Generation on the Rise Podcast

As producer and publisher here at Substack, today’s post is hard to write… we have decided to bring this show to a close, at least for now. Dave, Brandon and I start off with a little light bantor today before we make our way to the core message which concerns the absence of Eden. I am going to post the entirety of my message here because I think it warrants some reflection. I know I will be think...

Brandon Ford rejoins Dave Pribulka and Eden Ratliff and wastes no time stepping back into the role of host. He deftly guides the conversation from how have expectations changed for managers to something much deeper that touches on what it means to be apolitical in this new reality and how compartmentalization may or may not serve the profession going forward. This is a genuinely important episode...

Recorded on Opening Day for baseball! Today the Generation on the Rise crew (minus Brandon Ford who is galavanting around Ireland with an ICMA team) steps up to bat and the field is wide open on the topic of connectivity. Although the vision is alluring, it is also a technical rabbit hole. But well worth the effort if you are interested in taking on connectivity in your community. Host Eden Ratlif...

The summary you are about to read is mostly from AI; however, I did take the time to create the prompt! And tell it that I wanted to emphasize that this is a serious, important but also, very funny podcast episode! I curated the moments that I thought stood out… and there so many, that my main recommendation, if you have a leadership team, is to have everyone listen to this episode and then come t...

Maggie Dobbs is a trained city planner (Rutgers) who spent a decade writing comprehensive plans across Montgomery County before stepping into her current role as Borough Manager of Narberth, Pennsylvania, a half-square-mile community tucked inside Lower Merion Township just outside of Philadelphia. She arrived after a period of leadership turnover. What she found was not a small job. It was a dens...

There is a polite fiction in local government that serving “at the pleasure of the governing body” rests securely on mutual trust. Often it does. Increasingly, it can feel more fragile. In today’s political climate, the employment relationship between elected officials and their chief administrative officer deserves a closer examination. What protections actually exist? Who advocates for the manag...

Eden and Dave are joined by guest Jeffrey Stonehill , Borough Manager of Chambersburg Pennsylvania. They begin with an examination of how crises today differ from those Jeffrey encountered when he began in the field. Although they traverse the doom and gloom of dealing with crisis in the profession, they return to the core reasons they remain in the field. Contrasting generational perspectives and...

"We are all one elected official away from a hostile work environment.” - Dave “Yeah, but if it gets that bad, why would you stay?" - Eden Today on Generation on the Rise, what starts as tactical shop talk evolves into a revealing examination of professional isolation, with Dave pushing hard on systemic advocacy gaps while Eden counters with self-reliance pragmatism. By the end, they’re debating w...

 “y’all didn’t think we were gonna talk about the sex appeal of water meters, did you?” -Dave “I just wanna put it out there. Sexy is a bonafide public policy term. It is absolutely in the vernacular.” - Eden In this episode of Generation on the Rise , host Brandon Ford, along with co-hosts Eden Ratliff, and Dave Pribulka tackles a theme every local government professional eventually feels: what h...

In this kickoff-to-2026 episode of Generation on the Rise , hosts Dave Pribulka, Brandon Ford, and Eden Ratliff tackle the question: what is the real role of a municipal manager in forming local government policy? They trade stories about leaf-blower bans, stormwater fees, single use plastic bags, and the emotional discipline it takes to “inform the process, respect the outcome, and then deliver w...

Summary: In this thought-provoking episode, Brandon, Dave, and Eden tackle the complex topic of workplace loyalty in local government. The hosts debate what loyalty means in practice, whether it’s connected to tenure, and how it differs from professionalism. The conversation takes an unexpected turn into residency requirements, sparking passionate disagreement about whether living in the community...

As the calendar year closes out, Eden Ratliff sits down with Brandon Ford and Dave Pribulka to talk about strategic planning in the real world: not as a glossy document, but as a working “rudder” for budget decisions, priorities, and day-to-day execution. They dig into the tension between aspirational goals (the “why”) and cross-offable action steps (the “how”)—including how to avoid plans that so...

In this episode of ‘Generation on the Rise’, the hosts Dave Pribulka, Eden Ratliff, and Brandon Ford “go there” to unpack the inherent biases present in local government, and how it can impact decision-making processes. They explore how biases affect hiring practices and public policy formation, emphasizing the need for a culture of challenge and building perspective in leadership. The conversatio...

In this episode, the hosts discuss the challenges of work-life balance in local government, touching on public comment dynamics, the pioneering leaf blower ban initiative, and the importance of personal life beyond work. They explore generational differences in work expectations, the impact of remote work policies, and the recent implementation of a paid parental leave policy. The conversation emp...

Join hosts Dave Pribulka , Eden Ratliff , and Brandon Ford for a candid talk about shaping your team in your municipal organizations. They explore the essential roles needed in local government, the importance of dedicated HR departments, and the challenges of managing diverse personalities within teams. The conversation delves into the hiring process, community engagement in recruitment, and the...

Hosts Dave Pribulka , Eden Ratliff and Brandon Ford are joined by Nancy Hess (Publisher, MuniSquare) for a candid talk about what real change management looks like in local government. They explore how trust, timing, and human connection shape change - from labor negotiations to leadership teams to community-driven expectations. Get full access to MuniSquare at munisquare.substack.com/subscribe

Fresh from the ICMA Conference in Tampa, the Generation on the Rise crew dives into how to draw the line between leadership and politics. Eden reflects on his ICMA session about rebuilding trust after a $3.2 million fraud case, while Dave and Brandon unpack what it means to stay apolitical and human in a world where expectations sometimes conflict with professional ethics. From the emotional side...

Hosts: Eden Ratliff (host), Dave Pribulka, Brandon Ford, and Nancy J. Hess (Publisher of MuniSquare) In this second episode of Generation on the Rise , host Eden Ratliff leads the team into one of the most defining themes of their careers — networking and mentorship , both the good and the bad. Topics: Bad mentoring advice, the golf myth, the shadow side of mentoring, bulls in the china shop dynam...

Welcome to Generation on the Rise where local government's next generation sits down to talk about what's changing, what's hard, and why we believe it's worth doing. Join hosts: Dave Pribulka, Brandon Ford, Eden Ratliff, and Executive Producer Nancy J. Hess as they find the new normal — not the one we’re used to, but the one we create. Get full access to MuniSquare at munisquare.substack.com/subsc...