Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Jennifer Teal, Manager at Raftelis and Adjunct Instructor at The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.
What I’m reading: “The Bright Sword” by Lev Grossman
What I’m watching: Season 4 of both “The Umbrella Academy” and “Only Murders in the Building”
What I’m listening to: “Standing in the Fire” on Audible
Local gov friends, I hate to break it to you, but we have a problem. Lots of them actually.
In addition to my work as a consultant/trainer/facilitator for Raftelis, I am an adjunct instructor who teaches the annual local government seminar every fall in the Glenn College at (THE) Ohio State University. I love the first few weeks of class when the students and I are getting to know each other. The folks taking the class are generally a mix of upper-class students with public affairs or planning majors and grad students in the MPA program.
We kick off our first session each fall with a conversation about why they think it’s important to study local government, and what they believe the top issues and challenges facing local government are right now.
I’ve been using this prompt as a conversation starter for several years now, and I find it interesting to see how the threads evolve over time as new issues emerge and the attention on others subsides. Each semester, I dedicate a portion of the syllabus to the top issues that emerge in these conversations.
For today’s Morning Buzz, I want to share what the next generation of public servants think needs some work, and how that has evolved over the past four years.
The overarching trends from 2021 to today reveal concerns about community trust, affordable housing, infrastructure, workforce sustainability, climate resiliency, public safety, and public health. The following table provides a deeper dive into their insights:
| Issue | Years | Detail |
| Community Engagement & Distrust in Government |
2021 2022 2023 2024 |
Community engagement and distrust in government are consistently identified across all years, highlighting a growing concern about how local governments interact with residents. Specific mentions of civility, distrust, and involvement reflect the increasing need for rebuilding trust between local authorities and communities. |
| Housing Affordability |
2022 2023 2024 |
Housing affordability remains a prominent issue, with concerns about not-in-my-backyard (NIMBYism) and equitable access to housing. This reflects broader trends of rising housing costs and challenges with zoning and development. |
| Infrastructure & Capital Planning |
2021 2022 2023 |
Infrastructure investment, maintenance, and planning appear as persistent concerns, signaling the need for local governments to address aging assets while planning for future needs. |
| Workforce Attraction, Retention, and Challenges |
2023 2024 |
Local governments are grappling with workforce challenges, particularly in attracting and retaining talent. This is becoming more pressing, likely due to retirements, competition with the private sector, and changing workforce dynamics. |
| Climate & Environmental Concerns |
2021 2024 |
Growing concerns about climate planning and environmental resilience indicate an increasing awareness of the impacts of climate change on local governance. Sustainability also appears as a significant issue. |
| Economic Development |
2022 2023 |
The importance of economic development is highlighted, with local governments focusing on business support, job creation, and economic recovery post-COVID. |
| Public Safety & Equity |
2021 2023 |
Public safety is a recurring theme, often paired with equity issues, showing that local governments must navigate complex social dynamics while ensuring safe communities. |
| Public Health & COVID Recovery |
2021 2023 |
COVID-19’s lingering impact on public health and local governance is noted, particularly in recovery and community health efforts. |
While this data is interesting by itself — What are the youth thinking? — it tells another story that is consistent with my experience instructing them these several years.
The students in our public affairs and MPA programs aren’t convinced that careers in government service, local government in particular, are the right choice. They see the incivility and distrust residents and even elected officials demonstrate toward their local governments. They see the long hours, night meetings, and limited workplace flexibility. They see local governments that lack the tools and resources to address important social and environmental issues. And they’re not quite sure that this is the right career path. And this is substantiated by the challenges our organizations have attracting and retaining Gen Z workers.
Mission Square recently published some insightful research on why younger workers (35 and under) are entering government service (or not). It’s a good read and might have some insights that your organization can use as it addresses this challenge.
In the meantime, we’ll keep on doing the good work and teaching the fundamentals of local government to our public service-minded students. Let’s hope it sticks!