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Member Profile: Johnny McFarland

Johnny McFarland Management Analyst City of Grand Junction, Colorado What's an interesting project or issue you're currently working on? I'm currently working on developing and interpreting the city social media data analytics so we can develop benchmarks and track the efficacy of our messaging and engagement with citizens in the city. If you could...

Podcast: COVID-19 Relief Spending with Michael Hotard and Kevin Kearney

Michael Hotard Director of Operations CivicPulse Twitter | LinkedIn Kevin Kearney City Manager City of Bradbury, CA LinkedIn How relief funds are being spent. Michael Hotard, Director of Operations at CivicPulse, and Kevin Kearney, City Manager of the City of Bradbury, California, joined the podcast to talk about COVID-19 relief funding for local government. They discussed...

GovLove Chats: Cathy B. Bailey

GovLove Chats is a new web series presented by ELGL and Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW). These funny, not-so-serious chats kick off this month with GCWW Executive Director Cathy B. Bailey who serves on the ELGL Board of Directors. The series will run throughout 2021. These light-hearted conversations are an opportunity to highlight local government leaders and...

2021 Best Places to Work in Local Government Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 Best Local Government Workplaces Award! Nominate your organization today to showcase the best places to work in local government. Complete the Nomination Form About ELGL Best Local Government Workplaces Award Inspired by Parks and Recreation’s Donna Meagle, the ELGL Best Local Government Workplaces Award recognizes the local...

Celebrate Parks and the Planet during National Park Week

The photo above is part of a newly restored section of the Pike River within Petrifying Springs Park in Kenosha, WI. The project was funded by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Fund for Lake Michigan. Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Nancy Retana, Grant...

DEI in Local Government: Ensuring Transformative Pragmatism

Our community government leadership must be reflective of its citizenship. Diversity, equity and inclusion are here to stay and help us make tomorrow better.

The Turning Points

Katie Beemer, Management Fellow for the City of Wayland, MI wrote this article as part of the environment and sustainability series. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn or Twitter. You can sign-up to write for this series, too! See all articles from this series and more on environment & sustainability. In my role as a graduate...

Podcast: The First 100 Days as a New City Manager with Tanisha Briley, Gaithersburg, MD

Tanisha Briley City Manager City of Gaithersburg, Maryland LinkedIn | Bio Leadership lessons. Tanisha Briley, the City Manager of the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, joined the podcast to talk about her first 100 days on the job. She shared how she prioritized her time and focus as well as how she approached change management in...

Podcast: Building and Construction Services with JC Hudgison, Tampa, FL

John (JC) Hudgison Chief Building Official & Construction Services Center Manager City of Tampa, Florida LinkedIn | Twitter Permitting and inspections. John (JC) Hudgison, the Chief Building Official and Construction Services Center Manager for the City of Tampa, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about development services. He discussed the work of a Chief Building...

Local Government Continues to Help Businesses: a Pandemic Year in Review

This article was written by Michael Huling, Master’s of Public Policy Student at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and a Graduate Assistant for the Davenport Institute. Businesses have been suffering for a year now due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuing to struggle as the nation approaches reopening. However, despite the widespread...

Podcast: Creating a State of the City Event with Kent Wyatt, Tigard, OR

Kent Wyatt Communications Director City of Tigard, Oregon LinkedIn | Twitter Late night in Tigard. Kent Wyatt, Communications Director for the City of Tigard, Oregon, joined the podcast to talk about the City's creative approach to the annual State of the City address. He discussed how to make the State of the City more authentic...

Giving the Silent Majority a Voice

Today’s Morning Buzz is by Kara Roberson, Communications and Strategic Engagement Manager at the City of Wentzville, Mo. Connect with Kara on LinkedIn and Instagram. What I’m Reading: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah What I’m Watching: Just finished “Ginny & Georgia” and I thoroughly enjoyed it! What I’m Listening to: I spend way too much...

Public Government Meetings and Barriers for Participation

This article was written by Dana Healy, Executive Director of NineNorth. Connect with Dana by email or LinkedIn. I was quoted in the Star Tribune about increased civic engagement around public government meetings. Its true, NineNorth saw a 20% increase in overall viewership throughout 2020. Some zoom-based meetings had to be held twice to accommodate...

Podcast: Civic Technology and Public Service with Cyd Harrell

Cyd Harrell Civic Design Consultant & Author Bio | LinkedIn | Twitter Move carefully and fix things. Cyd Harrell joined the podcast to talk about her new book, A Civic Technologist's Practice Guide. She shared her perspective on working in civic technology as a volunteer and as part of the Federal Government for 18F. She...

Mayor Funk: How Not to Screw Up Your Government's Stimulus Windfall

ELGL is proud to feature the writing and thinking of longtime member Mark Funkhouser. Here’s his latest post, and you can also sign up for his newsletter here. As state and local governments celebrate the latest federal stimulus package, I’m struck by what I heard recently from Uri Monson, CFO of the Philadelphia School District: “The...

When “Climate Action” Isn’t Enough

Ashley Monroe, Assistant City Manager, City of Iowa City, Iowa, wrote this article as part of the Sustainability & Environment Series. Connect with Ashley on Email or Twitter. You can sign-up to write for this series, too! See all articles from this series and more on environment & sustainability. We had been working on sustainability...

5 Ways the Pandemic Changed 311 Forever

By Bratton Riley, Founder and CEO of Citibot and Champion for Equitable Government Engagement and Technology Innovation. Save the Date: Join the Citibot team and 311 leaders from around the country for a virtual celebration of National 311 Day on March 11, 2021 at 3:11 p.m. ET. Register here. 311 was established in the 90s...

Podcast: Harnessing Public Entrepreneurship with Mitchell Weiss

Mitchell Weiss Professor of Management Practice Harvard Business School Bio | LinkedIn | Twitter Possibility government. Mitchell Weiss, Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, joined the podcast to talk about his new book We the Possibility. He discusses how bringing entrepreneurship into government can help solve complex problems and improve services. He also...

Empowered Women Empower Women

Today’s Buzz is by Meredith Reynolds, Park Planning & Partnerships Manager for the City of Long Beach. Follow Meredith on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. What I’m Listening To: In honor of my 40th birthday, I’ve prepared an epic 40 for 40 musical adventure: 40 playlists with 40 songs throughout 2021. Join me as I roll...

Podcast: Solving Complex Problems with Salimah Samji, Harvard Kennedy School

Salimah Samji Director of Building State Capability Harvard Kennedy School Bio A new way to solve problems. Salimah Samji, the Director of Building State Capability at the Harvard Kennedy School, joined the podcast to talk about a step by step process that allows for flexible learning and adaptation called Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). She...