Jeff Finkle is a recognized leader and authority on economic development. With the formation of IEDC in 2001 following the merger of the Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) - where he was president for 15 years - and the American Economic Development Council (AEDC), Jeff set the course for a more effective and influential organization. Jeff previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and has received numerous awards over the y...
Mar 30, 2020•29 min•Ep. 36
Thanks to our sponsor ANSI offering Standards Connect, a digital solution to increase engagement, collaboration, and management of standards. You can customize access for individuals and teams in Standards Connect’s flexible online platform. You have the ability to create a catalog of standards tailored to your requirements. Continued annual access promotes increased productivity and maintains compliance. If you’re spending more than $2,000 a year on standards, please request a proposal for Stan...
Mar 23, 2020•20 min•Ep. 35
Dr. E. Oscar oversees a $28 million portfolio of programs along with its membership and meetings services. In his role, he directs the implementation of programs, promotion, and diversification of funding and assists in raising NACCHO’s profile through external engagement and partnership development for the advancement of NACCHO’s mission and the success of the country’s 3,000 local health departments. He is also responsible for personnel management and professional development; strategic planni...
Mar 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 34
Season 6: Upping Your Game The start of a new decade raises the question, “Where will I be in my career in 10 years?” Season 6 of Local Gov Life shares career advice to help you develop a professional growth plan. And don’t forget to check out all of ICMA’s great coaching resources at ICMA.org/coaching. Learn more about ICMA’s Coaching Program: https://icma.org/icma-coaching-program Read More About Developing Leaders in our Career Compass Series: https://icma.org/career-compass Learn to Lead Whe...
Feb 27, 2020•14 min•Ep. 33
Season 6: Upping Your Game The start of a new decade raises the question, “Where will I be in my career in 10 years?” Season 6 of Local Gov Life shares career advice to help you develop a professional growth plan. And don’t forget to check out all of ICMA’s great coaching resources at ICMA.org/coaching. About ICMA ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. We do this by working w...
Feb 07, 2020•10 min•Ep. 32
Does customer service matter in your local gov? It matters to citizens. We interview two experts in local government public service to find out how they organize customer service improvement efforts. Our first guest, Cory Fleming, directs ICMA’s 311/CRM consulting services, where she provides contract services to local governments implementing centralized customer service systems. Our second guest, James Sullivan, is a public sector consultant and 311 advocate who helps organizations plan custom...
Dec 11, 2019•11 min•Ep. 31
About ICMA ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communities throughout the world. We do this by working with our more than 12,000 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices to improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and training to thousands of city, to...
Nov 18, 2019•54 min
In the last election, voters in seven states voted on thirty-six cannabis-related ballot measures ranging from taxing medical cannabis to legalization of recreational marijuana. Michigan legalized medical marijuana in 2008 and recreational marijuana in 2018. Rebecca Fleury , city manager of Battle Creek, Michigan, and her colleague Eric Feldt explain how they adapted Battle Creek’s successful medical marijuana regulatory framework to recreational cannabis. Next, we hear from Nicol Killian, AICP,...
Nov 04, 2019•16 min•Ep. 30
People in local government, from librarians to firefighters, have an incredible opportunity to see and act on signs of human trafficking--if they know what they are looking for and who to call. In this episode, Margaret F. Henderson of the University of North Carolina School of Government defines human trafficking and explains recent research showing that 19 of 25 business models of human trafficking would intersect with local government. Then, City Manager Donald Duncan tells us how he expanded...
Sep 06, 2019•16 min•Ep. 29
Every community needs a strategic plan. It can be hard to zero in on the right process. Our guests Kel Wang and Michael Sambir led a city of over 1 million people through 2 strategic plans from start to finish and they join us to explain how it’s done. Then, Angelica Wedell of the National Research Center identifies the 6 Es of strategic planning. Hint: it starts with “engage.” If you’re involved with helping a community decide where to go and how to get there, this podcast is for you. Strategic...
Aug 12, 2019•23 min•Ep. 28
It takes a lot of courage to manage a local government. Between elected officials, your staff, and your residents, deliverables and expectations need to be managed with a level of complexity that can intimidate many. Fortunately, ICMA has tons of resources on how to make the best decision for your community- including the expertise of our members. In this episode of Local Gov Life, we talk to some ICMA members who discuss resilience in the face of The Great Recession, offer some advice on transp...
May 22, 2019•13 min•Ep. 27
For those of us in public service, it can feel like the weight of the world rests on your shoulders. With an unending mission of providing essential services to all reaches of our local populations, it’s good to know that there’s a helpful group of residents ready to get their hands a little dirty- literally. In this episode of Local Gov Life, we sat down with a handful of ICMA Members at our 2018 Annual Conference to weigh in on volunteerism and provide some useful tips on how you can start bui...
Apr 09, 2019•21 min•Ep. 26
ICMA’s history is rooted in the sharing of best practices among local government managers. From practical guidance, to the more ephemeral, a good mentor can provide the advice you need when you need it most. They can even help you think outside of the box, and approach issues in an innovative way. So, when asked to share stories of their own mentoring experience, these ICMA members had plenty to share. In this episode, we caught up with some ICMA members at the 104th ICMA Annual Conference in Ba...
Jan 29, 2019•13 min•Ep. 25
In this episode of “Making a Difference,” Chris Clark, a city council member from Mountain View, California, shares his perspectives on how professional local government managers can make the job easier for elected officials by bringing a high level of expertise and experience to the oversight of their communities. Councilmember Clark also discusses how the involvement of a professional manager helped Mountain View navigate a series of tough decisions during the 2008 financial crisis. About ICMA...
Nov 07, 2018•15 min•Ep. 24
It has been quite a year for Bertha Henry, county administrator of Broward County, Florida. She received ICMA’s Award for Career Excellence at last year’s ICMA Annual Conference and Governing magazine named Henry a Public Official of the Year. But those who know her are not surprised. Her passion for the people she serves and the profession of local government management drives her to make a difference “day in and day out,” as she says. In this podcast, Henry talks about the challenges her commu...
Aug 01, 2018•16 min•Ep. 23
In 2009, a citizens' group known as VoteCM'09 in Bainbridge Island, Washington, bid to adopt the council-manager form of government. The group was led by Dr. Robert Fortner, a retired kidney specialist turned activist. Fortner, alongside several other Bainbridge Island residents, was instrumental in bringing the council-manager form of government to the city. Residents successfully adopted council management with 71 percent of voters approving the change. Nine years later, ICMA sat down with For...
Jul 12, 2018•16 min•Ep. 22
For four decades, Carl Valente has served local and state governments throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, while also serving five years as financial management director of ICMA. For the past 13 years, Valente has served as the town manager of Lexington, Massachusetts, a town that is celebrated as the site of the first shots of the American Revolutionary War in the Battle of Lexington in 1775. Valente notes in the podcast that this moment in history has an impact on the community to thi...
Jun 15, 2018•19 min•Ep. 21
Julie Underwood, city manager of Mercer Island, Washington, has been the first woman and the first person of color in not one, but two, communities. “It seems silly but I thought if I fail, they’ll never hire another woman…another person of color again,” she said. She shared an anecdote about a councilmember remembering a woman who left a job to spend more time with her family. “He wanted to know if I would do the same thing,” Underwood said. Her manager asked the councilmember whether he would ...
May 31, 2018•19 min•Ep. 19
Jane Brautigam has been city manager of Boulder, Colorado, since 2008 and is the first woman manager in the city's 90-plus-year history. Brautigam started out in the legal profession and then engaged with local government to eventually become manager of one of the most beloved and recognizable cities in the United States. In this episode of “Making a Difference," (powered by Capella University ), Brautigam discusses how she "fell in love" with local government, as well as the challenges of diver...
May 02, 2018•16 min•Ep. 20
After a 26-year career in court administration in Minnesota and California, Chris Volkers became the first female city manager of Moorhead, Minnesota. Volkers said she is proud that Moorhead is a community run mostly by women in leadership roles. “We all work well together; we each bring our own talents to our roles.” In this podcast, Volkers talks about the advice she received when she was starting out in her career—listen first before you speak—and says she gives advice now to young women begi...
May 01, 2018•16 min•Ep. 18
Marcela Piedra is the first female CAO of El Centro, California. As a 20-year veteran of local government, she has moved through a number of departments, including economic development and community services, before moving to the CAO position. With this extensive experience, plus her educational background, Piedra is a well-respected leader and role model. Piedra believes that having had a city manager that “really embraced diversity,” helped her with the confidence to step into the leadership r...
Apr 16, 2018•16 min•Ep. 17
Gina Holt began her career in Springfield, Tennessee, as the assistant to the city manager. Now, 28 years later, she holds the top spot as the city's very first female city manager. In this episode of United Front, a special season of Local Gov Life , Holt opens up about her longstanding career in government (both private and public) and discusses what it has been like as a woman working in a male-dominated field. Yes, at one point she was asked to retrieve a cup of coffee for her male colleague...
Mar 29, 2018•17 min•Ep. 16
Dana Muscott is the first female city manager of Bay City, Michigan. In this episode of United Front, a special season of Local Gov Life, Muscott opens up about the criticism she has received about her education credentials - and how she overcame it; the management of a big career and a family; how to remain grounded in the CAO role; as well as the importance of mentorship in the profession. She also discusses why she chooses a hands-on approach as a local government leader with both her employe...
Mar 15, 2018•24 min•Ep. 15
Bonnie Svrcek, city manager of Lynchburg, Virginia, is the first female city manager for her community. She also became the second woman ICMA president in ICMA's history. A true groundbreaker for women in the local government management profession. In this episode of United Front (powered by TownCloud), Svrcek opens up in the first half about her early career in the profession, talks about her time as ICMA president, and asks women to see what they can become as leaders in the profession. She al...
Mar 05, 2018•29 min•Ep. 14
Sitting as one of the lowest-lying areas in the state of Florida, the city of Miami Beach is very much aware that it is on the front lines of sea level rise. The impact of rising sea levels has pushed the city to spend millions of dollars on climate change strategies including elevating roads, raising sea walls, and installing pumps to push flood waters back into the Bay. In this episode of Local Gov Life, ICMA member, chief resiliency officer, and assistant city manager of Miami Beach, Susanne ...
Feb 23, 2018•11 min•Ep. 13
We asked Patrick Malone, who has been a frequent contributor to PM Magazine if he would weigh in on the LocalGov Life Season 2 topic of resilient leadership in the face of crises and he did not disappoint. In this podcast, he reflects on the leadership lessons he learned firsthand in the wake of 9/11 and how he sees them being applied on a daily basis on the local government level. Patrick Malone, Ph.D. is an executive-in-residence in American University’s Department of Public Administration and...
Feb 02, 2018•8 min•Ep. 12
The Canterbury Earthquake sequence from 2010 to 2012 became known as the worst natural disaster in the history of New Zealand. Though it struck first and hardest in September 2010, it was an aftershock six months later near Christ Church that proved to be most devastating. It claimed lives and property and the affected communities are still recovering seven years later. Waimakariri District Council Local Government Manager and ICMA member Simon Markham quickly found himself in an unexpected role...
Dec 11, 2017•13 min•Ep. 11
Stockton, California, became a symbol of finacial disaster when the combination of a downward spiraling economy and politically expedient decisions led to a highly publicized Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing 2012. The upheaval caused by this crisis affected city staff members and residents and as City Manager Kurt Wilson put it, led to literally life and death decisions in some cases. Wilson describes how the crisis came about, and what steps were required for the city to become financially viable ag...
Nov 22, 2017•16 min•Ep. 10
It has been four years since one of the worst tornado outbreaks struck the state of Illinois. The rare event resulted in 20+ tornadoes, hundreds being injured, several fatalities, and millions of dollars' worth of damage. In this episode of Local Gov Life , Tim Gleason, former city manager of Washington, Illinois, sits down with ICMA to discuss how he managed the crisis of an EF-4 tornado striking his community of 16,000 residents - the leadership lessons learned, the behind-the-scenes decisions...
Nov 13, 2017•22 min•Ep. 9
"We were managing the fear and the panic more than we were managing Ebola itself." In 2014, A. C. Gonzalez was Dallas city manager and Sana Syed was the public information officer. They took a look back at how they navigated through the crisis when the first confirmed U.S. case of Ebola surfaced in their city. The deadly disease had struck West Africa initially, killing more than 11,000 people. When a Dallas man traveling from Africa returned home and fell ill with symptoms, residents became so ...
Oct 30, 2017•27 min•Ep. 8
