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Why We're Ditching Resumes

We’ve been working on a new diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. This new initiative has many prongs and one of the pieces I am most involved in is working toward reducing bias in job application screening. We’ll be training all of our interview panels and eliminating names from job applications. Why eliminate names from job...

GovLove Live Recipes

On Thursday, December 20 at 6:00 PST, we're taping the year-end GovLove episode, including the highly anticipated "GovieLovie" awards for the top episodes of the year. In 2018 we released 72 episodes, and we had 101 guests come on the podcast. We'll stream the taping on Facebook LIVE from Oregon, Missouri, and North Carolina, and...

I Have to Ask: Make Local Government Sexy Again

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week, Darrin Wilson, Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University, shares his thoughts on building a talented local government workforce. Sign up to be a guest columnist for this series. As a faculty member at Northern Kentucky University,...

Beware: Culture Vultures

Right Now with Stacy Schweikhart (LinkedIn/Twitter) What I’m reading: My list and checking it twice What I’m watching: Old SNL skits - my middle-school sons just discovered them and I'm laughing as hard at them now as I did when they first aired. What I’m listening to: All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan...

Podcast: PennDOT Connects with Leslie Richards & Brian Hare

Leslie RichardsSecretary of TransportationState of PennsylvaniaBio | LinkedIn | Twitter Brian HarePlanning Division ChiefPennDOTLinkedIn Transportation & engagement. The Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Leslie Richards, and the PennDOT Planning Chief, Brian Hare, join the podcast to talk engagement and the future of transportation. They shared their PennDOT Connects initiative which works to engage Pennsylvania residents before...

T. Hanks For Everything!

Right Now with Mario Smith (LinkedIn/Twitter) What I’m reading: Reading the new traffic and parking restrictions in Madrid. What I’m watching: Family Feud with my spouse. What I’m listening to: All the voices in my head telling me about the million things I need to accomplish in order to retire and transition from the military. It’s...

A Proven Economic Development Strategy

This guest blog by Ed McMahon is cross published on ELGL from the National Main Street Center blog, an ELGL All-In member. Ed is a Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C. and Chairman of the National Main Street Center’s Board of Directors. Amazon recently announced the location of its second...

Advancing Racial Equity Conference: Diversity Dashboard

I'm presenting at the Governing for Regional Equity & Inclusion (GREI) conference on Friday, December 14 at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington! The conference theme is "Advancing Racial Equity," and I'm sharing information about the ELGL Diversity Dashboard. Thanks to ELGL member Mia Navarro for coordinating this session about how to use data...

...Because You Can’t be What You Don’t See

This article is a guest post by Christine Edwards, Community Relations Coordinator at Mecklenburg Couty. Christine is a member of the ELGL Diversity Dashboard team as well as President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) Southern Piedmont Chapter and NFBPA National Committee Member for Marketing & Branding. Christine will lead the "Chat...

Main Street Now Conference: March 25-27, 2019

This blog post presented in partnership with the National Main Street Center, an ELGL All-In Member! ELGL members are cordially invited to the Main Street Now Conference, hosted by the National Main Street Center, in Seattle, March 25 – 27, 2019. Convened annually, the Main Street Now Conference showcases implementable best practices, time-tested solutions and innovative...

Complete Count

I was selected to serve on Colorado’s Complete Count Campaign Committee, Colorado’s 2020 decennial census organizing group. I thought I knew a few things about the census as I came up to my first meeting – I’ve heard some presentations on the importance of a complete count and was aware of the financial impacts the...

Amplifying the Voices of the Forgotten Minorities

Greetings from your Diversity Dashboard Research Coordinators, Ashley and Matthias! This post is about indigenous representation in local governments. As data is collected on more and more U.S. communities, our Diversity Dashboard team members are working to identify areas in critical need of analysis. We hope by spotlighting some interesting topics around the data we...

Early Bird #ELGL19 Tickets on Sale

#ELGL tickets at the early bird rate of $200 are now on sale! This ticket price includes a full day of conferencing (plus meals and social events) on Thursday, May 16 and a half day of conferencing (plus meals and social events) on Friday, May 17. (Registrants also have the option of adding on a...

#MondayMotivation

Right Now with Nick Smith (Linkedin/Twitter) What I'm watching: YouTube videos about completing the side missions in Red Dead Redemption 2 (I'm thisclose to being 100% done, y'all). What I'm listening to: The Hold Steady - Stay Positive Good morning, everyone! I was just reading Kendra Davis' recent Morning Buzz trying to figure out which 500-700...

I Have to Ask: It's Lonely at the Top

In this series, guest columnists respond to one of three topics selected by ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt. This week, Randy Recklaus, Village Manager, Village of Arlington Heights, IL and ELGL Traeger Award winner, compares and contrasts the roles of assistant city manager and village manager. Sign up to be a guest columnist for this series. ...

Morning Buzz: The First Big Mistake

What I’m watching – our City Council's last Priority Setting session because it will be MY job to coordinate it this year, and I need all the help I can get. What I’m reading – Heartland by Sarah Smarsh, which is such an honest, tender, unapologetic look at my home state and the people there....

2018 Year in Review: Report to ELGL Members

Friday, December 21 Noon PST View on Facebook Live ELGL Executive Director Kirsten Wyatt will recap ELGL's programs, events, and content in a "Year in Review" report to ELGL members. Tune in live with your questions and comments about ELGL's work in 2018 and plans for 2019.

2018 Chris Traeger Award - #1 to #10

The Chris Traeger List recognizes the top 100 influencers in local government. Chris Traeger was the city manager for the fictional City of Pawnee, Indiana on the show Park and Recreation. He was known for extreme energy and commitment to improving local government. The Traeger List is not based on title or longevity. It’s based on an...

Podcast: Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor

Stefan Pryor Commerce Secretary State of Rhode Island Bio | LinkedIn Economic development at the state level. Stefan Pryor, the Secretary of Commerce for the State of Rhode Island, joins the podcast to talk about his work attracting companies to the state. Stefan discussed the policies they've used to turn around Rhode Island's economy. He...

Fantastic Flop Fridays: "I'm from the Government and I'm Here to Help."

Each month, a guest columnist will share a story about a failure--and the lessons learned. This month, Hannah Lebovits, PhD student in Public Administration at Cleveland State University, shares her experience with what she calls the "Government God Complex". Are you interested in sharing your story as part of this new series? Sign up here to blog. “I’m...