GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

A celebrity interview. In this special episode we're partnering with Montgomery County, Maryland to share one of their innovation celebrity interviews, part of their open innovation events which are internal learning sessions for staff. Anna Chung, a UX Designer at Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), talked with Michael Baskin, Chief Innovation Officer for Montgomery County, about the work...

Regional networks of governments and universities. Peter Morrissey, an Associate Director at the Volcker Alliance, joined the podcast to talk about the Government-to-University Initiative , which is an innovative approach to addressing critical governance challenges by building government and university partnerships. He shared how governments can make targeted connections and lasting relationships...

Improving budget flexibility. Alexandria Zhang, a Research Officer at the Pew Research Center, joined the podcast to talk about her research on local tax limitations. She shared how limits on local government revenue imposed by state governments affect localities. She also makes the case that state governments need to reevaluate limitations they currently have in place. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Local governance done well. Ian McCormack, the President of Strategic Steps, Inc. a local government consulting firm, joined the podcast to talk about his new book Who's Driving the Grader? He discussed what led to the writing of the book and who he wrote the book for. He also shared his career path and his perspectives on leadership and governing. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Resilient Queen City. Sarah Hazel, the Chief Sustainability & Resiliency Officer for the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, joined the podcast to talk about how the City is working to be more environmentally sustainable. She discussed the City's Strategic Energy Action Plan, working with Duke Energy, and electrifying the City's fleet. She also shared a workforce training program for sustainability...

Helping the justice-involved. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about a guaranteed income pilot program in the City of Durham, North Carolina. Amber Wade, Assistant to the Mayor, and City Council Members Mark-Anthony Middleton and Pierce Freelon shared why Durham is doing the pilot and how the pilot will be administered. They also discussed the target population and what they hope to see com...

A renaissance in public service. Kaitlyn Rentala, an author and student at the University of Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about her new book, The Public Sector Pivot: How Gen Z Will Lead a Renaissance in Public Service . She shared strategies for how government agencies can better attract people to public service. Kaitlyn also discussed how government can market its strengths compared...

Solutions for social isolation. Oswaldo Mestre, Chief Service Officer & Director of Citizen Services for the City of Buffalo, NY, and Risa Wilkerson, Executive Director of Healthy Places by Design, discussed a new report on creating socially connected communities. They shared why social isolation is an issue that cities need to pay attention to as well as strategies to address it. Oswaldo shared w...

Data and public health. Stephanie Deitrick, Enterprise GIS & Analytics Manager for the City of Tempe, Arizona, joined the podcast to talk about monitoring wastewater to understand public health trends. She shared how the City partnered with Arizona State University to begin monitoring for opioid usage, which they then pivoted to use for the response to COVID-19 pandemic. She also discussed how the...

Sharing resources and expertise. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer for Broward County, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about resiliency and climate response. She talked about resiliency and climate response plans as well as the County's resilience and environmental dashboards. She also discussed the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. This episode was recorded from the F...

Ending economic insecurity. Michael Tubbs, Special Adviser for Economic Mobility and Opportunity to California Governor Gavin Newsom, joined the podcast to talk about guaranteed income. He shared his path to becoming one of the youngest mayors in America and the programs he implemented to try and end poverty in Stockton, California. He also discussed how he helped create Mayors for a Guaranteed In...

Economy after dark. Sarah Hannah-Spurlock, the Nighttime Economy Manager for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about how the City manages the nighttime economy. She shared what her job looks like day to day, how she engages with business owners, and the policy changes they have made to help the nighttime economy. She also discussed the goal of building an 18-hour Cit...

Get a little better every week. Benjamin Mead-Harvey, Adjunct Instructor for the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences, joined the podcast to discuss interview processes and reducing bias in hiring. He discussed types of interview questions including behavioral and situational questions. He also shared his career path and passion for management problems, which he writes about on hi...

Making a difference. Cynthia Barber, Deputy City Manager for the City of Tallahassee, Florida, joined the podcast to discuss infrastructure projects and how the City involves the community through their Neighborhood First program. She shared how Tallahassee earned LEED certification and how hurricane plans were used during COVID-19. She also highlighted two youth leadership and development program...

A path forward. Gina Peebles, Chief of Staff for Alachua County, Florida, joined the podcast to discuss Alachua County's truth and reconciliation initiative. This work was driven by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) museum and memorial for lynching victims. Gina shared how the process was community-driven and how other local governments can start a similar effort. This episode was recorded from t...

Climate action from the heart of America. Lindsey Constance, President of Climate Action KC, and Mike Kelley, Mayor of Roeland Park, KS, joined the podcast to talk about Climate Action KC. They shared the origin story and how local leaders came together to take regional action on climate change. Lindsey and Mike also discussed how they worked across state lines to form the KC Regional Action Clima...

From recruitment to onboarding. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about their research into effective ways that local governments have hired staff in a remote or virtual environment. Lauren Duncan, Mallory Verez, and Sam Cathcart, MPA Candidates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, highlighted their research methods and the various aspects of the hiring process. They shared th...

Using data to improve engagement. Brianna Sunryd, Communications Manager at the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts, joined the GovLove Phonebooth from the CivicPlus Summit conference to discuss how communication changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared which engagement strategies that the Town used during COVID-19 will stay around and how data collection is used to improve the City's website....

Arrested mobility. Charles T. Brown, the Founder & CEO of Equitable Cities and Professor of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University, joined the podcast to talk about the connection between mobility and equity. He discussed the concept of arrested mobility and how the movement of marginalized communities is overly policed. Charles also shared how planners and planning departments should unde...

Using data to make better decisions. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the Regional Benchmarking Initiative in the Kansas City metro area. Kate Bender, Deputy Performance Officer for the City of Kansas City, Missouri; Stephen Wade, Budget and Performance Manager for the City of Topeka, Kansas; and Reagan Walsh, Former Budget & Performance Intern for the City of Olathe, Kansas highl...

Breaking bread, building bridges. Joshua Barr, Director of Civil & Human Rights at the City of Des Moines, Iowa, joined the podcast to discuss his work with the City, including his Emmy Award-winning documentary . He talked about the engagement and policy work the City has done around equity, including their Bridging the Gap initiative and a cultural competency training for employees. Joshua also...

Building better cities. William Fulton, the Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, joined the podcast for a wide ranging conversation about development, planning, and land use in Houston, Texas. He talked about the market forces in an environment with low regulation and sprawl, plus how gentrification is occurring in Houston. He also discussed how the City is plann...

Rebuild with purpose. Kip Eideberg, Sr. Vice President at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), joined the podcast to talk about infrastructure and manufacturing. He shared results from AEM's recent Infrastructure Vision 2050 report and the need for federal infrastructure investments to be targeted at States and local governments. He also discussed rural broadband and building the manu...

Audacious goals and clean energy. John Morrill, Division Manager for Innovation & Sustainability at Fairfax County, Virginia, joined the podcast to talk about sustainability and energy efficiency. He discussed the strategies needed to implement local government sustainability plans and the goals associated with them. John also talked about the energy grid, the need for electrification to meet ener...

Students helping cities. Victoria Caster, Water Conservation and Sustainability Coordinator at the City of Peoria, AZ, and Steve Russell, Program Manager of Project Cities at Arizona State University, joined the podcast to talk about student-led sustainability plans. They discussed projects that students with Project Cities have completed, like in the City of Peoria, and the impact of those projec...