The CityVoice Podcast

This episode offers an audio version of a recent Cityvision article. Listen to “Maintaining your rep: how cities can mitigate political risk with enterprise risk management.”

For this episode of the CityVoice podcast, we sat down with Lakewood’s Police Chief, Mike Zaro, to discuss the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in law enforcement. Listen in and find out about Lakewood’s leadership on the issue of PTSD and what city leaders can do to help. 

Hear a recent article from Cityvision magazine about how Washington communities are pursuing a balance of financial resilience and public health by reframing and refocusing their core economic identities.

Listen in to a recent AWC-hosted discussion with city leaders across Washington as they discuss how they've used CARES funding in their cities and towns. 

Hear part of the recorded 2020 conference session on advancing racial equity. 

Hear highlights from the session, Rethinking local government after COVID-19, from AWC’s Annual Conference Online. Now is the time to reflect on the challenges cities have faced, the lessons cities have learned, and new ideas and programs that cities can implement to support their communities.

We focus on one of this year’s legislative priorities: medication-assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder. We sit down with Jessica Blose and Tony Walton, two representatives from the Washington State Health Care Authority, to get a clearer picture of the opioid crisis in Washington. We also talk with AWC’s own Sharon Swanson to learn how city-owned jails are affec...

At the start of the year we released our 2020 State of the Cities report , which found that cities are the economic drivers of our state and play an important role in the health of Washington. But cities are struggling to meet the basic needs of their communities and are facing new challenges. We sat down with Sheila, Candice, and Maggie to go over these and other report findings. Find out more ab...

  New year, new season! We're back for Season 2 with our first episode about what cities can expect during the 2020 legislative session. Listen in as we sit down with Candice and Carl from our Government Relations team to discuss the details of our seven legislative priorities. P.S. Don't miss the end! We have some fun making four lighthearted predictions about what's to come this session. Find ou...

In this episode of the CityVoice Podcast, we cover articles from the CityVision magaizing. The first article, Race Pace, covers the city of Tumwater as they adopt a long-term approach to diversifying their fire service. The second article, Business School, follows the city of Walla Walla as they cater to a neglected niche of the city's would-be entrepreneurs. Find out more about the CityVoice podc...

This special episode of the CityVoice Podcast was recorded at AWC’s Annual Conference in Spokane. We sit down with Rhys Roth, Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure to learn how Washington cities can become environmentally friendly economic hubs through “industrial symbiosis.” Find out more info here .

It's a feud Shakespeare himself could have conjured: Two cities - Bingen and White Salmon - locked in a bitter rivalry dating back to their founding in the late 2800s. The issue? Access to the Columbia River. Read the entire CitiVision magazine here .

Do rural communities face unique challenges? How do you realize economic growth when you can’t afford an economic development department? Interviewed on location in South Bend, AWC talks with Heidi Khokhar, Executive Director of Rural Development Initiatives, about these questions and more. Find out more info here .

We sit down with Carol Wilmes to discuss how drugs and alcohol are impacting municipal workplaces across our state. Find out what counts as “reasonable suspicion,” who is subject to random drug testing, and more. For more information about Drug & Alcohol testing and training, visit the D&A consortium .

Get the inside scoop from Candice Bock, Logan Bahr, Sharon Swanson and Carl Schroeder as they discuss the most interesting and unexpected happenings from the Legislative session, including popular footwear during this year’s “snowmageddon,” and what’s happening with the Legislature in the run-up to adjournment. Also, find out what you can do after session ends. Find out more info here .

This week, AWC's Candice Bock and Sheila Gall discuss and compare the proposed House and Senate budgets. Find out more about the budget process, how it affects Washington cities, and what you can still do.

This week we interview AWC’s Carl Schroeder about what’s going on with affordable housing in the latter half of the legislative session. You’ll hear about a group of bills that AWC has been tracking, along with Carl’s open take on what tools cities are looking for to increase their affordable housing stock. Find out more info here: https://wacities.org/data-resources/cityvoice-podcast

Listen in this week as we sit down with AWC’s Logan Bahr to discuss a bevy of bills related to transportation. Logan gives us an update of how the session is shaping up so far, what’s contained within a proposed 10-year transportation package, and we run through a list of bills AWC has been tracking this session.

Cities in Washington are facing a bottleneck. Police officers are retiring faster than their replacements can be trained. In this episode, Government Relations Advocate Sharon Swanson talks about Washington’s Criminal Justice Training Commission, what AWC is doing to address this situation, and what cities can do to help.   Find out more, here: https://wacities.org/data-resources/cityvoice-podcast

This week our AWC Government Relations Director, Candice Bock, and Government Relations Advocate, Carl Schroeder first dive into issues regarding funding the Public Works Trust Fund and how that affects every resident in Washington State. Last, they untangle why cities and the state need to work together in order to fix fish-blocking culverts around Washington.   Find out more, here: https://wacit...

This week our staff experts delve into what our cities named as their top priority in our 2018 city conditions survey: Economic development. Our cities turn the wheels of commerce in Washington State, driving a staggering 96% of gross domestic product here. Hear the conversation as Candice Bock and Brandon Anderson explore the connections between cities, our economy, and local infrastructure.   Fi...

It’s an issue that has ramifications for homelessness, economic development, the environment, and more. Listen in as Government Relations Advocate Carl Schroeder talks with Deputy CEO Alicia Seegers Martinelli about the challenges and opportunities related to affordable housing. AWC’s CityVoice Podcast is a convenient way to keep up with the issues affecting Washington cities. Find out more, here:...

Our inaugural podcast features a conversation with AWC’s Government Relations Director, Candice Bock. She dives into what you can expect for the 2019 WA legislative session, our city legislative priorities, and some interesting insight into how the AWC legislative team goes to bat for you. The podcast is a great way to boost your city IQ during your commute, while you get ready in the morning, or...