GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Advancing equity in government systems. Melodi Green, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Peoria, Illinois, joined the podcast to talk about diversity and inclusion. She shared her path to her current role and how her legal background guides her work today. Melodi shared her work on the Peoria Equity Accountability Program. She also talked about why it was an important initiative...

Kids need to know about local government too! To celebrate the start of the new school year, we gave the hosting duties to Mason Zeemering an 11-year-old in Athens, Georgia. Mason talked with Zach Navin, the Parks Supervisor for Waukesha County, Wisconsin all about managing parks and ice rinks. Zach shared his career background, how kids can learn about parks and recreation activities, and what it...

Two guests joined the podcast to talk about reducing litter and trash in waterways. Layne Marshall, a Biologist at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Trash Free Waters Program, and Julie Patton Lawson, Workforce Program Analyst for the DC City Government, joined the podcast to discuss a pilot study that used an education campaign to reduce trash leakage associated with curbside municipal tra...

Better biking, walking, and public transit. Victoria Barrett, Transportation Planner for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, joined the podcast to talk about improving traffic and pedestrian safety. She shared how the inputs into roadway design affect non-vehicular traffic and the other approaches that can improve pedestrian safety. Victoria also discussed how technology can help with im...

From doer to leader. Eric Marsh, Assistant Town Manager of the Town of Rolesville, North Carolina, joined the podcast to talk about his work and career path. He discussed the transition into leadership and how he learned about his own leadership style. He also shared how he got to know the Rolesville organization and how the Town is managing growth and development. Host: Ben Kittelson

Noah Marlier, Prothonotary for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about what a Prothonotary does. Noah shared what being the elected civil clerk of the Court of Common Pleas means, the kind of procedures his office processes, and how he runs his office. He also shared how the pandemic affected operations within the office. Host: Lauren Palmer

Being a liaison between local government and the community. Jessica VanderKolk, Communications Manager for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, joined the podcast to talk about local government communications. She shared how staff can help share their stories with the community and highlight the work of their organization. She also talked about her career path into local government from journalism...

Dr. Kimberly Nelson, Professor of Public Administration and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, returns to the podcast to talk about her most recent article about the politics versus administration debate. She provides an in-depth explanation of the role of the Local Government Manager in policymaking as it relates to the politics vs. administration dichotomy. Host: Ben...

Two guests joined the podcast to talk about inclusive prosperity in economic development. Jessica L. González Martínez is an Inclusive Economic Development Advisor for the New Growth Innovation Network. Sterling Johnson is the Just Opportunity Portfolio Director for the Partnership for Southern Equity. They discussed the joint partnership between their organizations to produce the Communication Re...

Linda Mastandrea, Director of Regional ADA Planning and Local Safety for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, joined the podcast to talk about the Americans with Disabilities Act and creating more accessible communities. She shared some of the history of the ADA, how compliance can help cities, and what cities should be doing to create an ADA transition plan. Linda also shared her career...

Preparation and service. Denise Bevan the City Manager of the City of Palm Coast, Florida joined the podcast to discuss her career path from environmental planner to City Manager. She talked about the history of Palm Coast and the infrastructure challenges the City deals with. She shared an internal leadership training program used to develop and retain staff. She also discussed her time as interi...

People, purpose, and performance. Dan Biles, County Administrator for Pasco County, Florida, joined the podcast to discuss employee engagement and culture. He shared what makes a place great to work at and tools to get organizational buy-in. Dan outlined the robust training the County offers to build leaders and shared employee retention strategies. Host: Ben Kittelson

Helping communities better withstand natural hazards and severe weather events. Jennifer Carpenter, Assistant Director of Policy for the Disaster Recovery & Special Issues Division at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, joined the podcast to discuss resilient building codes. She outlined the work of the Disaster Recovery & Special Issues Division and the Community Development Blo...

Building the future of city management. Scott Neal, City Manager for the City of Edina, Minnesota, joined the podcast to discuss his career in city management. He shared how the City's Management Fellowship works and his goal of creating leaders for the profession. He talked about affordable house and equity work happening in Edina and he provided an in-depth look at his career path along with man...

Two guests joined the podcast to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion work in libraries. Christy Mulligan is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator for Hennepin County Library. Ayanna Muata is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Project Manager for Hennepin County Library. They talked about how they have integrated equity into programs, the origins of their work, and the impact o...

What do we want city planning to do? M. Nolan Gray, author and researcher at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, joined the podcast to talk about his new book, Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It . Nolan provides an in-depth history of zoning including the impacts and ways zoning has distorted American cities. He shared ways that cities can reform z...

Alisa Dougless, Program Manager at the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Jen Tolentino, Director of Local Practice at Results for America, joined the podcast to talk about spending federal funding from American Rescue Plan. They discussed best practices in managing and spending funds as well as working how the City of Tulsa worked with local partners. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Sustainability steps for the future. Dr. Tiffany Wise-West, Sustainability and Climate Action Manager for the City of Santa Cruz, California, joined the podcast to talk about local government ocean protection and planning for sea level rise. She discussed the City's Climate Action Plan, their sea level rise explorer app, and how the City earned the "Blue City" recognition for being committed to cl...

One City, one team. Scot Simpson, City Administrator for the City of River Falls, Wisconsin, joined the podcast to talk about strategies for shaping organizational culture. He shared how they prioritized employee engagement and created opportunities to build relationships between employees across departments. He discussed the importance of onboarding, recognizing long serving employees, and how th...

Three guests joined the podcast to discuss the City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising Supreme Court case. They provided in-depth analysis of the case and how the decision will impact local government sign regulations. Amanda Karras is the Executive Director and General Counsel for the International Municipal Lawyers Association. Lisa Soronen is the Executive Director of the State and Local...

What cities should think about related to deathcare. Staci Zavattaro, Professor of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida, joined the podcast to talk about deathcare and its relationship to local government. She outlined the elements of deathcare and how she became involved in the field. Staci highlighted the role and importance of local government cemeteries and the impact of...

An assault on local democracy. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about a new report on political violence toward mayors. Heidi Gerbracht is the Founder of the Equity Agenda and Sue Thomas is a Senior Research Scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. The report founds that political violence against mayors is common and more prevalent for women mayors and mayors of color....

Becoming a sustainable desert city. Two guests from the City of Phoenix, Arizona joined the podcast to talk about the City's climate action plan and addressing urban heat. Nancy Allen is the Environmental Programs Manager and David Hondula is the Director of Heat Response and Mitigation. They talked about developing the City's first community-wide climate action plan and implementing actions to co...

Data-informed decision making. Preet Bassi, the Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Public Safety Excellence, joined the podcast to talk about elevating analysis in fire and emergency services. She discussed the Center for Public Safety Excellence's accreditation process and benefits. She also shared how fire analysts can provide public comment on the new standard from the National Fire Prot...

Leading by example. Tessa Schreiner, Climate Action Manager for the City of Aspen, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about sustainability and energy use. She highlighted the City's Building IQ program, the logistics behind it, and the importance of data collection and benchmarking for building performance standards. She also shared how the City approaches climate change policy through an equity...