Know before you go… Meet other #ELGL18 attendees before you head to Golden, Colorado. Continue the conversation in the #ELGL18 Facebook Group or by following the #ELGL18 Twitter List.
Kayla Barber-Perrotta
City of Thornton, Colorado – Management Analyst II
My favorite adventure in life was…. getting lost in Prague during a transportation strike. It was the last day of my trip and I had planned to visit some historic sites. Until that day, I had made great use of their subway stations to reach my destinations. This forced me to walk through the streets where I discovered some incredibly beautiful parks (one was even full of albino peacocks!) and some amazing small shops.
What is the most local government thing you have done on vacation? I visited another local government friend in Chicago, and during our site seeing, we came across some beautiful protected bike lanes. Cue, an hour and a half discussion on bike lanes, traffic calming, and connectivity. We also took a ton of pictures, and I’m pretty sure most people thought we were crazy.
The most important decision that I’ve made in life was… leaving a great job in Michigan and moving to Colorado. I was struggling to find my next position to move into, as there just didn’t seem to be a lot of middle positions in Michigan. It took me over a year to finally decide I was in fact going to make the move, and I am so glad I did! I am reenergized, and feel like I have the whole world ahead of me. There are so many cool things happening in local government here.
If I was booking the guests for the GovLove podcast, I would book… Al Vandenberg, Ottawa County, MI or Keith Van Beek (Formerly Ottawa, now Holland, MI) Their story of cultural transformation at the county is amazing, and has inspired several other cities in Michigan.
If I couldn’t work in my current position, I would… Is it cheating if I say doing something similar or with a focus on innovation, just in another city? If not local government, probably interior design or I’d just focus on my writing.
The book on your bookshelf that you intend to read but haven’t is… I’ve actually read all the books on my bookshelf. I am a crazy reader who read fifteen books over a 2 week period just a few weeks ago. I don’t let books sit. I have pre-order War Storm from the Red Queen Series, so I will be anxiously awaiting that in May.
Blue or black ink? Purple
What is your recent personal and professional accomplishment? I finished my first novel and have been sending it out in hopes of getting it published. Fingers crossed!
I’ll know that I made the right choice to attend #ELGL18 if… I bring back at least one really cool and innovative idea to discuss further or try at the City of Thornton.
If I was writing the questions for the feature, I would have asked… what people saw as the next big thing in local government. What’ll be the next buzz word or concept?
#ELGL18
- Christian Williams, City of Goodyear, AZ
- Emily Edmonds
- Enessa Janes, City of Arvada, Colorado
- Justin Cutler, City of Westminister, CO
- Jessica Prosser, City of Arvada, Colorado
- Jenna Harte-Wisniewski, Sterling Municipal Library
- Abby Fitch, City of Aurora, Colorado
- Jordan Rae Hillman, City of Jackson, Mississippi
- Joey Garcia, City of Torrance, CA
- Heather Geyer, City of Wheat Ridge, Co