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Will Crisis Engagement Become Engagement?

I'm Jessica VanderKolk, Communications Manager for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan. Talk to me on Twitter and LinkedIn! What I'm reading -- Untamed by Glennon Doyle What I'm watching -- ASMR videos to relax my brain, while I work and before I sleep What I'm doing -- Running as much as I can, and...

I Have to Ask: Difficult Career Decision

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, Sarah (Manning) Henricks, Special Projects Services Consultant, Los Altos Hills County Fire District, writes a recent career decision. I've made two career decisions that I found particularly difficult. The first...

Podcast: Creating a 21st Century Government with Rick Cole

Rick Cole Former City Manager Santa Monica, California LinkedIn | Twitter Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Rick Cole, long time public servant and former City Manager of Santa Monica, California, joined the podcast to talk about his vision for how government needs to change to meet the new challenges it...

The Art of Virtual Interviews

Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Jenn Reichelt, Manager with The Novak Consulting Group now a part of Raftelis – connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter! What I’m Listening To: I'm still waking up to NPR. Every. Single. Morning. What I’m Watching: Really, the question should be what am I not watching?! If you're looking...

Dress Code Policies: The Hairy Dilemma

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...

Coping in Quarantine

Today’s Morning Buzz is by Jessica Hoffman, Assistant City Administrator in Wentzville, Missouri It’s almost June fellow ELGLers! At the beginning of quarantine, I honestly was really looking forward to a summer that was not jam-packed with BBQ’s, trips every weekend or obligatory events I didn’t really want to attend in the first...

Rewind: Health, Arts, Parks, & Equity

This webinar originally aired on May 27, 2020. About the webinar: The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit organization that creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Across the country, TPL uses place-based arts and cultural strategies to create parks that are more healthy, community-center,...

The More We Get Together, the Happier We'll Be

Today's Morning Buzz is by Kirsten Wyatt. Connect on LinkedIn & Twitter. What I'm Reading: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory What I'm Watching: Run on HBO What I'm Listening To: Untamed by Glennon Doyle No, this isn't a post about reopening our economy or wearing masks or hanging out in massive swimming pool bars...

Rewind: Reopening Local Government: Best Practices & Research

This webinar originally aired on May 26, 2020. As local governments begin to reopen to the public, there are many important considerations for the safety of employees, local businesses, and community members. This webinar will provide perspectives on the reopening experiences in Jackson, Mississippi, and Lewisville, Texas, and will also include data and research from...

Rewind: Building Community and Rebuilding Connections

This webinar occurred on May 21, 2020. Even at the best of times, authentic, inclusive, and effective public engagement looks very different from traditional, 3-minutes-at-a-microphone, public comment. Even after COVID-19 mandates are lifted, local government resources will be more limited, while complex issues such as housing, homelessness, workforce development, and the gig economy will only...

Prioritize and Execute: When Pandemic Slides Further into Pandemonium

Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Zach Ratkai, Administrative and Community Services Director for the City of Pasco, Washington and founder of Sageland Strategic, a strategic planning, facilitation, and advancement coaching firm on the side. Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter. What I am reading: All the Wild that Remains by David...

This Week With ELGL: Week of May 25, 2020

Please RSVP and join us for these virtual events the week of May 25, 2020: Webinar: Reopening Local Government: Best Practices & Research May 26, 2020 What-If Wednesdays May 27, 2020 Health, Arts, Parks, and Equity May 27, 2020

The L Column

Today’s buzz is brought to you by Maggie Jones - connect on LinkedIn and Twitter! What I’m Listening To: Landmarks by Air Review What I’m Watching: Chris Voss and Anna Wintour on MasterClass What I’m Reading: my ever-growing stack of unread The New Yorker magazines *** My body jolted as it slid across the hot...

Podcast: Parks & Recreation During COVID-19 with Alison Rhodes, Boulder, CO

Alison Rhodes Director of Parks and Recreation City of Boulder, Colorado LinkedIn | Twitter | Bio Thinking creatively about being mission critical. Alison Rhodes, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Boulder, Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about operating during COVID-19. She shared how the pandemic has affected the work of...

My plans vs 2020

Today’s Buzz is brought to you by Jennifer Casey, Public Information Officer for the Town of Collierville, TN. @ me: Twitter & LinkedIn. What I’m Reading: I'm in between books. Feel free to drop any suggestions! What I’m Listening to: The Cactus Blossoms What I’m Watching: Workin' Moms Way back in January, I posted this buzz about...

The Power of Arts and Culture to Transform our Water Future, Part Two

The following blog is a two-part series that explores how the arts and culture are contributing to the organization’s larger vision. In this second blog we hear from Radhika Fox, CEO and Katy Lackey, Senior Program Manager at the US Water Alliance about how arts and cultural strategies specifically came to inform both the professional...

Libraries: the Choice to be Essential

This post is by ELGL member Stephanie Chase, the founder of Constructive Disruption. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter, and listen to her GovLove podcast. On Tuesday, May 19, an op-ed came out in Library Journal, which is one of the major publications in the library field. In it, academic library director Callan Bignoli...

Rewind: Mastering Virtual Communications

This webinar occurred on May 14, 2020. About the webinar: Prior to this unprecedented crisis, only some of our communications were virtual. Now, as a result of “shelter in place” orders across the nation, our only option is digital communication. What leading innovative techniques and strategies are being successfully used by cities? What is the...

So THAT'S what the Vision and Values Section is About...

It's Matt Horn...again...you can still find my rantings on Twitter and LinkedIn. What I'm Reading: When I'm not perusing the local take-out menus (helping regional economy--mind your business), I'm re-reading "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek. Great thoughts for these weird times... What I'm Watching: With a three year-old who stays up past my own...

Smokin' in the Zoom Room

We had a recent ELGL Facebook Group anonymized question that sparked a lot of discussion: "What are your thoughts on smoking during video calls while working remotely?" Here's a summary of the responses. And a reminder - you can submit an anonymous question! Just email us and we'll post for you. I kind of view...