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PODCAST

Ground Floor Government

Ground Floor Government is the podcast for the people who make local government work—behind the scenes. Hosted by David Plappert, founder of PhoneLive.io, this show gives city and county clerks, IT leads, communication pros, and public servants their time at the mic. ㅤ Each week, we dig into what really keeps cities and counties running—last-minute meeting prep, tech shifts, team leadership, and the quiet but essential work of transparency and public service. If you’ve ever hit publish on a public

government

All Episodes

27:43

Balancing Goals, Authority and Community Expectations...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/20

A delicate balance between accomplishing goals and bringing everybody along runs through this conversation with Tempe Mayor Corey Woods. Host Hugh Plappert opens with Corey’s path from dinner table conversations about foreign and domestic issues to a city council seat at 29 and then the mayor’s chair. Corey explains the council manager form of government, the limits of mayoral authority and how state law and federal directives can preempt local decisions.ㅤHe shares the challenge of starting as mayor

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17:52

How Finance Powers Every City Department (with...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/19

Finance is the engine that keeps every city department running. In this conversation, Hugh Plappert talks with Matthew Lue, Director of Finance for the City of Columbia, Missouri, about how municipal finance works behind the scenes.ㅤFrom funding challenges to managing public expectations, Matthew shares lessons from his path that began in nonprofit healthcare and led to local government leadership. He discusses how sales tax supports essential city services, how collaboration breaks down

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21:45

Lessons from a 30-Year Career in City Government...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/18

Opportunities in local government can take you across cities, careers, and decades of service. In this conversation, Hugh Plappert speaks with Corrine Lindo, who shares her story of transition from New York City to Atlanta and the lessons learned along the way.ㅤHer career began in Greenwich Village on the community planning board before joining the New York City Mayor’s Office under Mayor Giuliani. After 9/11, her life and work shifted, leading her to the creation of Johns Creek, Georgia, and

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19:27

Don’t Make Them Ask You Three Times” (with Guest...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/13

Local government is often described as part-time work with full-time responsibility. In this conversation, host Hugh Plappert sits down with Donna Reed to explore how a call to community service—literally three calls—turned into a seat on the city council. From a Facebook group supporting parents during COVID to a platform for youth engagement, Donna shares how she learned the rules, built relationships, and found purpose in public service. She opens up about navigating politics she never planned to

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26:59

A Century of Service in Jackson County (with Chris...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/12

History becomes personal when it shapes your own career. Host Hugh Plappert welcomes Chris Walker, whose deep family roots in Jackson County date back more than a century. Her great-grandfather, August Singler, served as sheriff in 1913, giving his life in the line of duty. Her father and uncle carried that civic legacy forward as mayor and county commissioner, and Chris continued the tradition through her decades of service in county government.ㅤFrom starting as an entry-level employee in 1995 to

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25:47

Building Thriving Communities Through Technology...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/11

Technology in local government is more than servers and software—it’s about people and outcomes. In this conversation, Hugh Plappert talks with Bob Leek, CIO of Clark County, Nevada, about how leadership, community impact, and innovation intersect in the public sector.ㅤBob Leek shares stories from a career that’s moved from private industry to public service—from Egghead, Banfield, and Kaiser Permanente to leading one of the largest counties in the nation. He discusses the shift from profit-driven

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23:01

Turning Challenges into Change in Local Government...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/06

City clerks are often seen as formal and distant, yet behind those desks are leaders transforming their communities. Hugh Plappert sits down with Dayna Williams-Hunter to explore her unexpected path from entrepreneurship and drone photography to public service.ㅤDayna shares how one conversation led her to run for city clerk and discover her calling in local government. She talks about bringing technology and heart together — from digitizing a century of city records to running large-scale food

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23:42

From Police Chief to City Manager (with Dr. Jonathan...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/05

A law enforcement career can teach powerful lessons about leadership, accountability, and service. For Hugh Plappert’s guest, Dr. Jonathan Flores, those lessons shaped a 22-year journey from police communications to major crimes investigator and ultimately city manager.ㅤIn this conversation, Dr. Flores shares how his early experience at the McAllen Police Department and his faith-led approach to leadership prepared him to serve his hometown of Pharr, Texas. He reflects on the challenge of

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17:03

Lessons from a Vendor Who Never Sleeps (with Dana...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/11/04

Being involved in local city government can take many paths. Hugh Plappert talks with Dana Healy of Tightrope Media Systems about her journey from video production to serving the government as a vendor. Dana shares how a high school class accident sparked her passion for video and how that path led to managing television stations, working with nine cities, and eventually supporting accessibility for local governments.ㅤShe describes learning how communication flows differently inside government, the

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20:43

“This is a marathon and not a sprint” (with William...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/30

Life can throw some wrenches into a career. Hugh Plappert sits down with William Whitson to unfold an interesting career path from Washington DC and the U S E P A to city manager and long-term recovery. The conversation moves through hurricanes back to back, an intergovernmental response to Katrina, Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, COVID, and flash flooding after the 4th of July. Listeners hear how to make an impact with grants and contracts, how local governments pair up the damage with the

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19:12

Serving to Connect People and Governance (with Mayra...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/28

Host Hugh Plappert welcomes Mayra Rios from Brownsville, Texas, a community thriving with growth, culture, and collaboration across borders. As the City Secretary, Mayra shares how Brownsville connects tourism, business, and innovation—from its relationship with Mexico to its partnership with SpaceX’s new city, Starbase.ㅤShe reflects on her path from teaching to law and city administration, revealing how compliance, communication, and compassion shape her service. Mayra describes the role of City

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30:10

Elections take over everything (with Aileen Dickson)...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/23

“Don’t assume that just because it’s government, it’s boring.” With Hugh Plappert and Aileen Dickson, the path runs from television marketing to a city clerk’s office where elections, records, and public access shape every decision. Aileen traces a move from one computer per department and photocopied council packets to digital operations, Open Troy, and careful exploration of AI for searches. She explains being appointed and confirmed, the shift from paper to electronic records, and why “elections

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21:56

The Youngest Citywide Official in Des Plaines History...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/21

Young, elected, and showing up. Host Hugh Clapper sits down with Dominik Bronakowski, the elected City Clerk of Des Plaines, sworn in at 24 and proud to be the youngest elected citywide official in Des Plaines history. Dominik shares how wearing many hats opened doors, from working full-time in the Illinois State legislature on constituent services and outreach to evenings and weekends in the clerk’s office. From ageism on the campaign trail to proving himself day in and day out, Dominik focuses on

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25:13

Leading with Listening and Service (with Vanessa...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/16

How do you turn unexpected opportunities into a lasting career of service? On this episode of Ground Floor Government, host Hugh Clapper speaks with Vanessa Joseph, elected City Clerk for the City of North Miami and practicing immigration attorney.ㅤVanessa shares her journey as the daughter of Haitian immigrants, her initial plan to return to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and how her passion for service led her toward immigration law and ultimately public office. She explains how she became

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25:50

Adapting to Change in Local Government (with Shirley...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/14

Changes are challenging. They can make you or break you. They can throw you into an emotional turmoil, and they are important to understand as you develop your career in local government. In this conversation, Hugh Clapper sits down with Shirley Foxx-Knowles, City Clerk of Tampa, to talk about navigating political, system, and career changes.ㅤShirley shares her journey from 16 years in corporate accounting at GTE to more than two decades serving in Tampa’s city government. She reflects on

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18:53

Balancing Laws, Citizens, and City Growth (with...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/10/07

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

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20:04

Governance Precedes Finance (with Mark Funkhouser) |...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/09/30

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

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32:41

From Unpaid Intern to Division Head at 23 in Danville...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/09/16

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

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13:23

What does it really take to get PhoneLive up and...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/09/02

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

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22:06

Why Phone Access Still Matters for Public Meetings |...

Ground Floor Government ·

2025/08/19

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

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22 results

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