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PODCAST

City Manager Unfiltered

City Manager Unfiltered is a podcast by a city manager for city managers. I am your host, Joe Turner, and I’m on a mission to build a community for ambitious city managers. I want to provide you with the career tools and resources to help make you a better executive so you can rack up victories, polish your resume, dominate interviews, land your dream job, and win your contract negotiations. If you are a city manager looking to level up, check out my podcast, City Manager Unfiltered. Hit that

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All Episodes

54:32

Blaine Oborn: Persecuted Because of My LDS Faith |...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/09/24

For nearly 20 years, Blaine Oborn had an unblemished record as a city manager serving in multiple states. That all changed when he became the city administrator in Oak Harbor, Washington.He assumed his duties as the city was at the very tail end of a wastewater plant project that had tripled in costs from $50 million to $150 million under the leadership of Cathy Rosen, the public works director. She would go on to level unsubstantiated accusations that masked her religious bigotry toward Blaine, a

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65:52

Lessons From the Death of My Father with Joe...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/09/17

Joe Dessenberger grew up with a father who worked seven days a week until he died rather suddenly after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 62. His father had a vision of what his life would be like in retirement, but never got to enjoy it.In this emotionally charged episode, we discuss the indelible influence of his father's journey through life and how that has shaped his mindset. Additionally, we discuss the sobering impact of his heart attack at the age of 51 and how these life experiences

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43:25

Paul Sanftner Needs Your Help with His Brilliant...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/09/09

San Leandro Public Information Officer Paul Sanftner has a fantastic public safety idea that would help local government agencies during emergencies and save lives.But he needs your help! He is trying to persuade YouTube to add an emergency alert feature to their platform so that authorities can communicate important life-saving messages during natural disasters, civil disturbances, and other serious events that pose a danger to life and property. Our emergency alert systems are a step behind the

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48:30

Swingers Edition: Unhinged & Crazy in Rehoboth Beach...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/09/03

Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Suzanne Goode dropped 10 voicemail messages on her city manager in the span of 24 hours demanding that he edit or unpublish an official public meeting from their YouTube account. Why? Because another commissioner publicly shamed her for being toxic and abusive toward fellow commissioners and staff at a subcommittee meeting to discuss a Civility in the Workplace policy after she was outed for suggesting the city manager was they mayor's whore. In these voicemail messages,

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01:03:33

Star Wars, Tattoos & Community Engagement with Jeff...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/08/27

In this powerful episode, Jeff Fiegenschuh talks about his approach to community engagement, connecting with staff, and building relationships with his elected officials as the city manager for Rochelle, Illinois.What prompted my desire to interview Jeff was the fact that he contributes a monthly column to his local paper and I believe most executives fail to take advantage of this effective technique to connect with residents, showcase the work of staff, and elevate the standing of their elected

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39:55

It's Time to Rate & Review the Recruiters | Ep. 120

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/08/20

In a couple of months, the American Association of Municipal Executives will be launching an online directory that will allow candidates to rate and review executive recruiters and recruitment firms. Under the current system, there is no mechanism or vehicle in place to give candidates a voice or to allow their concerns to be raised or addressed.By creating this directory, the AAME will be able to communicate the concerns of its members to HR directors and elected officials as they go through the

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37:02

City Manager Launches CityOrdinanceAI for Local...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/08/13

Perry City Manager Nathan Read wanted to make it easier for residents to decipher the legalese of city ordinances and codes. So with the help of his best friend and business partner, they built CityOrdinanceAI and are now offering it up as a product for other city managers and local governments to purchase.In this episode, we talk about his journey from Utah to Oklahoma to accept his first gig as a city manager, the role housing costs played in his decision, and the trials and tribulations of

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50:59

Celebrating the Death of Baker Tilly - Now What? |...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/08/06

On Friday, Baker Tilly Executive Recruitment announced they were going out of business. It was the culmination of two years worth of work highlighting their poor treatment of candidates and mediocre work product. It all started in July 2023 when I published my first podcast episode about the Canfield, Ohio search. Just a few months earlier, Baker Tilly had purchased Management Partners out of Ohio and were seemingly expanding their dominance in the local government sector. Back then I had fewer

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44:31

BREAKING: Horrific Details in PFA Issued Against La...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/07/30

Some shocking details concerning La Marque Councilman Joseph Lowry surfaced this week. Hayley Winkelmann is leading the effort to recall the controversial official and she shared some court records with the podcast. On July 24th, Lowry's ex-wife obtained a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order in the State of Washington. The court found her claims credible and they are horrific. Additionally, Winkelmann located official documents indicating that Lowry may be ineligible to hold office because he has

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47:56

Arson, Stolen Valor, and an Arrest in La Marque with...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/07/23

Authorities arrested the former city manager for La Marque, Texas on Saturday. A warrant for the arrest of J.B. Pritchett had been issued about a week prior on charges related to felony arson and tampering with evidence and misdemeanor charges related to allegedly lying about his education and military service on his job applications and resume.In this episode, i45Now reporter T.J. Aulds discusses what he has found during his investigative reporting on the matter, including an examination of

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58:45

What is going on in La Marque with Reporter TJ Aulds...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/07/16

This week a warrant was issued for the arrest of former La Marque city manager, J.B. Pritchett. He is facing five charges, of which two are felonies.How in the hell did we get here? To an outsider, the small Texas town of La Marque seems like a chaotic, toxic mess. Many people point their fingers at a councilman by the name of Joseph Lowry who has a brash, combative, and in your face style that rubs many the wrong way. Originally from the state of Washington where he served time in prison for

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21:56

The City Manager's Guide to Contract Negotiations |...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/07/09

In this episode, I share a personal update about my legal matters and mental health. I also tease the release of my new book called: The City Manager's Guide to Contract Negotiations.AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ AAME Membership Waitlist Sign Up Link: https://app.youform.com/forms/f9ulo0uh SUPPORT THE

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57:02

Challenges Facing Next Sacramento City Manager with...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/07/02

Former Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris returns to the show to discuss the challenges facing the next city manager. Harris served on the council from 2014-2022 and writes regular columns about the machinations of City Hall. In Part 1, he defended the record of former city manager, Howard Chan. This week, we take a deep dive into the organization itself to give prospective candidates and curious onlookers the inside scoop. SHOW NOTES Jeff Harris' LinkedIn Profile AAME JOB BOARD: The American

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01:06:55

Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris: In Defense of...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/06/25

Got a unique episode this week. Former Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris comes on the show to defend his former city manager, Howard Chan. Harris served on the council from 2014-2022 and was on the council when Chan was selected to lead their community. He knows the ins-and-outs of Sacramento politics and the truth behind the motives and machinations of the key players. Most importantly, he knows Chan's record and his accomplishments.Over the last two years or so, Howard has been savagely attacked

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01:03:10

We Carry the Trauma to Our Next Job with Tim Rundel |...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/06/18

We continue our conversation with the always entertaining Tim Rundel in this second installment.Tim has not just seen a thing or two, he has personally endured some incredibly challenging and professionally traumatic situations. In this powerful episode, he talks about how we as city managers carry the trauma of abuse and betrayal to our next position and that it is quite easy to become "gun shy" or lose your self-confidence. He opens the interview by recounting a conversation with a peer who has

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01:07:16

It Just Takes One to Ruin It with Tim Rundel | Ep. 110

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/06/11

One new council member can turn everything on its head and send you heading for the exits when you are a city manager. Tim Rundel, the former city manager for the City of Weed, recounts his experience with this elected official who also happened to be married to one of his employees. We talk about the importance of building relationships with your governing body, how elected officials need to police themselves and call out bad behavior in the name of defending their city manager, and how city

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57:55

Brian Daily: You're Getting Screwed on Your Property...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/06/04

Brian Daily was the first person I ever hired as a city manager and it was one of the most impactful decisions I have ever made in my professional career. He is an amazing, inquisitive public servant who continually seeks to provide value to taxpayers. He is insanely curious and truly embodies the ethos of a "working executive" who is not afraid to roll his sleeves up and do the heavy lifting required of a small town executive. In this episode, we talk about three major areas of accomplishment as

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54:42

Social Media Training for Elected Officials with Sam...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/05/28

Picture this scenario. Staff have worked for a year to bring a project or initiative to the finish line. There have been public meetings and notices, multiple discussions at council meetings, and even some news articles published in the local paper. Out of the blue, a handful of vocal social media commenters start lighting up the city's social media page and local news groups are atwitter as these critics misrepresent the facts of the project and attack the council for not being transparent and

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58:34

Sam Toles: The Social Media Playbook for City...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/05/21

What is the purpose of social media and why does your organization have a social media presence?In this episode, Sam Toles of CiviSocial and I discuss this issue at length and make a powerful case for why every city and county manager should make sure their organization is doing social media correctly. Not only are there personal and professional benefits, but it can help improve employee morale and job satisfaction, retention, and keep your elected officials happy. Sam is on a mission to help city

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44:34

Sacramento Cesspool & Putting Recruiters on Notice |...

City Manager Unfiltered ·

2025/05/14

Recent comments attributed to executive recruiters handling the Sacramento, California and Palm Coast, Florida recruitments must be addressed.A Sacramento Bee article alleged that CPS HR recruiter Pamela Derby has "suggested modifying certain incentives in a potential contract, including supplemental leave and severance, to ensure the new hire does not make as much." In Florida, Strategic Government Resources (SGR) recruiter Doug Thomas advised the governing body against including a salary range in

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