GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

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 Kittelson

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 Resource Guide for Inclusive Economic Development and how local governments can integrate equity...

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 path from Paralympic athlete to working with local governments to create a more equitable...

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 interim City Manager and the transition to taking on the role permanently. Host: Ben Kittelson

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 Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program. She also shared the benefits and how cities can get started...

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 many lessons learned along the way. Host: Ben Kittelson

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 of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd on their work. Host: Ben Kittelson

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 zoning and what a city without zoning might look like. He also discussed what the future of...

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 clean oceans. She also highlighted what steps the City is taking to grow its green economy. Host:...

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 they focused on culture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Host: Ashley Copeland

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 Legal Center. Brian Connolly is a land use Attorney at Otten Johnson. Host: Dan Bolin

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 COVID-19 on deathcare. Host: Toney Thompson

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. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

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 combat heat. Host: Ben Kittelson

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 Protection Association on the job requirements for staff who use, analyze, or evaluate public safety...

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 lens. Host: Ben Kittelson

Being bold and pushing boundaries. Daniel Roberts, the Head of Communications at BrightDrop, joined the podcast to talk about lessons he's learned as a leader early in his career. He discussed his leadership philosophy, developing staff, and working in both the public and private sectors. This episode was recorded from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Forum 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Host: Toney Thompson

Step up and stand out. Jonathan Henry, the Student Representative on the NFBPA Board of Directors, joined the podcast to talk about starting his career, his interest in accounting and information technology, and the value of internships. He discussed how students can position themselves for success in the workplace and in their job and internship searches. This episode was recorded from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Forum 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Host:...