GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Achieving true resilience. Danielle Arigoni, Managing Director for Policy and Solutions at the National Housing Trust, joined to podcast to discuss her book Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation. She talked about the demographic trends that lead to an aging population and how vulnerabilities from aging intersect with risks from climate change. She shared interventions that work to meet the needs of older residents and the need to break down silos between caregivers, emergency managers, and local governments. She also discussed examples of cities that are implementing age-friendly climate policies. Host: Ben Kittelson

Experiencing parks and recreation from behind the desk and out from under it. Anthony Iracki, CORE Professional Development Manager at PlayCore, joined the podcast to discuss being an enthusiast in your own profession. He shared his career path, how he came to love parks and recreation, and his transition into his new role at PlayCore. Host: Meredith Reynolds

Chelsea Jackson, Deputy City Manager for the City of Douglasville, GA joined to podcast to discuss her role and leadership approach. She talked about the importance of building a pipeline for new talent, her career transition to Deputy City Manager, and provided advice for those looking to make the leap to management positions. She also shared her career path which started as a local government management fellow. Host: Ben Kittelson

Jeff Richardson, County Executive for Albemarle County, VA, joined the podcast to discuss his management principles. He shared how to manage a high performance organization, the benefit of being a "needs improvement" organization, and tips for aspiring managers. Host: Rafael Baptista

Building a better Hoboken. Caleb Stratton, Assistant Business Administrator and Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Hoboken, NJ joined the podcast to talk about storm resilience and infrastructure. He shared what improvements the City has made after Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, how parks can be used to improve stormwater infrastructure, and how the City has coordinated with other governmental partners to improve flood mitigation. He also discussed the City's Rebuild By Design project which aims to improve resilience through four integrated elements: resist, delay, store, and discharge. Host: Ben Kittelson

A panel of government planning lawyers joined to podcast to share their experiences in local, state, and federal planning law. They shared their career paths along with what they do in their current positions. The panel included: Tina Axelrad, Zoning Administrator for the City and County of Denver, CO; Samuel Capasso, Community Infrastructure Resilience Branch Chief for FEMA; Nestor Davidson, Professor of Real Estate, Land Use and Property Law at Fordham University; Daniel Arking, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Detroit, MI; and Kimberly Mickelson, Chair for the Government Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Host: Dan Bolin

Government workers leading change. Allison Bell, Founder and CEO of Bellwether Consulting, joined the podcast to discuss her book, Herocrats: A Guide for Government Workers Leading Change. She shared the definition of a Herocrat, the three main sections of the book, and how you can nominate the monthly Herocrat. Host: Meredith Reynolds

Empathy and change. Veronica O. Davis joined the podcast to talk about her book, Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities. She discussed a different way to center equity in transportation, the importance of centering people in the planning process, and how the history of a community impacts their current transportation needs. She also shared her career path in local government and what made her want to write the book.  Host: Ben Kittelson

Early investments. Jose Landeros, Director of Strategic Development for El Paso County, Texas joined the podcast to discuss innovation in economic mobility. He discussed participating in ICMA's Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort, the needs assessment conducted related to after-hours child care, and why local government has a vested interest in this issue. Host: Lauren Palmer

Sabine Rogers, Federal Policy Project Manager for the U.S. Green Building Council, joined the podcast to discuss Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding, building energy codes, and performance standards. She provided an update on energy reductions in commercial buildings, how local governments can benefit from Inflation Reduction Act funding related to updated building and energy codes, and how to stay up to date with the work of the U.S. Green Building Council. Host: Ben Kittelson

In this special episode, Lauren Palmer, Director of Local Government Services for the Mid-America Regional Council joined the podcast to discuss working for a regional government. She shared her GovLove in Love story, what services a Regional Council provides, and the projects she is currently working on. Host: Dan Bolin 

Lara Biggs, Capital Planning Bureau Chief and City Engineer for the City of Evanston, Illinois, joined the podcast to discuss capital planning, infrastructure, and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety. She shared the City's engagement strategy to design projects with the community and stakeholders. She also talked about what data points are used when prioritizing projects, how to handle reduction in parking spaces with safety improvements, and how to get public buy-in on new safety design elements. Host: Ben Kittelson

Two guests joined the podcast to discuss financial empowerment. Tamara Lindsay is Chief of Strategy for the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and Janae Bradford is the Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment and Community Wealth at the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They shared what financial empowerment centers are, what programs the centers offers, and how a local government can start their own center. Host: Lauren Palmer

Drawing ideas out of people and implementing those ideas. Josh Edwards, Assistant Manager for Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, joined the podcast to talk about leadership, the role of an Assistant Manager, and strategic planning. He discussed how the organization created its first organization-wide strategic plan, how to get departments to buy into strategic planning, and the importance of building capacity to implement a strategic plan. He also shared how Athens-Clarke County is planning for growth and dealing with affordability. Host: Ben Kittelson

Digging around in your municipal couch cushions. Kimberly Olivares, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the City of Austin, Texas, and Ben McAdams, Senior Fellow at the Government Finance Offers Association (GFOA), joined the podcast to discuss GFOA's Putting Assets to Work program which explores how local governments can utilize their assets differently or monetize their assets to create revenue. Ben talked about the program as a whole and the opportunity using assets differently can be for municipalities. Kim shared the City of Austin's experience in reviewing their real estate assets and why it is a necessary strategy for the City. Host: Lauren Palmer

Dr. Dylan Hayden, author of The Public Administrator's Guide to ChatGPT, joined the podcast to discuss all things artificial intelligence (AI) and local government. He shared why you should consider using AI, uses for AI in local government, and the importance of prompts. He also talked about the importance of the ethical use of AI and things to keep in mind when developing an AI policy. Host: Rafael Baptista

The most prestigious award in local government podcasting. The GovLove co-hosts teamed up to hand out awards and recap another year of a podcasting about local government. Lauren, Dan, Meredith, and Ben selected three of their favorite episodes to award a GovieLovie. They also shared their highlight from 2023, dream guests for 2024, and what they are obsessed with. Hosts: Lauren Palmer, Dan Bolin, Meredith Reynolds, & Ben Kittelson  The 2023 GovieLovies  Lauren Alternative 911 Responses with Gabriela Solis, Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab Family Focused Urbanism with Barry Greene Jr., Density Dad Local Government 2030 with Megan Caron, Elizabeth McDonald, and Ryan Webb Dan Building a Customer Service Culture with Melissa Cantarero Weiss, Wauwatosa, WI Housing Choices and Building Opportunity with Spencer Gardner, Spokane, WA Performance and Process Improvement with Kayla Barber-Perrotta, Brighton, CO Meredith Humans in Public Service with Brian Whittaker Vision Zero and Tactical Urbanism with Barkha Patel, Jersey City, NJ State of ELGL with Maggie Jones, Tarrant County, TX Ben Community Carbon Neutrality in Ann Arbor, MI with Dr. Missy Stults High Performance Organizations with Hannes Zacharias, University of Kansas Hiring a 21st Century Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA Rafael: Performance and Process Improvement with Kayla Barber-Perrotta, Brighton, CO Toney:Inclusive Recovery Toolkit with New Growth Innovation Network Producer Pick from Pizza Mike:Small Town Management and Tourism with Greg LeBlanc, Snowmass Village, CO

High impact, not low-hanging fruit. Dr. Pamela Braff, the Director of Climate Programs for the City of Olympia, Washington, joined the podcast to discuss prioritizing climate initiatives and building climate action into the way the City does business. She talked about the Energize Olympia program which subsidizes the cost of installing heat pumps for residents and climate action planning at the regional level. She also shared the City's multi-agency sea level rise response plan. Host: Ben Kittelson

Ben Effinger, Cash Management Operations Chief for the Treasurer and Tax Collector in Los Angeles County, CA joined the podcast to discuss transitioning from the military to the local government. He shared how military roles can transition to local government, what local governments can do to help military members, and the importance of men's mental health. Host: Rafael Baptista

Outcomes and processes. Three guests joined the podcast to discuss community wellness hubs. Kristine Stratton is the President and CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Matt Mann, Recreation Program Manager, and Sean Kennan, Recreation Superintendent, both work for the City of Shawnee, Kansas. They shared what defines a community wellness hub and an in-depth example of the Shawnee Community Wellness Hub. They also discussed the role of health equity in hubs and the NRPA Community Wellness Hubs toolkit. Host: Ben Kittelson