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The Fine Print of Obamacare

The Affordable Care Act was enacted despite unified opposition. Congress wound up passing a bill with glitches the ACA's opponents are eager to exploit.

Big thanks to Sam Taylor of Ferndale, WA and Luke Fretwell of GovFresh for participating in our innovation webinar series. If you didn’t have a chance to tune in and watch the webinar live don’t worry we have it archived below! #ELGLInnovation Sam and Luke gave a great presentation that gave us the scoop on...

ELGL Midwest Field Trip on Jan. 30, 2015

ELGL's Midwest chapter is going on a field trip, and you're invited! This won't be a lunch seminar or a team-building workshop ... no, come Jan. 30, 2015, we'll be getting down and dirty with a visit to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago wastewater treatment facility in Stickney! It's the largest wastewater treatment...

Webinar: Solar Permitting Made Simple, Safe and Standard

Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) of Washington is hosting a free webinar by Northwest Solar Communities which will review code updates and introduce tools and best practices to support implementing the code.

My Story with Derek Matheson, Kent (WA) Chief Administrative Officer

ELGL's mission is to connect, communicate, and educate. One way to do that is by "telling the story" on how we got here, why we're still here, and how we can improve local government. We first profile Derek Matheson, Kent (WA) Chief Administrative Officer. Thanks to Dave O'Leary, Shelton (WA) city manager for recommending that we...

Relive the Local Government Sharing Economy with MuniRent

Big thanks to Alan Mond and Julien Vanier of MuniRent, for participating in our innovation webinar series. If you didn't have a chance to tune in and watch the webinar live don't worry we have it archived below! #ELGLinnovation Alan and Julien from MuniRent did a fantastic job and gave a great presentation that covered the sharing economy...

Survey Says: How Can Tech Companies Help Government?

In the coming weeks, ELGL will join forces with a technology association that is launching a formal program where tech companies will pledge employee volunteer hours to work on civic challenges with local governments. Before we do, we want to understand your perspective of how technology can be used to solve civic challenges. Please take a few minutes...

Importance of Legislative Tracking with Karen Suhaka, Founder of BillTrack50

ELGL is excited to announce a new partnership with BillTrack50. BillTrack50 is a federal and state legislative tracking service which is used by a number of cities including Missoula, MT and Broward County, FL. We interviewed founder Karen Suhaka to learn what we're missing if our organization is not tracking federal and state legislation. You...

360 Review with Shawn Ahmadi, Socrata

Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned performance reivew? ELGL loves them so much that we’re embarking on a “360 Review of Local Government.” We’re going to evaluate every single inch of the local government arena by talking to ourselves (a.k.a: other local government professionals), tech companies, journalists, professors, and anyone else who hasn’t blocked our...

Guidepost #17 – Brian Southey, Elk Grove Village, IL

Welcome to week #17 of the Cookingham Connection. Today, we hear from Brian Southey, Management Analyst, Village of Elk Grove Village. Mr. Southey earned his MPA at the University of Illinois Springfield, and his BA at Illinois State University. Previously, he was employed as a Technical Assistant, City of Bloomington, IL and Ground Water Section Intern, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Bureau of Water)....

Weed: How Does It Affect Workplace Rules & Policies?

Today's edition of the Nitty Gritty (a column focused on the details of our work as public employees) comes from Kathy Peck and Chandra Hatfield of Peck Rubanoff & Hatfield. Kathy and Chandra are two of ELGL's favorite attorneys - smart, savvy and dedicated to public service.

Guidepost #17 – Kurt Bressner

Kurt Bressner, (LinkedIn and Twitter) was the City Manager of Boynton Beach, FL for 11 years. He also managed Bensenville, IL and Downers Grove, IL during his career. Guidepost 17: “Never put in writing anything you can’t prove. Someday someone might embarrass you with it." I kept a copy of Mr. Cookingham’s “Food for Thought: Guideposts for City Managers” in my top...

The Long Tail of Neighborhood Social Media

Perhaps you’re familiar with a concept called the Long Tail. It’s a statistical concept that has been applied to all sorts of real-world situations, from retail production to game design. It holds true in the world of social media platforms, too.

What is an Assistant To: Nate Broman-Fulks, Carrboro, NC

What is an Assistant to the City Manager? In between other duties as assigned, council meetings, and a bewildering assortment of public inquiries, ELGL members identify the essential functions of the position.

Smitten With the Mitten: Bridget Doyle Heads to Sterling Heights

STERLING HEIGHTS: Council appoints new Community Relations director Bridget Doyle, one of our fearless Midwest leaders, is on the move. This week Bridget was selected as the Sterling Heights, MI Community Relations director. Bridget was serving as the Lombard (IL) Communications Coordinator. Here's what Bridget had to say about the new gig: "This is truly...

Call for Input: Telling Our Broadband Story

Survey Link: Successful Muni Networks Survey Broadband industry analyst Craig Settles is compiling the success stories of public-owned and operated broadband networks. ELGL wants to be sure your network's story is told to the community broadband stakeholders, the media and policymakers. Craig will include some of this information in his next book on broadband strategy. Please complete the...

360 Review of Local Government with Katie Babits, Veneta, OR

Who doesn’t love a good ol' fashioned performance reivew? ELGL loves them so much that we’re embarking on a “360 Review of Local Government.” We’re going to evaulate every single inch of the local government arena by talking to ourselves (a.k.a: other local government professionals), tech companies, journalists, professors, and anyone else who hasn’t blocked our...

Allow Myself to Introduce Myself......Gabe Reaume, City of Sugar Land, TX

Welcome to the new and (somewhat) improved version of our member introductions. If you are puzzled by the column name, take a minute to watch the above scene from Austin Powers. Background Check Gabe Reaume (Connect: LinkedIn) is the Environmental Manager for the City of Sugar Land, TX. Previously, he served as the Deputy Treasury Manager and Budget & Management...

Growing Pains: Can Light Rail and Affordable Housing Co-Exist?

The Outsider’s View is a monthly column written by Brittany Bennett on interesting and innovative community and economic development happenings in North Carolina with an emphasis on areas for potential collaboration between local governments and other partners. Can Light Rail and Affordable Housing Co-Exist? by Brittany Bennett - LinkedIn and Twitter Growth is good. It...

Time Out for Mentoring with Al Vanderberg, Ottawa County, MI County Administrator

Now Hiring: Mentors Similar to how Frasier spun off from Cheers, ELGL has spun off our Quick Take series into Time Out for Mentoring. We’ve invited those who were named a mentor in our Quick Take series to answer two simple questions, “who are your mentors?” and “what does it mean to be a mentor?” In our...