City Manager Unfiltered

Last year, Mountlake Terrace City Manager Jeff Niten and his team launched their citizen academy. It was designed to teach local citizens about how their local government operates, foster an environment of transparency and community engagement, and hopefully create ambassadors who would then be able to share their newfound knowledge with others.  In this episode, Jeff talks about what he and his t...

Michael Patton is passionate about parks and recreation and he feels like the podcast has ignored this aspect of government operations for too long. A few weeks back he messaged me and articulated his case for why parks and recreation departments should be seen more as vital components of local government and not just "nice to haves" or afterthoughts in the eyes of the city manager. And speaking o...

My guest tried to beat his alcohol addiction numerous times, but failed repeatedly. In this powerful episode, Matthew "Matt" McManus pulls back the curtains and transparently talks about his journey to sobriety, why he became an alcoholic, and what motivated him to change once and for all. If you are struggling with some sort of addiction, it is my hope that this episode gives you the motivation t...

Before becoming a city manager, Chris Mann built a career around public affairs, public relations, and political campaign messaging. In this episode, we talk about how important it is for city managers and other public sector executives to cultivate an image or identity that they can use to differentiate themselves during the job search process. By narrating your own story, you will be able to ill...

We all have some wild and funny stories from our city manager careers. Why? Because we interact with people on a daily basis and people are crazy! In this episode, Tim Rundel, one of the most popular guests of the show, recounts the insanities and inanities of his city management life spanning stints in California and Oklahoma.  If you have some funny stories, surreal first council meetings, or ab...

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 2 of a two part series so tune back in next week. You can catch Part 1 here . If you did not listen to my very first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this...

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 1 of a two part series so tune back in next week. If you did not listen to my first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this link and check out Episode 133 p...

CAUGHT ON TAPE!  In this episode, we have a recorded phone conversation between a city manager and a state transportation official who was cited on a criminal trespassing charge. The state official repeatedly suggests that he will make things difficult for the city manager and his city if the charge is not taken care of. Such was the dilemma facing Brian Daily when he was serving as the city manag...

Chris Gilbert intrinsically believes that when residents feel seen, heard, and cared for, they become more supportive and trusting of their government.  He argues that "customer service" is the transactional act of doing what needs to be done for the customer. However, municipal hospitality is centered around how you make residents feel during and after the delivery of services to them. The Spring...

If you want to be a better leader, you have to understand your behavioral preferences and deficiencies and those of your executive team and senior leadership. And the Harrison Assessment can help you. A couple of months ago, the fellas at The Mental Hygiene Project shepherded me through it. Michael Stahl and Ryan Gallik went through an hour long debrief identifying my core strengths and where I co...

In October, Mike Mortell was caught flat-footed when he learned that his fate was sealed and that he would be fired a couple of weeks later. The city manager for Stuart, Florida didn't take it lying down or run off with his tail between his legs. After enduring months of "social media slander" and the machinations of an elected official who orchestrated his ouster, Mortell had to sit through hours...

On this special episode of the podcast, Katie Bogenschutz, my criminal defense attorney joins me to discuss the case and break down my two felony charges. I provide a bit more context about my time in Walton County, Florida, and how we got to this point. Additionally, we talk about the terms of the pre-trial diversion offer extended to me by the prosecutor and the discussion we had as to whether I...

Mitch Hammes has a built a national reputation as "That Code Enforcement Guy" having worked himself up front the frontlines as a code enforcement officer all the way to the top as a city administrator. In this episode, we avoid getting into the weeds and examine code enforcement related topics at the 30,000 foot level in a manner that his hopefully more relevant to city managers and executives. In...

This is the second installment in our new "Black City Manager" series featuring Troy Body, the city manager for Hopkinsville, Kentucky. "I can't love your neighborhood more than you love it," Troy explains as we navigate his philosophical approach to city management. He uses the "pick up the can" metaphor to explain how he believe residents must taker ownership for the condition of their own neigh...

Are your elected officials overreacting to negative comments and criticism on social media? Tired of watching them get spun up by a handful of keyboard warriors living in their mother's basement? Then you need to enroll your elected officials in Sam Toles' new social media training course for elected officials. He is the social media master and a former council member.  Lean on his experience and...

In this episode, I call out what I believe to be unethical and deceitful practices by the the city of Valley Center, Kansas in their current search for a new city administrator. The have posted on LinkedIn that the salary range for their next administrator is $115,000 to $200,000. However, their original job postings that are still visible on various job boards listed a salary of range of $105,000...

Beloit City Manager Halley Roberson is one of my favorite interviews of all-time and I am pretty sure that most of you will enjoy it, too. She is absolutely hilarious and I am glad I drove the two plus hours to meet her. In this episode, we discuss our mutual love for small town city management, especially in Kansas, and the opportunities it presents for aspiring public sector executives. We also...

Chris Mann's journey to the city manager's chair was a circuitous, non-traditional one. The California city manager started his journey as a city councilman in his early 20s and would later go on to start his own public relations firm which heavily focused on local government issues and land development. He would then launch a a successful political action committee that raised hundreds of thousan...

For many months, I have been trying to coax and cajole Troy Body into starting his own podcast or at the very least becoming a regular, recurring guest on my podcast. I have wanted to provide a platform for the Hopkinsville, Kentucky city manager and give him a voice. He has interesting perspectives and opinions you will not find anywhere else regarding local government and city management and he...

For nearly 20 years, Blaine Oborn had an unblemished record as a city manager serving in multiple states. That all changed when he became the city administrator in Oak Harbor, Washington. He assumed his duties as the city was at the very tail end of a wastewater plant project that had tripled in costs from $50 million to $150 million under the leadership of Cathy Rosen, the public works director....

Joe Dessenberger grew up with a father who worked seven days a week until he died rather suddenly after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 62. His father had a vision of what his life would be like in retirement, but never got to enjoy it. In this emotionally charged episode, we discuss the indelible influence of his father's journey through life and how that has shaped his mindset. Addition...

San Leandro Public Information Officer Paul Sanftner has a fantastic public safety idea that would help local government agencies during emergencies and save lives. But he needs your help! He is trying to persuade YouTube to add an emergency alert feature to their platform so that authorities can communicate important life-saving messages during natural disasters, civil disturbances, and other ser...

Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Suzanne Goode dropped 10 voicemail messages on her city manager in the span of 24 hours demanding that he edit or unpublish an official public meeting from their YouTube account. Why? Because another commissioner publicly shamed her for being toxic and abusive toward fellow commissioners and staff at a subcommittee meeting to discuss a Civility in the Workplace policy a...

In this powerful episode, Jeff Fiegenschuh talks about his approach to community engagement, connecting with staff, and building relationships with his elected officials as the city manager for Rochelle, Illinois. What prompted my desire to interview Jeff was the fact that he contributes a monthly column to his local paper and I believe most executives fail to take advantage of this effective tech...

In a couple of months, the American Association of Municipal Executives will be launching an online directory that will allow candidates to rate and review executive recruiters and recruitment firms. Under the current system, there is no mechanism or vehicle in place to give candidates a voice or to allow their concerns to be raised or addressed. By creating this directory, the AAME will be able t...