Exclusive Content: Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Open Ears, Open Hearts, Open Shoulders – ELGL’s Response to this Time of Upheaval

Posted on June 2, 2020

*This post contains language and terms that might trigger or incite some readers. As an American, a black American, and a person who is often viewed as a second class citizen both personally and in professional environments, this past week has been tough. It was hard to watch the events that unfolded in Minnesota and...

Dress Code Policies: The Hairy Dilemma

Posted on May 28, 2020

ELGL is the proud host of CivicPride content. The mission of CivicPRIDE is to advance inclusive local government by empowering LGBTQIA+ leadership.It is a national association for local government professionals of all gender and sexual identities. CivicPRIDE Board Member Taylor Reimann (LinkedIn) discusses workplace dress code policies and how confusing they can be for queer...

Agency, Power, and Bridging the Gap

Posted on May 5, 2020

One of the two classes I’m taking this semester is “Methods and Theories of Feminism and Gender”, covering many different perspectives and ideas regarding women’s representation and empowerment. A common thread among these theories is the question of agency and power, on the layers of control that exist. Although there are different valid definitions of...

Update: 2020 COVID-19 Equity Ambassadors Program accepting applications!

Posted on March 9, 2020

COVID-19 Equity Ambassadors Free if accepted | Register interest by April 30 The COVID-19 outbreak is forcing public servants to make decisions at an unprecedented pace. With a disease that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable — from the elderly to low-income — decisions made without these communities in mind risk exacerbating current inequities. In times...

Complex Problems, Comprehensive Solutions

Posted on February 19, 2020

Photo by Olav Ahrens Røtne on Unsplash Having a good heart and good intentions are not good enough. If our goal is to better serve disenfranchised individuals and groups in our communities, to implement projects with tangible results, we require the same level of competence and preparation that we would for any other professional endeavor. Attempting to assist...

Building a Diverse & Inclusive Profession: Practice What You Preach

Posted on February 7, 2020

This post is by ELGL member Heather Geyer, City Manager, City of Northglenn, CO. She's also the Mountain Plains Senior Vice President on the ICMA Executive Board. Follow Heather on Twitter and LinkedIn. “You can’t be what you can’t see.” These words have always been with me throughout my local government career, but especially so since I...

Introducing: Social Justice -> Local Government

Posted on January 17, 2020

This guest blog is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, the Assistant to the Town Manager in Hudson, Colorado. Read Matt's writing about criticizing other cultures professionally, understanding privilege, understanding identity, and impressing in meetings. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. My name is Matt Hirschinger, and I had the opportunity...

Asking Better Questions

Posted on December 18, 2019

This guest blog is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, the Assistant to the Town Manager in Hudson, Colorado. Read Matt's writing about criticizing other cultures professionally, understanding privilege, understanding identity, and impressing in meetings. In local government, we ask a lot of questions. Whether to reach out to our citizens to better understand their priorities, to...

Increasing Equity by Unifying In-Person & Virtual Efforts

Posted on December 3, 2019

This blog post is by ELGL member Jay Dawkins with PublicInput.com. Sign up to attend a free webinar about this topic on December 12, 2019 at 1:00 ET: RSVP for the webinar! The new paradigm of community engagement is bringing together all efforts into one place As technology has become more integrated into our everyday...