I Have to Ask You...

I Have to Ask You: The 2013 Colorado Floods

Posted on November 20, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week Zach Ratkai, City of Richland, WA, writes about responding to the 2013 Colorado floods. When ELGL asked me if my perspective changed after working for in local government during and after the 2013 Colorado floods, my immediate...

I Have to Ask You: The Internal Candidate

Posted on October 30, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Town of Chapel Hill, NC, Assistant City Manager, writes about putting yourself in position to succeed as an internal candidate. The only obvious conclusion most people would draw from my career path is that...

I Have to Ask You: My Other Local Government Job

Posted on October 16, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week, Matt Yager, City of Plano, TX, discusses other jobs than his current one. By Matt Yager, LinkedIn and Twitter The best part of watching James Lipton interview actors and other entertainers on Inside the Actor’s Studio for me is...

I Have to Ask You: Cackalacky Country: Local Governments in Eastern & Western North Carolina

Posted on October 9, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. Emily Edmonds, Program Manager, NC Growing Together, CEFS, NC State University, writes about the difference between local government in eastern and western North Carolina. By Emily Edmonds | LinkedIn | Twitter | www.ruraloptimism.com | www.workforgoodnc.com I’m a Western...

I Have to Ask You: Transitioning into the Public Realm

Posted on October 2, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week, Crystal Couillard, Strategic & Digital Marketing Specialist, City of Eagan, MN, writes about transitioning to a career in the public sector. By Crystal Couillard, LinkedIn What were the three biggest challenges transitioning from a job at SuperValu to...

I Have to Ask You: Exactly Where I Should Be

Posted on September 28, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week Lynn Kelly-Lehner, City of Temecula, CA Principle Management Analyst, writes how she landed a career in local government. A career in local government was very far from what I had in mind when I was accepted...

Debunking GovTech Misconceptions

Posted on September 27, 2017

By Ashley Wilkinson, CitySourced - Facebook, Twitter, World Wide Web There has never been a better time to be involved in gov tech; we're in an unprecedented era of exciting new technologies being built and deployed by governments. But when any new movement is underway, there is bound to be significant misconceptions, which I'll debunk...

I Have to Ask You: Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Staff Reduction

Posted on September 25, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. By Matt Horn (Web, LinkedIn, Twitter) It’s sitting out there, glaring at you. That ominous, hateful budget summary sheet that shows the bulkiest, most costly, fastest growing expense item in your, as-yet, unbalanced budget. Staffing. Millions and millions of...

I Have to Ask You: Lessons Learned from a Career in Emergency Management

Posted on September 18, 2017

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week Charles Wallace writes about the learning experiences from his career. He serves as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for Grays Harbor County, WA. He is a 32 year veteran of the fire service, retiring from the Philadelphia...