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Cookingham Guidepost #2 - Rafael Baptista

Guidepost #2: Formal acts of the council become public policy, and you as city manager must always do your best to translate these policies into action. You should do this in a manner to best realize the intent of the council. In some cases, you may not agree with the policy, but it is your...

30 Days of Badger - Day 3

Have you ever watched Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, the British version of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant restoration show? Before American producers turned Gordon Ramsey into a yelling, screaming Hell’s Kitchen version of himself? In Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsey helps struggling restaurants, usually on the brink of failure, set up business and food standards that will keep...

MRSC Webinar: Social Media for Government

Connect with MRSC: Facebook, Twitter and World Wide Web Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) of Washington is offering a free webinar on September 17 at 11:00 am (PDT) about how Snohomish County leveraged social media to support emergency management during the Highway 530 mudslide. The webinar was spurred by ths article, "The Story Behind #530slide: Social...

30 Days of Badger - Day 2

Although they sound like an innovative, fun group of policy makers, The Pac-Man Administration is actually just the name of my “prestigious” pub-trivia team. It has been a while since we have been on the scene at a Synth-Bio trivia night and we may be due for a Jordan-like comeback soon. As long as the...

30 Days of Badger - Day 1

Emily Badger, a current Washington Post reporter and former Oregonian intern, will speak at the #ELGL14 annual conference Oct. 17. Schedule that Friday off now and be ready for registration— Badger takes the podium at 3:45 p.m. I'm Josh Gregor (you might remember me from Josh's Job Search) and I’ll be taking on the role...

What We Learned from the Mayors of PDX and Indy

Len Reed from the Oregonian moderated the ELGL chat between Mayor Hales of Portland and Mayor Ballard of Indianapolis. The focus was on sustainability but topics ranged from bicycles and transit to urban farming and governance.

Guidepost #2 - Frank Robinson

Welcome to week #2 of the Cookingham Connection. This week, we hear from Frank Robinson, the town manager of Apple Valley, California. Mr. Robinson came to the Town of Apple Valley in July 2008. Prior to coming to the Town of Apple Valley, Mr. Robinson served for 14 years as President/Township Manager of The Woodlands, Texas, with a population of...

Writing with Russ: Takeaways from the Writing Center

http://youtu.be/sp0MWYbLUFU?list=UUVUKh5KMGJFOw7WDGnS6bLw Russell Bither-Terry uses his experience from working at the UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center to bring you tips for clear, concise writing. Whether you are an MPA student or a city manager, Russell's tips can help you in your everyday writing. Testimonial My graduate school experience at UNC-Chapel Hill was littered with trips to the Writing...

#ELGL14: Managing a College Town

Last week, you learned that Emily Badger from the Washington Post will headline #ELGL14. This week, we release the next exciting panel that you'll experience at our annual conference: Managing College Towns.

The Assistant with James Becklenberg, City and County of Broomfield, Colorado

Ongoing series on assistant city manager and deputy city managers profiles the Assistant City/County Manager in Broomfield, CO.

Upcoming Chinook Institute Events

The Chinook Institute for Civic Leadership wants to invite ELGL members to attend a couple of their upcoming events. Take a look below for more information and to register. The Chinook Institute is a non-profit that strives to create and develop better leaders to improve the communities and world that we live in. Each year...

SGR Recruitments 07.29.2014

Our friends at Strategic Government Resources are looking for management level applicants, and one of them could be you! You can apply by contacting SGR, inquire about a specific position through the contact listed.

Say WA!? ELGL expands to Washington State

Home to the Super Bowl champions, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Grey's Anatomy, and Twilight, Washington state adds a new family member this week…….ELGL. We are proud to announce a new partnership with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). This new partnership will bring ELGL programming and information to local government professionals working in Washington cities. ELGL also plans on...

Change Is Coming to Obamacare?

Halbig and King: federal appeals courts' decisions on Obamacare premium tax credits may permanently cut through Republican governors' opposition to the ACA.

Guidepost #1 - Emily Leuning

Welcome to week #1 of the Cookingham Connection. This week, we hear from Emily Leuning, the intern in Sherwood and West Linn, Oregon. Emily also volunteers with ELGL as our program assistant. The Cookingham Connection pairs engaged leaders with emerging leaders to learn and think about the guideposts of city management. Today, Emily tackles Guidepost #1. She reflects...

Before Cookingham: Kansas City Women v. Pendergast

Former mayor Barnes highlights women’s fight against Pendergast machine Hat tip to Rick Usher, Kansas City (MO) assistant city manager, for sharing the story of women who worked to bring down "Boss" Tom Pendergast's political machine in the late 1930s and early '40s, helping to end 20 years of mob rule in the city. Former...

Guidepost #1 - Chris Jordan

Welcome to week #1 of the Cookingham Connection. This week, we hear from Chris Jordan, the city manager of West Linn, Oregon. Mr. Jordan began his tenure as City Manager of West Linn in October 2005. For the previous 10 years, Mr. Jordan worked for the City of Lake Oswego where he was the Assistant...

Knope of the Week: Mark Funkhouser, Publisher of Governing

Half Mayor, Half Father, All Funk http://youtu.be/Ng_-HgRfGBY His Twitter bio says it all, "Half mayor, half father, all Funk. Mayor of KCMO from 5/07 to 5/11. Publisher of GOVERNING." The man behind that bio is Mark Funkhouser and he is the Knope of the Week. His credentials are impeccable from city auditor to Mayor of Kansas City...

Webinar: A Case Study in Using Technology to Improve Transparency

Williamson County, TX Innovation in Business Intelligence and Transparency Wednesday, August 13 10:00 am (PST), 12:00 pm (CST), 1:00 pm (EST) REGISTER When you're the fastest growing county in the nation, have the most debt of any other County in your state, and need to cut costs while providing open transparency to the public - what...

"Cookingham Connection" Column Starts on Friday

Starting on Friday, ELGL will begin an exciting new column series where we'll share columns drafted by engaged and emerging leaders that reflect on one of L.P. Cookingham's guideposts for city managers. You'll recall that L.P. was the city manager of Kansas City, MO, and is regarded as the "father" of modern city management. L.P....