County News Podcast

David Senjem’s opinion on renewable energy changed on an international exchange trip to Germany, and when he took office as an Olmsted County, Minn. commissioner, he wanted to make sure counties were positioned to be ready to participate in energy development. He’s now an advisor to NACo’s Rural Energy Academy, which helps rural county leaders navigate development and siting of wind, solar, batter...

Riverside County, Calif. tapped a talented communications staffer to bring to life news from their Board of Supervisors with their program Board Brief. Pep Fernandez, along with CEO Jeff Van Wagenen, explain the program's success and NACo President J.D. Clark fleshes out his County Storytellers spotlight. 

Counties are finding a renewed interest in professional development as a feature of their careers. Fairfield County, Ohio Administrator Aundrea Cordle joined the County News Podcast to talk about trends she has seen in professional development, what skills her county workforce aims to develop and some programs and strategies for helping county employees get the enrichment they want and need to exc...

Sevier County, Tenn. refused to let the government shutdown devastate its fall tourism draw—Great Smoky Mountains National Park. County Mayor Larry Waters describes the lengths he and his neighbors went to keep the park open. And NACo Chief Government Affairs Officer Mark Ritacco offers an outlook on what counties can take away from the shutdown and into the future.

The Lake County, Calif. Food Policy Council is helping local farmers find new markets for their produce. Lake County Supervisor Bruno Sabatier explains his county's agricultural background and his goals for the council and NACo's Alseta Gholston outlines economic mobility resources available to county officials.

Boone County, Mo. Commissioner Janet Thompson describes the challenges that inadequate childhood services pose to children and families and the labor market, and how her county is working provide more options for county employees.

The County News Podcast continues our series on public lands county leaders with two from outdoor recreation counties – Supervisor John Peters from Mono County, Calif. and Commissioner Sonja Macys from Routt County, Colo. Peters is this year’s Western Interstate Region president.

The County News Podcast resumes our series on public lands county issues with two guests: Pennington County, S.D. Commissioner Gary Drewes and Curry County, N.M. Commissioner Seth Martin.

Kevin Leonard, executive director of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and Amanda McKinney, a Yakima County, Wash. commissioner, talk about two different challenges county officials face in responding to disasters.

As awareness of social isolation spreads, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Loudoun County, Va. Chair Phyllis Randall discuss the role of government in combatting the problem.

NACo Executive Director Matt Chase interviews County News Podcast Host Charlie Ban about a new book chronicling NACo’s first 90 years.

Commissioner Melody Villard and Economic Recovery Corps Fellow Sasha Nelson discuss the transition Moffat County, Colo. planned to diversify its economy after the closure of coal mines and a power plant decimated its property tax revenue.

Greenbrier County, W.Va. Commissioner Tammy Tincher, Cook County, Ill. CIO Tom Lynch and NACo CIO Rita Reynolds discuss the pilot CIO Reserves program, which offers IT experts to help rural counties assess their technology and cybersecurity needs.

Berrien County, Mich. ensures that all residents and visitors can access emergency services regardless of their primary language thanks to a translation and interpretation service.

Shinica Thomas, a Wake County, N.C. commissioner and a member of NACo's AI Exploratory Committee, talks about her process for learning about artificial intelligence, its limits and challenges and some applications for use in county government.

Modoc County, Calif. Supervisor Ned Coe outlines how ideas from county government have helped the U.S. Forest Service do its job.

Johnson County, Texas Commissioner Rick Bailey shares his experience in the trucking industry and as a county commissioner in charge of maintaining his roads and why heavy trucks threaten local insfrastructure. 

Mariposa County, Calif. Supervisor Miles Menetrey and Eagle County, Colo. Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry discuss the coalition building necessary for counties to succeed when much of their land is managed by the National Forest Service and National Park Service. 

Allegheny County, Pa. Director of Housing Strategies Ed Nusser introduces the 500 in 500 initiative for moving people out of shelters and NACo’s Mike Matthews discusses the county role in developing affordable housing.

Clay County, Iowa Supervisor Barry Anderson joins the County News Podcast to describe the compounding effects from a generational flood his county seat faced in June. Anderson outlines the county’s responses to the challenges and NACo Legislative Director Brett Mattson shares federal resources for counties and provides an update on legislation that could help counties facing natural disasters.

Two Southern Utah commissioners - Tammy Pearson from Beaver County and Jerry Taylor from Garfield County - discuss building relationships outside of their network of public lands officials, in hopes of educating and winning new champions.

Two county supervisors from California — Jeff Griffiths from Inyo County and Heidi Hall from Nevada County — talk about balancing serving their residents and drawing tourists to their mountain communities.

NACo President James Gore joins the County News Podcast to talk about what brought him to county government, the challenges Sonoma County, Calif. has faced while he has been a member of the Board of Supervisors and and how he views county government.

Coconino County, Ariz. Supervisor Patrice Horstman and Hawai’i County, Hawai’i Councilmember Sue Lee Loy contrast their public lands leadership experiences in very large and relatively small counties.