GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Supporting local government. Joe Walters, who's partner Jules Walters is the Mayor of the City of West Linn, OR, joined the podcast to talk about how public service impacts their family. He discussed what it was like to support her through the campaign and how they have shared a love for public service with their children. He also shared his thoughts on work-life balance in local government and at...

Essential inputs for modernizing American infrastructure. Ellory Monks, Co-Founder at The Atlas, joined the podcast to talk about workforce development and procurement challenges as it relates to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). She shared issues facing local government and strategies for tackling both of these problems. Ellory also highlighted how local governments can prepare f...

Big ideas in small cities. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about the Texas Target Communities program. Kara Escajeda is the City Manager of Nolanville, Texas. Dr. Wei Li is an Associate Professor and Jaimie Masterson is the Director at Texas Target Communities, both from Texas A&M University. They outlined the innovative partnership between the city and university. They shared the greatest...

Strategies for local arts agencies. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about a new guide from Bloomberg Associates on data and art. Erin Harkey is the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for the City of Chicago, IL. David Andersson is part of Arts Team for Bloomberg Associates. They shared how arts-minded cities can better leverage data to help local arts organ...

Recast your city. Ilana Preuss, author and CEO of Recast City, joined the podcast to talk about her new book Recast Your City , about how small-scale manufacturing is a better way to create thriving communities and strong economic development. She shared what small-scale manufacturing is and how cities can embrace it as an economic development tool.  Host: Kirsten Wyatt

An invitation to engage. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about the Living in One Neighborhood (LION) program between Pennsylvania State University and State College, PA. Kevin Kassab, Community Engagement Manager, and Douglas Shontz, Assistant to the Manager, from the Borough of State College, PA highlighted key elements of the LION program as well as how State College partnered with Pennsyl...

From harassment to a more civil discourse. Brooks Rainwater, Senior Executive and Director of Center for City Solutions at the National League of Cities, joined the podcast to talk about his recent report, On the Frontlines of Today's Cities: Trauma, Challenges, and Solutions . He explained the purpose of the report along with the root causes of harassment toward local elected officials. Brooks sh...

Culture change and engaging employees. Brian Bosshardt, County Manager of Clear Creek County, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about taking on his current role and the transition as a new manager. He discussed his leadership philosophy, facilitating conversations with County staff, and organizational development. He also shared his approach to engaging a leadership team and making decisions as...

Better places, together. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about the UniverCity Year partnership between the Village of Waunakee, WI, the Ho-Chunk Nation, and students from the University of Wisconsin. Todd Schmidt is the Village Manager of Waunakee and Bill Quackenbush is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Ho-Chunk Nation. They shared how the partnership came about and what the...

Awarding the best of the best. The GovLove co-hosts teamed up to hand out awards and recap the sixth full year of a podcast about local government. Kirsten, Toney, Lauren, Dan, Ashley, and Ben all selected three of their favorite episodes to honor with the most prestigious award in local government podcasting, a GovieLovie. They also shared their favorite lightning round question, the most embarra...

Community resilience and COVID-19 response. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Geneva, New York and the Hobart and William Smith Colleges were affected by and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic Chris Annear is an Associate Professor and Craig Talmage is an Assistant Professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Emma Falkenstein is the Assistant Director of Development at...

Entrepreneurship opportunities for all. Angela Rollins, Coordinator of Financial Empowerment Initiatives for the City of Rochester, New York joined the podcast to talk about their women and minority owned business program. She discussed why Rochester is focusing on women and minority owned businesses along with what steps they are taking to grow these businesses in the community. Angela detailed t...

Coming together to fight COVID-19. Two guests from the Town of Amherst, MA joined the podcast to talk about their COVID-19 Ambassadors Program. Joseph Maspo, COVID-19 Ambassador Coordinator, and Bill Laramee, Neighborhood Liaison Officer, discussed the creation of the program and the role of the ambassadors. Joseph and Bill shared details about funding the program and how they worked with UMass Am...

Ensuring effective commissioners. Michael Blue, Principal at Teska Associates, joined the podcast to talk about planning commissions. He discussed the purpose of Planning Commissions along with common issues they address. Michael shared what the American Planning Association is doing to assist cities with training their Planning Commissioners. Lastly, he gave strategies for how to engage members o...

Derechos and #GrinnTogether. Russell Behrens, City Manager of the City of Grinnell, IA, and Monica Chavez-Silva, Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Planning at Grinnell College, joined the podcast to talk about their community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They talked about the early coordination and communication involved in the response, working together to help local bu...

Learn, connect, and lead. Sarah Poulton, Downtown Special Projects Manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, NC, joined the podcast to talk about the Town's People's Academy, which is for anyone who lives, works, plays, prays, or studies in Chapel Hill. She shared how they worked to make it accessible, how their academy is formatted, and how they engage with UNC students. Sarah also discussed the recru...

Proactively responding to off campus issues. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Manchester, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Greater Manchester Police partnered to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Poppy Humphrey is the Off Campus Student Affairs Officer at the University of Manchester. Cooper Healey is the Manager at Manchester Student H...

Open innovation for all. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about The Opportunity Project, or TOP, which is a framework for agencies to facilitate collaboration between technologists and community advocates. Haley Ashcom is a Communications Strategist for the US Census Open Innovation Labs. Katya Abazajian is a Fellow at Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation. Rebecca Ierardo is a Senior...

Holistic wellness. Cameron Marlin, the General Manager of the Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District, joined the podcast to talk about how they offered new recreation programming to meet the community's mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared how they identified instructors, partnered with Clear Creek County to use CARES Act funding, and are measuring success. She also t...

Building a foundation. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about strategies for affordable housing. Jerrah Crowder is a Manager for the Office of Affordability and Sustainable Housing for the City of Newark, New Jersey, and Namon Freeman is a Manager for Housing Affordability at Bloomberg Associates. They discussed housing goals in Newark, the effects of COVID-19 on affordable housing, and what...

Mandate to be great. Dr. Rob Graham, the Founder & CEO of Techno-Resiliency.com, joined the podcast to talk about his book, Mandate to be Great: The 5 Traits of Techno-Resilient People and Organizations . He shared the definition of Techno-Resiliency and how it relates to organizations.  He discussed pockets of resiliency and how to find them.  Lastly, he provided in-depth information on the five...

Housing for all. Jake Seid, a Senior Planner with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, joined the podcast to talk about zoning reform.  He shares why zoning reform is needed and why there is an increased interest in the topic. Jake discussed the limitations of traditional single-family zoning and exclusionary zoning.  Lastly, he shared four solutions local governments can implement for mo...

Honest and inclusive ecosystems. Nick Lyell, the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer for CivStart, joined the podcast to talk about connecting startups with local governments. He discussed the programs that CivStart runs including challenge-based procurement and pilot programs. He also talked about the mission of CivStart and how they help local governments and startups solve challenges.  Host: Ki...

Urban air mobility. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about advanced air mobility and how it could change the transportation landscape for cities. Robert Pearce is the Associate Administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Davis Hackenberg is the Integration Manager for Advanced Air Mobility at NASA. They discussed the types of aircraft this sort of travel would involv...

Urban design and sustainability. Adam Freed, Principal with Bloomberg Associates, joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Milan, Italy is working to plant 3,000,000 trees by 2030. He shared how the City is accelerating planting, changing process, and partnering to fund the tree initiative. He also talked about the importance of trees in controlling temperature in a city and how cities can...