting