Ground Floor Government

On this episode of Ground Floor Government, host David Plappert sits down with Deborah Sorensen, City Secretary of Rowlett, Texas. Deborah shares how rules, laws, and codes shape what cities can and cannot do, highlighting the importance of the Open Meetings Act, the Public Information Act, and election laws.ㅤShe describes the Action Center in Rowlett, a one stop shop for citizens who need help navigating city services, and reflects on juggling multiple roles each week, from preparing agendas and

A pothole crew, a dump truck, a radio system, a streetlight on every corner. Behind each visible service sits an army that buys, maintains, measures, and pays for it. In this conversation, Hugh Plappert speaks with Mark Funkhouser, who connects the nuts and bolts of procurement, budgeting, and performance auditing to parks, safety, clean water, and trash pickup. He shares a Kansas City story where resident surveys, an audit, and a voter-approved bond transformed an outdated streetlight system. He

Welcome to Ground Floor Government with David Plappert. In this conversation, Rheanna Ollis shares how a political science path turned into community relations, starting as an unpaid intern, jumping into billing and collections, becoming the first coordinator, and stepping into division head at 23. She talks about juggling social media, uploading city council meetings, a weekly City Council Digest, neighborhood associations, press releases, a video project for the enterprise zone, and working with a

Joseph Lewin, producer of Ground Floor Government, sits down with David Plappert, the regular host of the show, for a special behind-the-scenes conversation about what it really takes to get PhoneLive running. Many communities struggle to connect with the 20% of people who cannot access livestreams due to broadband barriers. David explains how PhoneLive bridges that gap by integrating seamlessly with existing streaming platforms, provisioning dedicated toll-free phone numbers, and making

An estimated 10% of U.S. households lack broadband, and as many as 20% of constituents are unable to access city council, school board, and other public meetings online. In this conversation, David Plappert is joined by producer and guest host Joseph Lewin to explore why live streaming alone leaves too many people out and how phone access bridges the gap.They discuss the limitations of current solutions, from manual conference lines to free services with hidden costs, and highlight how dedicated

Local government meetings shape communities, but for one in five Americans, participation is out of reach. In this first episode of Ground Floor Government, producer Joseph Lewin hosts a conversation with David Plappert about why access to city meetings matters and who is being left out. They uncover overlooked groups struggling to connect, including households without broadband, elderly residents, blue collar workers, and families living below the poverty line. The discussion highlights barriers

Local government is often seen as big ideas, policies, and elected officials making decisions. But the reality runs deeper. It depends on the quiet leadership behind the scenes—those who publish agendas, keep records, manage calm amid chaos, and lead teams to keep the public informed. David Plappert, host of Ground Floor Government, highlights the essential roles of city and county clerks, city managers, communication professionals, and IT leaders. This trailer episode sets the stage for