GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Clarence Anthony the CEO/Executive Director of the National League of Cities (NLC) joins GovLove to talk about the work of the organization and his path into elected office. Clarence ran for Mayor of South Bay, FL at the at of 24 and was elected by 33 votes. He shared the work being done at the NLC around infrastructure, smart cities and other issues facing cities both large and small. 

The second in command and go-to person. Three Chiefs of Staff join GovLove to talk about the uniqueness of their job. From gatekeeper to stand in, Chiefs of Staff handle different things everyday. Samantha Harkins works for Mayor Andy Schor in Lansing, Michigan. Laura O'Sullivan works for Mayor Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, Indiana. James Hardy works for Mayor Dan Horrigan of Akron, Ohio. 

Using tech and innovation to improve people's lives. Two CIOs, one city. Jose De La Cruz the Chief Innovation Officer and Craig Hopkins the Chief Information Officer from San Antonio, Texas joined the podcast to talk about how they work together to make the City better. They shared how San Antonio is approaching being a smart city, how they work with operational departments and more.

Finding a human way to talk about planning. Kyle Kingma the founder of Planning Peeps and a Planning Manager in Texas joined GovLove to talk about the memes and fun spirit behind the community for planners, by planners. Kyle discussed his path into planning as well as why he wanted to start Planning Peeps.

A very Parks & Rec episode for you. Jim O'Heir the actor that played the lovable Jerry Gergich (or is Garry?) came on GovLove to talk about the hit NBC show, his career in the entertainment industry and more. Jim sat down with co-hosts Alyssa Dinberg and Javon Davis in Kansas City, MO City Hall to give a behind the scenes look at ELGL & GovLove's favorite show. 

Design thinking, pop-up coffee shops and open data in the library. Susan Brown the Director of the Chapel Hill Public Library joined GovLove to talk about running a local government library and prototyping. She also shared her Banned Books Trading Cards project, her career path into libraries and how the library engages with other local government departments in Chapel Hill.  Right now at ELGL we'...

Using power to make a difference in people's lives. Nashville, Tennessee's first female Mayor, Megan Barry, joins GovLove to talk about her path into public service and her time as Mayor. Mayor Barry discusses inspiring women and girls to run for elected office, diversity in local government, and Nashville's vision zero efforts. Topics: Lightning round (2:55), The influence of her parents on her c...

The authors of a new book, The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism , Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak joined the podcast to talk urbanism and cities. Bruce and Jeremy share how localism isn't just local government solving problems, but bringing different stakeholders together to tackle big issues that cities face. Topics: Lightning round (1:40), Mt. Rushmore of Mayors (8:15), Wri...

The first Smart City Coordinator for the City of Seattle, Washington, Kate Garman, joined GovLove to talk about her role and her thoughts on tech and local government. Kate revealed what a day in her job is like, what makes a city "smart" and what working in Amazon's hometown is like. She also compared working for Kansas City, MO with Seattle and her advice for those entering the profession. Topic...

Aaron Foley is an author, journalist and now the Chief Storyteller for the City of Detroit, MI. He joined GovLove to talk about his position, which was created by the Mayor last year, and the unique work he's doing as a city employee. Aaron discussed his career path in journalism, the decision to take a job in local government and the importance of telling Detroit's stories. Topics: Lightning roun...

Leading Kansas City. Troy Schulte, the City Manager of Kansas City, MO, joined GovLove to talk about leading an organization of 4,400 employees. He discussed the City's bond program, using performance and data in local government, and the Royals World Series chances. He also talked about the challenges Kansas City faces and investing in the future. Topics:  Lightning round (0:25), Troy's career pa...

We take the last episode of the year to recognize our favorite episodes and interviews of 2017. GovLove hosts Kent Wyatt, Kirsten Wyatt and Ben Kittelson all handed out awards in different categories to their 15 favorite episodes. The episode also covered the most listened to episodes of the year and plans for 2018. Topics: 2017 recap (1:05), Most listened to episodes (4:05), Segments! Best gifts...

Creating spaces for people. Two representatives from the Project for Public Spaces, Laura Torchio and Elka Gotfryd, joined the podcast to talk about how to shape and influences places. They discussed projects that they have worked on across the country, how engagement is important to placemaking and tools for people that want to do placemaking. Topics include:  Lightning round (1:20), How Laura &...

The acclaimed writer, urbanist and best selling author, Richard Florida joins the podcast to discuss his new book and the challenges cities face. Richard is a professor and Director of Cities for the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, his most recent book "The New Urban Crisis" deals with the increases in inequality and segregation cities have experienced. He discusses the b...

Improving collaboration and innovation in local government. Ellory Monks from The Atlas and Kip Harkness, the Deputy City Manager of San Jose, CA, join GovLove to talk about their work. The Atlas is a marketplace for local governments to work together and learn from each other on infrastructure projects. Kip leads the Office of Civic Innovation in San Jose. They discuss everything from juggling fi...

Paying for the service outcome rather than the cost of implementation. Brian Beachkofski from Third Sector Capital Partners joins GovLove to talk about a new contracting model called Pay for Success contracting. He shares examples of local governments using the model and how it can be more effective in delivering services to people. Topics: Lightning round (1:10), introducing the Pay for Success c...

Managing in a consolidated city and county government. Jestin Johnson, the Assistant Manager of Athens-Clarke County, GA consolidated government, joins the podcast to talk about his career path and management philosophy. He shared his strong opinions on parking, being a player-coach type of manager and how important town-gown relations are in Athens.  Topics: L ightning round (0:30), Jestin's care...

Recruiting & retaining talent in local government. Heidi Voorhees, the President of GovHR USA, joined GovLove to talk about the work of finding and attracting talented local government employees. Heidi discussed her experience as a Management Fellow in Kansas City, MO with current fellows Javon & Alyssa. She also talked about the importance of LinkedIn and the drawback of residency requirements. T...

Brent Stockwell, Assistant City Manager of Scottsdale, AZ, joined GovLove to discuss his work on performance measurement, behavioral insights and his favorite color. Brent described how Scottsdale is taking a new approach to simplifying city reports. He also shared his thoughts on diversity in local government and how tourism has shaped Scottsdale.  Topics: L ightning round (1:20), using behaviora...

What startups and local government can do to work better together. Barry Greenfield the Co-Founder of GovLaunch, a platform for local governments to compare and review technology solutions. Barry discusses his career path, which includes a stint as an elected official, and what local governments and startups can learn from each other.  Topics: Lightning round (0:45), why Barry ran for local office...

Innovation, performance and public service in Little Rock. Two people from the City of Little Rock, AR join GovLove to talk about their work. Melissa Bridges, Performance & Innovation Coordinator, and Susan Langley, City Clerk, discuss the Commodores, their career paths and a cross-departmental quality of life group. Topics: Lighting round (2:30),  how children impacted their careers (7:45),  chal...

Get to know the City Manager of Decatur, Georgia. Peggy Merriss joins GovLove to discuss her career in local government, which includes 24 years as City Manager and stints in leadership positions with ICMA. She talked about the projects going on in Decatur, her experience as a woman in local government and more. Topics: Lightning round (0:50), Peggy's career background (1:45), road diets (4:30), w...

Forest fire and emergency response. Cindy Cameron Ogle the City Manager of Gatlinburg, Tennessee joins GovLove to discuss what it was like to manage the city through a forest fire that destroyed 2500 buildings last year. She shared her experience dealing with the crisis and how both her home and the Mayor's home were lost in the fire. Cindy also discussed her leadership style and her path to becom...

Leading Gahanna, Ohio and improving processes. City Administrator Jennifer Teal joins GovLove to discuss how she's used her black belt in Lean Six Sigma to improve operations and the unique way they taught residents to use roundabouts. Jennifer also shared her experience as a female City Administrator and how she balances her work and life.  Topics: Lightning round (1:30) including her celebrity l...

From City Manager of Austin, Texas to leading ICMA, get to know Marc Ott. The Executive Director of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Marc Ott, joined GovLove to discuss his career path in local government and his first year on the job at ICMA. Marc also shared his thoughts on diversity in local government as well as the importance of cities in the age of ineffective fed...