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PODCAST

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL)

GovLove is a podcast about the people, policies and profession of local government. From Mayors and City Managers to interns and everyone in between, we interview the people making a difference in their communities to learn about the great work being done at the local level. GovLove is brought to you by Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL).

government careers

All Episodes

58:21

#748 Prioritizing Customer Experience in Local...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/10/02

Sabrina Abdulla, Director of Customer Experience for the City of Sugar Land, Texas joined the podcast to discuss customer service in local government. She talked about how the prioritizes customer experience through their 311 call center, resident surveys, and communication. He also discussed her career path and the transition from operations work to policy and strategy work. Host: Ben Kittelson

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01:02:55

#747 Parks and Rec to City Management, Jennifer...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/09/25

Jennifer Wills, City Manager for the City of Longview, Washington joined the podcast to discuss her career path and transition from the Parks and Recreation Department to City Manager. She talked about the transition from peer to leader and how her background and leadership style have informed her approach to city management. She shared how she's using leadership training and community engagement to breakdown silos in the organization. She also talked about economic development and responding to a

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01:13:12

#746 Trends Impacting Local Government -...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/09/18

To recognize 10 years of GovLove co-host Ben Kittelson started a retrospective project. He went back through the archives and picked 10 of our favorite guests to interview again as part of the anniversary. These guests are from all over the country and in various local government roles but the thing they have in common is they gave great insight into the profession and into the work of local government. As part of those conversations we asked them to reflect on the last 10 years of local government,

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42:14

#745 Rodeos and Interim Leadership Roles with Cassie...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/09/11

Cassie Johnson, Interim General Manager of WestWorld for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona joined the podcast to discuss her transition from the Police Department to the City's equestrian event center. She talked about wanting to take on interim assignments to build her leadership skills and how her management and professional skillset from the Police Department transferred to her new role. She also talked about the operations of WestWorld as a special event venue with events as varied as rodeos and

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33:22

#744 Infrastructure, Emergency Management, and ELGL...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/09/04

Chase Bruton, Town Manager for the Town of Yorktown, Indiana joined the podcast to discuss emergency management and preview the upcoming ELGL Gov Grand Prix Conference. He shared how the town responded to recent flooding, upcoming infrastructure projects, and exciting things to do in Indianapolis during the ELGL conference. Host: Lauren Palmer

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48:06

#743 Traffic Safety and State-Local Partnerships with...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/08/28

Jay Lockaby is a Transportation Supervising Engineer in the Traffic Signals Unit within the Connecticut Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Engineering. He joined the podcast to talk about what the work of traffic engineering involves and his work across the State partnering with local communities to manage traffic. He shared how he has worked with communities to support vision zero or pedestrian initiatives and deploying new connected vehicle technology. He also discussed roundabouts,

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56:13

#742 Transition to City Manager and into Local...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/08/21

Casey Lucius, City Manager for the City of Marco Island, Florida joined the podcast to discuss her transition into the City Manager role and into local government. She talked about her career path which has included time as a Naval Intelligence Officer and in the State Department as well as serving as a City Council Member. She discussed her transition from being Assistant City Manager to the City Manager, changes she is implementing as City Manager, and the City's upcoming bond election. Host: Ben

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33:07

#741 Leading With Empathy with Melissa Murphy...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/08/14

Melissa Murphy Rodrigues, Town Manager at the Town of North Andover, Massachusetts joined the podcast to discuss leading with empathy. She talked about what leading with empathy actually looks like in government leadership and a powerful example involving North Andover's flag policy and what became an emotionally charged moment in the community. She also shared advice she would give about leading with empathy while still making tough decisions. Host: Marissa Baum

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46:03

#740 Equity in Action and Supporting Small Businesses...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/08/07

Aleea Slappy Wilson, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, rejoined the podcast to discuss the work of equity and economic inclusion through supporting small businesses. She shared the work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Norfolk including the City's Bon Appétit Initiative and Equity Ambassadors program. She talked about the scrutiny equity work has been under and the impact of the current political environment. She also reflected on local government

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47:25

#739 Celebrating America's 250 with Tim Reavis,...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/07/31

Tim Reavis, Senior Multimodal Transportation Planner for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, joined the podcast to discuss celebrating America's 250th birthday. He shared the story behind the Washington County quilt, how he was able to get the other 29 counties and one parish on board, and the special history behind each quilt square. Host: Lauren Palmer

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57:55

#738 City Management and Public Works with Ginger...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/07/24

Ginger Spencer, Assistant City Manager at the City of Phoenix, Arizona, rejoined the podcast to discuss leadership, public works, and her career path. She shared lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of the City's Office of Accountability and Transparency, and the importance of water and conservation. She also reflected on local government trends from the last 10 years. Host: Ben Kittelson

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54:23

#737 George Floyd Square, When Infrastructure Becomes...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/07/17

Alex Kado, Senior Project Manager in the Office of Public Service for the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, jointed the podcast to share the history and process of creating a public memorial at the location of George Floyd's murder. He discussed the public process for creating George Floyd Square, including determining the use for Peoples' Way, the former gas station at the site. He also shared lessons learned from working on such a complex project. Host: Lauren Palmer

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53:19

#736 Public Servant Pulse and the People of...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/07/10

Dr. Elizabeth Linos, Professor of Public Policy and Management at the Harvard Kennedy School and Faculty Director at The People Lab, joined the podcast to discuss the Public Servant Project an effort to collect and analyze data about the people of government. She talked about the Public Service Pulse a survey for local and state government employees to understand their experience and perspective. She shared how the results will be shared and what kinds of analysis she's hoping to do. She also

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01:13:51

#735 Government is People and Culture in Action with...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/06/26

Michael Baskin, Chief Innovation Officer for Montgomery County, Maryland joined the podcast to discuss the future of local government innovation and understanding organizational culture. He talked about the importance of process improvement and what our processes tell government employees. He discussed his perspective on the importance of people in local government and creating a culture where ideas can be challenged. He also shared how the County prioritizes leadership development and coaching

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48:56

#734 Managing Growth with Dianne Miller, Eagan, MN...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/06/19

Two guests joined the podcast to talk about managing growth and a two-career local government household. Dianne Miller is the City Administrator at City of Eagan, Minnesota and Justin is the City Administrator for the City of Lakeville, Minnesota. They shared the impact of Operation Metro Surge, moratoriums on housing and data centers, and potential career changes. This episode was recoded at the 2026 MCMA Annual Conference in Brainerd, MN. Host: Lauren Palmer

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01:03:57

#733 Building an Empowering Culture with James...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/06/12

James Childers, City Manager for the City of Flower Mound, Texas joined the podcast to discuss building an empowering organizational culture. He talked about his career path in local government and shared his family history in the city management profession. He discussed getting to know and then setting the culture as a new City Manager. He also talked about the Town's strategic plan and how the Town approaches community engagement. Host: Ben Kittelson

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40:12

#732 Developing Talent and Reflections Before...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/06/05

Scott Neal, City Manager for the City of Edina, Minnesota, rejoined the podcast to share his insights on local government leadership and the future of the profession before retirement. He discussed changes he has seen in local government over his career including how technology has changed community engagement and policing. He talked about his focus on developing talent and the importance of giving staff leadership opportunities. He also shared mistakes he's made along the way and learned from. This

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52:28

#731 One Hundred Years of Euclid v. Ambler and Local...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/05/29

Anthony Flint, Senior Fellow for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, joined the podcast to talk about his recent article on the 100 year anniversary of the Supreme Court case Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. That landmark case established the constitutionality of zoning as a police power for local governments and still impacts the built environment we have today. He talked about the impact of that decision and how zoning is losing ground today as states and cities across the country rethink

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41:28

#730 No One Leads Alone - Serving on the ELGL Board...

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/05/26

Three of the current Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) Board of Directors members joined the podcast to talk with current Board Chair, Meredith Reynolds, all about ELGL and Board service. Mike Ekey is the Assistant City Manager of Belton, Missouri and is the current Board Vice Chair. Cassie Johnson is a Deputy Director in the Police Department for Scottsdale, Arizona and current Board Treasurer. Toney Thompson is the Director of Strategy in the Health and Human Services Department for the

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01:00:15

#729 Insane Curiosity with Susan Arntz, Mankato, MN

GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government ·

2026/05/22

Susan Arntz, City Manager for the City of Mankato, Minnesota joined the podcast to talk about the importance of curiosity in her career. She shared her transition to a new city after working 20 years in her past role and her passion for civic education. She discussed creating a Parks and Recreation department and the work that goes into starting a new service. She also talked about the impact of the Operation Metro Surge immigration enforcement effort on local communities in the Minneapolis area

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749 results

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