GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Creating good government and fiscal sustainability. Mark Funkhouser, President of Funkhouser & Associates, joined the podcast to talk about his career as an auditor, running for Kansas City Mayor, and more. He talked about navigating the Great Recession as Mayor and the importance of an independent auditor. He also shared his career path into public service and his time as Publisher of Governing M...

Improving transparency in government. Ginger McCall, the former Oregon Public Records Advocate, joined the podcast to talk about her time in the State of Oregon and the importance of providing transparency to the public. She discussed the events that led to her resignation and keeping the public records advocate independent. Ginger also shared best practices for providing public records and how lo...

Connecting leaders to improve policy and service delivery. Tyler Kleykamp, the Director of the State Chief Data Officers Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University, joined the podcast to talk about how data can be used to inform policy decisions. He shared how he supports Chief Data Officers across the country and the skills needed to become a Chief Data...

Data and fire service. Chief Reginald Freeman of the Hartford, Connecticut Fire Department joined the podcast to talk about his department's FireStat program and change management. Chief Freeman discussed how they monitor and evaluate performance measures, engaging with fire fighters, and his philosophy on leadership. He also discussed his career path into the fire service, including time in the m...

Using arts and culture to shape communities. Lyz Crane, the Deputy Director of Artplace America, joined the podcast to talk about the work strengthening the field of creative placemaking, which is about integrating arts into community planning and development. She gave examples of how communities can integrate artists in local government including using artists to improve engagement. Lyz also anno...

Engagement from campaigning to governing. Ed Fields, Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist for the City of Birmingham, Alabama, joined the podcast to talk about how they engage residents in the work of local government. He also discussed transitioning a new mayoral administration and how he works to drive Mayor Woodfin's agenda.  Host: Ben Kittelson

Equitable growth and reducing displacement. Khabirah Myers, the Coordinator for the Office of Tenant Legal Services, joined the podcast to talk about her work aiding renters in the City of Newark. The City created an Office where residents facing eviction can turn for resources and even legal representation. Khabirah talked about the eviction issue in Newark, how her Office is working to combat th...

Economic development through transportation. Karina Ricks, the Director of the Mobility and Infrastructure Department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about how Pittsburgh is working with transportation companies in a collaborative way and how her department emphasizes mobility. She also shared details of the City's new Bike Plan and her career path into local government.  H...

Improving access to city programs online. Erin Hattersley, Manager at Google.org, and Maegen Fisher, Program Manager Fellow, joined the podcast to talk about how Google is partnering with the City of Boulder, Colorado and the goals of the Fellowship Program. Google.org launched the Fellowship Program to bring small teams of Google employees into nonprofits and local governments to provide six mont...

Human Resources as a strategic partner. Kylie Bayer, the Human Resources Manager for the City of McMinnville, Oregon, joined the podcast to share the issues and trends that she sees affecting the human resources industry in local government. From pay equity to sabbaticals, and why City Managers should bring HR to the executive leadership team. Kylie also gave a preview of #ELGL20, ELGL's Annual Co...

Cloud-based first responder dispatch. Matt Polega, the Co-Founder and Head of Marketing at Mark43, joined the podcast to talk about how technology can improve public safety. He discussed the importance of computer aided dispatch and the flexibility that being cloud-based provides. Mark also talked about how public safety agencies can work better together and what he would change about the procurem...

The year in review. Four of the regular GovLove hosts teamed up to hand out awards and recap the fourth year of a podcast about local government. Kirsten, Alyssa, Javon, and Ben all selected five of their favorite episodes to honor with the most prestigious award in local government podcasting, a GovieLovie. The hosts also shared their favorite holiday desserts and what they are looking forward to...

Urbanist, Designer and Technologist. Patrick McDonnell joined the podcast to talk about his career path, which started in urban planning, to serving on Innovation Teams in Austin, Texas and Anchorage, Alaska. He talked about the role of a designer, skills that local government needs and the importance of user experience. Patrick also shared some of the projects he worked on like improving access t...

Engaging families in civic activities. Rachel Sowray, the Founder of Politisit, joined the podcast to talk about encouraging parents to participate in public meetings. Politisit reimburses parents and other caregivers for child care costs while they attend meetings and activities. Rachel also talked about her time as a Federal Prosecutor in Oregon and what inspired her to start Politisit. Host: Ki...

Running for office as a city employee. Chad Doran, the Communications Coordinator for Appleton, Wisconsin, joined the podcast to talk about his decision to run for Mayor. He discussed why he thinks his current role has prepared him to be Mayor and what he wants to do once he's in office. Chad also shared his accomplishments as spokesman for the City and how he has to work with every department in...

Public works to city management. Todd Feland, the City Administrator for Grand Forks, North Dakota, joined the podcast to talk about partnering on projects with the University of North Dakota and the impact of the college on the city. He also shared his career path into local government, which started in public works.  This episode was recorded from the 2019 ICMA Conference in Nashville, TN. Host:...

Working to protect the health and social well-being of Houstonians. Stephen Williams, the Director of the Health Department in Houston, Texas, joined the podcast to talk about the role of the health departments in the local government landscape and the services they provide in Houston, like their See to Succeed initiative. He shared how they work toward health equity and the root causes of health...

Building a responsible vacation rental market. Philip Minardi, the Director of Policy Communications at Expedia Group, joined the podcast to talk about the short term rental industry and local policy regulating the vacation rental market. He shared what cities are doing it well, setting responsible limits and building a policy that ensures compliance and even collects taxes.  Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Making sure residents have the opportunity to thrive. Dow Constantine, the Executive of King County, Washington, shares his path to public service and the work King County has done to be an employer of choice. He also shared the initiatives they have undertaken to address the challenges of climate change and his love of the Seattle music scene.  Host: Kirsten Wyatt

First Town in the First State. Ann Marie Townshend, the City Manager of Lewes, Delaware, joined the podcast to talk about her career path and what it's like to manage the oldest community in Delaware. She talked about how she started her career in planning and what it took to get the experience she needed to take the step to become a City Manager. This episode was recorded from the 2019 ICMA Confe...

Moving forward with confidence and clarity. Meredith Hauck, Assistant City Administrator in Merriam, Kansas, joined the podcast to talk about her side work as life coach. She shared her approach to leadership, self care and positive energy. She also talked about her career in local government and advice for communicating with people in the workplace. This episode was recorded from the 2019 ICMA Co...

Celebrating municipal innovation from California to Israel. Brent Stockwell and Amanda Daflos took over GovLove from the CityLab gathering in Washington, DC to talk innovation with four different guests. Beth Blauer is the Executive Director of GovEx at Johns Hopkins University (4:10). Tracy Colunga is the Chief Innovation Officer in Long Beach, CA (29:10). Itai Eiges is the Director of a new init...

Behind the scenes of recruiting a City Manager. Mayor Rick Rogers from the City of Newberg, Oregon joined the podcast to talk about how they are approaching hiring a new City Manager. He describes the community and what the City Council is looking for in a new manager. Mayor Rogers also shared his path into public service. Host:  Kirsten Wyatt

Transitioning into a new leadership role. Martha Bennett, the City Manager of Lake Oswego, Oregon, joined the podcast to talk about her first two months on the job. She also talked about her time leading two unique local government agencies Metro, a regional government for the Portland area, and the Columbia River Gorge Commission. Host: Ben Kittelson

Career advice, elected office and transportation all with a side of hot chicken. Four guests come on the podcast to talk about local government in the State of Tennessee and share a meal of Nashville Hot Chicken with GovLove. Eric Stuckey is the City Administrator of Franklin, TN. Brenda Wynn is the County Clerk for Davidson County, TN. Bill Purcell served as the Mayor of Nashville from 1999 to 20...