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2020 Strategy & Performance Cohort applications now open

As part of our mission to help our members find joy in public service, ELGL offers high-quality, accessible, affordable learning opportunities in a variety of formats. This month, we're opening applications to our next Level Up Cohort, focused on strategy & performance management with priority consideration for applicants who represent Black, Indigenous, and People of...

What's in a Name?

Right Now with Nick Smith (Linkedin/Twitter) What I'm watching: Trigger Warning with Killer Mike What I'm listening to: Run The Jewels — RTJ4 If you're interested in becoming a better anti-racist, Killer Mike is a great, outside-the-box (read: hilarious and NSFW) resource. If you're not ... now might be a good time to stop reading. Let's start at...

Podcast: Encouraging Entrepreneurship with Mark Stodola, Kauffman Mayors' Council

Mark Stodola Attorney, Barber Law Firm Former Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas Bio | Twitter Thinking outside the box about economic development. Mark Stodola, former Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas and attorney, jointed the podcast to talk about the work of the Kauffman Mayors' Council and the importance of entrepreneurship. He talked about his work...

The Time for Systemic Change is Now

This guest blog is by ELGL member Jacquelyn McCray, Ph.D., a senior manager with Management Partners. My background is in urban planning, so I believe that neighborhoods and communities, and the people who reside in them are the bedrock and foundation of cities, counties and states. Communities are “where the action is,” where people gather...

Ask Ellie & Jill: Butthead Bosses

Ellie and Jill (get it? EL and GL?) are two anonymous ELGL members who answer your most pressing and sensitive questions. Because everything is anonymous, you can rely on Ellie and Jill to tackle the issues you’ve always wanted to talk about but were too afraid to ask. Want to submit your own question for...

Change is your Purpose

Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Dan Weinheimer, City Manager of Newberg, OR (Twitter and LinkedIn) What I’m listening to – Fireworks from neighbors' driveways and backyards. What I’m reading – Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates Greek philosopher Heraclitus has been quoted saying “Change is the only constant in life.” With...

Keep Your Word. Always.

During my time in local government, I saw myself as a guardian of the public trust. Doing my job under the watchful gaze of many community eyeballs raised the stakes, and I couldn’t always deliver what everyone expected of me. But one thing often delighted constituents more than it should have: I always did my...

3CMA Event: Unconscious Bias Training for Local Government Communicators

Our friends at 3CMA shared this free two-part event with ELGL members. Register and sign up today! July 9 & July 16, 2020 at 2:00 ET Registration Link In every community across America and beyond, important conversations, events, and protests are taking place on the issue of social justice and equity. 3CMA’s commitment is to...

U.S. Digital Response: Free Digital Assistance for COVID-19 Case Spikes

This guest post is by ELGL member and recent GovLove guest Raylene Yung. Listen to her podcast here. Given the latest rise in cases, U.S. Digital Response has been reaching out to share more information about projects we’ve recently completed that might be relevant to government teams in need of assistance.U.S. Digital Response is non-partisan,...

I Have to Ask: Takeaways from Working in Education

In this series, ELGL Co-Founder Kent Wyatt poses three questions to the guest columnist, and the guest columnist selects one to reflect on. This week, Tabitha Clark, City of Perry, Georgia, Communications Manager, writes about lessons learned from working in public education. Local government, in some shape and form, is in my blood. Many of...

What Happens When City Staff Make a Dance: Real Impacts of Collaborative Art

This blog is part of ELGL, ArtPlace America, and Civic Art's "Creative Community" learning series about the role of arts and culture in local government. As a dancer and choreographer, I’ve been working with city staff for over seven years. My job is with Forklift Danceworks, a non-profit arts organization. We make dances with people...

Rewind: Recovery Planning for Local Visitor Economies

This webinar originally aired on June 25, 2020. For many cities, the economic activity of the travel & tourism sector is an essential part of the city’s larger economic landscape. Because the visitor economy has been so hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis, deliberate action to foster a recovery in that sector is a top priority...

Rewind: Defunding Police - An Interactive Discussion

This webinar originally aired on July 1, 2020. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide and global protests against police brutality on Black Americans. As an outcome of these protests, many communities are calling for defunding of the police. This concept is not new but has only recently gained national attention. Janice Jackson, of Janice...

Podcast: Race and Equity in Minneapolis with Joy Marsh Stephens

Joy Marsh Stephens Director, Division of Race & Equity City of Minneapolis, Minnesota LinkedIn | Twitter Planning for a stronger, more equitable Minneapolis. Joy Marsh Stephens, the Director of the Division of Race & Equity for the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, joined the podcast to talk about the work her team is doing to advance...

Podcast: US Digital Response and COVID-19 with Raylene Yung

Raylene Yung Co-Founder & CEO US Digital Response LinkedIn | Twitter Support for crisis response. Raylene Yung, the Co-Founder and CEO of US Digital Response, joined the podcast to talk about how they are connecting technologists to work with governments in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These volunteers with experience in software and technology help...

The Power of Community

It was barely a month ago when the video of George Floyd dying by the hands of a Minneapolis police officer surfaced. Not long after, people all over the nation took their voices to the streets in protests. The group that I have actively spent the most time with, and seems to be the most...

Systemic Racism: Removing Barriers in HR

Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Brandi Leos, Sr HR Business Partner at the City of Tigard, Oregon (Twitter and LinkedIn). What I’m Watching: I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin What I’m Listening To: NYT The Daily Podcast (this one is about police unions) What I’m Planning: A camping trip to...

Finding Hope & Power in my ‘Pulpit’

This guest blog is by ELGL member Kelli Bennett, the Director of Communications for the Georgia Municipal Association. Want to write for ELGL? Send us an email and let's connect! Story time: Flashback to December 2014 at the height of holiday shopping season, and there I laid on my back in the middle of one...

Cathy Bailey, Amie Hendrix, and Maggie Jones join the ELGL Board of Directors

The ELGL Board of Directors is excited to announce the appointment of three three new members. Cathy Bailey, Amie Hendrix, and Maggie Jones were selected after a competitive recruitment process. They each add new skills, background, and experience to the ELGL Board and will allow the Board to better serve and reflect ELGL membership. "Each...