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Webinar: Alphabet Soup - An Overview of Federal Funding Opportunities

Alphabet Soup An overview of federal funding opportunities: EPA, USDA, DOT, DHHS, DHS, EDA, and more When: August 14, 2019 Time: 1:30 PM Central | 2:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) In preparation for the new federal fiscal year, join us to get an overview of the primary funding sources available to local governments...

To the Class of 2019: Government Needs You

This guest blog is by ELGL member Zach Garelik with OpenGov. College graduates of 2019, I see you. So many of you are showing up in my digital feed, beaming in your caps and gowns. I hope you’re soaking in the magnitude of your moment. You’ve worked hard for it and deserve to be celebrated....

GovLove Joy Ride Van

Joy Ride Podcasting Van At #ELGL19 in Durham, North Carolina on May 16 & 17, 2019, ELGL hosted the GovLove Joy Ride podcasting van, powered by Public Input. #ELGL19 attendees visited the van to tell their local government stories, aided by question prompts and a self-service podcast recording station. The GovLove Joy Ride podcasting van...

Reflections From #ELGL19

This post is by ELGL Executive Director Kirsten Wyatt. Thanks to our #ELGL19 attendees who took our post-event survey about #ELGL19. In the spirit of closing the feedback loop, I'm including a summary below of the comments and reflections. Special thanks to #ELGL20 committee member Stephanie Chase for adding her reflections and takeaways from the...

Volunteer at PWX, Get Free Admission

ELGL will be at the 2019 PWX event! Join us at our session titled "60 Innovations in 60 Minutes" on September 11 from 9:30 - 10:45. And join us at a Supper Club at the Alibi Room hosted by Oracle on September 10 from 5:30 -7:30! APWA’s annual National Public Works Expo (PWX) is in...

It's Time for a Digital Detox

Today’s Buzz is by Will Hampton (LinkedIn and Twitter) What I’m Watching: Chernobyl What I’m Reading: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson What I’m listening to: Shallow from the A Star is Born soundtrack. Must have listened to it a dozen times the day after watching the movie. Haunting. I think we understand the problem...

Podcast: The Municipal Equality Index with Xavier Persad

Xavier Persad Sr. Legislative Counsel Human Rights Campaign Bio | LinkedIn Examining the inclusiveness of cities. Xavier Persad, Sr. Legislative Counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, joined the podcast to talk about the Municipal Equality Index. Each year cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer and the city leadership's public...

Chief Data Officer: Being Open and Transparent

This is the sixth and last installment in a multi-part blog series by Sam Edelstein about the role of a Chief Data Officer. Read part one about the job, here. Read part two about counting, here. Read part three about trends, here. Read part four about predictions, here. Read part five about partners, here. One...

Top 5 Misconceptions about Community Engagement

By: Jeremy Shackett, Engagement Manager at Bang the Table Since 2007, local governments have come to us with community engagement horror stories from the past. We have shared a laugh or lesson learned with them. Sometimes we notice that these bad experiences have led to misconceptions around what it means to meaningfully engage the...

Roger That: Basic Assumptions

This is a blog series about "Leading Culture" by Rae Buckley and Lindsey Bineau, with the expertise of retired Chapel Hill, NC Town Manager, Roger Stancil. Read all installments as they're published online here. Today's introduction post is by Rae Buckley. “We tend not to examine assumptions once we have made them but to take them for granted, and...

I Care But I'm Tired

Today’s Buzz is by Samantha Roberts– connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter! What I'm Watching: Awake (A Netflix OG) What I'm Loving: Daylight savings - I'm all for never "falling back" again What I’m listening to: Pistol Annies, "Interstate Gospel" on repeat Does this day sound similar to yours? I wake up around 6:30 AM to the sound...

Podcast: High Performance Government with Nick Kittle, Cartegraph

Nick Kittle Government Performance & Innovation Coach Cartegraph Bio | LinkedIn | Twitter Sustainable innovation. Nick Kittle, Government Innovation & Performance Coach and author, shares his lessons on leadership, innovation and improving local government. He talked about his experience as a Chief Innovation Officer, his book Sustainovation and the work he's doing now for Cartegraph....

Pride Matters... Here's Why

ELGL is the proud host of CivicPride content. CivicPRIDE is a social and networking organization devoted to advancing inclusive government by empowering LGBTQIA+ leadership. It is a national association for local government professionals of all gender and sexual identities. ELGL member Logan Masenthin (LinkedIn | Twitter) provides her insight into LGBTQIA+ in local government. I recently...

The Right Stuff? Or Do Purchases Signal the Wrong Values?

By Sarah Moss, MPA | LinkedIn | Twitter What I am watching: The Right Stuff, about the early years of the U.S. space program What I am reading / listening to: Creative Quest by Questlove / The Roots What I am working on: Rewriting lyrics to pop songs for fun localgov and nonprofit clients to...

When It Is Time To Leave

Today’s Buzz is by Tim Gomez– connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter! What I am watching: Gotham (TV Series) What I am listening to: Rekindling my love for Metallica What I am reading: Happy City - Charles Montgomery Moving on from an organization is one of the hardest decisions you will make during your career. In my brief...

Don't Stop Improving: Nine Lessons Learned in Plano, TX

This guest blog is by ELGL member Abby Owens, a Public Works Compliance Specialist in Plano, TX. Connect with Abby! I joined the City of Plano Public Works Department in late 2017 with a priority project: implement new software that combined asset management and work orders. Oh, and train 200 users, deploy 100 iPads, and...

I Have to Ask: Show Don't Tell

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week, Jenny Kosek, City of West Allis, Wisconsin, writes about the importance of graphic design in local government. Remember those aptitude tests you took in high school that told you what career paths you’d be most successful...

Podcast: CivicPRIDE with Pam Davis, Boulder, CO

Pam Davis Sr. Management Analyst Boulder, CO LinkedIn | Twitter Advancing inclusive local government. In honor of Pride Month, Pam Davis, Sr. Management Analyst for the City of Boulder, Colorado and the Leader of CivicPRIDE joined the podcast to talk about empowering LGBTQIA+ leadership in local government. CivicPRIDE is the first nationally recognized LGBTQIA+ professional association...

Podcast: The Myth of Bureaucratic Neutrality with Shannon Portillo

Shannon Portillo Associate Professor University of Kansas Bio | Twitter Institutionalized inequity in hiring. Dr. Shannon Portillo from the University of Kansas discusses how we have to challenge the assumption that merit-based hiring practices are "neutral." She and a co-author argue in a recent journal article that those practice can actually reinforce the preference of white men in...

Public Participation: High-Performance Government’s Early Warning System

This guest blog is by ELGL member Jay Anderson, the City Engagement Specialist with the City of Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with Jay! “This is going to slow everything down.” “I’ll have to run fewer projects.” “You’re giving us more work on top of what we already have to do.” These are the objections I...