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Local Government Wildfire Resources & Information

Western states in the US are battling nearly 100 wildfires that have displaced thousands and destroyed whole communities. California, Oregon, and Washington have been the hardest hit by the blazes, fueled by heat waves and windy conditions. ELGL created a page to offer resources and information for local government response to wildfires. You can share...

Wildfire Resources for Local Governments

Western states in the US are battling nearly 100 wildfires that have displaced thousands and destroyed whole communities. California, Oregon, and Washington have been the hardest hit by the blazes, fueled by heat waves and windy conditions. This page offers resources and information for local government response to wildfires.

CivStart Announces 2020 Cohort

CivStart has chosen another twelve innovative startup companies to join its accelerator program focused on building an honest and inclusive ecosystem of local government solutions. CivStart, a non-profit accelerator bringing govtech innovations to state and local government, today announced the twelve startup companies participating in their second cohort. The cohort was selected after an intensive...

Podcast: Growing Up in City Hall with Meredith Reynolds and Jan Reynolds

Meredith Reynolds Park Planning & Partnership Manager City of Long Beach, California Bio | LinkedIn | Twitter Jan Reynolds Former City Manager City of Hanford, California City management as a family business. Meredith Reynolds, Park Planning & Partnership Manager for the City of Long Beach, California, and Jan Reynolds, Retired City Manager for the City...

Defining the Standard

One of the challenges to promoting equity and understanding is we have not adequately defined the status quo, the accepted norm, the set standard we place on various aspects and functions of society. It’s difficult to question, critique, and ultimately change the way we perceive and engage in our work when our current methods are...

ELGL Mask Exchange

Send a mask, get a mask! Just in time for #ELGL20 Local Gov Oktoberfest, here's your chance to connect with another ELGL member, make a new local gov friend, and get a new mask. It's easy - sign up with your mailing address and we'll match you with another ELGL member. Please make sure you mail...

COVID, Hell, and Grace

I will be honest with you. I am writing this during my very own two-week hell time period. It happens once a year, where the moons align evilly – and in 2020 with COVID-19 – the fury is real. Some of Hell Week (I will notate is time period in the singular, even though it...

Rewind: Connecting Local Government and Education

This webinar originally aired on August 26, 2020. The pandemic has brought a whirlwind of change for schools as many districts transitioned to remote learning almost overnight in March. Now as we approach the start of the new school year, school districts are figuring out the best way to safely reopen and ensure students have...

Rewind: Getting Back to Business

This webinar originally aired on September 2, 2020. Businesses have been hard hit during this pandemic, especially small-scale, family-run restaurants and shops. Cities and communities have been working hard to help their local businesses by encouraging take-out and curbside pickup. How can cities continue to engage with their business communities and encourage residents to do...

Davenport Institute’s Virtual Certificate Program

This article shared by ELGL on behalf of our friends at the Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University. The Davenport Institute’s virtual Certificate Program in Advanced Public Engagement for Local Government is a five-week online training for mid-career professionals in local government. It is a one of a kind program designed to give local government leaders...

Is COVID the Killer of Innovation?

This article was written by Catherine Wright, Public Information Officer for the Town of Hillsborough, North Carolina as part of the Small Places, Big Ideas Innovation Cohort. Is COVID-19 the killer of innovation? Not necessarily, but it certainly paused much of our efforts in exploring two engagement platforms as part of the inaugural Small Places,...

Podcast: Public Art & Black Lives Matter with Amina Cooper, Arts & Science Council

Amina Cooper Program Director, Public Art CLT Arts & Science Council LinkedIn | Twitter Authentically reflecting community values. Amina Cooper, Program Director of Public Art CLT for the Arts & Science Council, joined the podcast to talk about creating more equitable and diverse public art. She discussed the recent efforts by communities across the country...

Member Profile: Maggie Gilman Holm

Maggie Gilman Holm Graduate Student - PSU:MPA LinkedIn If you had to live in a different city, what city would you choose? Lincoln City, OR Storytelling or innovation? Which is the most overused word in local government? "Storytelling" is the buzzword I tend to hear most often. What year would the most important in your...

Member Profile: Jeff Friedman

Jeff Friedman Citizen Services Leader, AWS LinkedIn If you had to live in a different city, what city would you choose? Newport, RI Storytelling or innovation? Which is the most overused word in local government? Innovation. What year would the most important in your life? Why? 2011 - when I joined the "tech, innovation and...

What COVID-19 Can Teach Us About Aging

This article is written by Lindsay M. Miller is a National Civic League Senior Fellow and ELGL COVID-19 Equity Ambassador. Lindsay wrote this article as part of the Equity Ambassadors Cohort. You can find all the articles for this cohort here. This article originally appeared on the National Civic Review. During the first few months of...

Podcast: Reducing Reliance on Police with Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College

Alex Vitale Professor of Sociology Coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project Brooklyn College Bio | Twitter Making communities safer. Alex Vitale, Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College, joined the podcast to talk about rethinking public safety and his book, The End of Policing. He...

The Federalism Partnership That Is No More

There was a time when state and local governments could work out deals with Washington. But as the pandemic struggle illustrates, the glory days of big intergovernmental initiatives have ebbed away. Amid the unseemly brawl about continuing unemployment benefits for those whose lives have been upended by COVID-19, an unsettling truth has emerged: State and...

The Beauty of Inclusion

Right Now with Kevin Teater What I’m Listening to – Dancing with Tears in My Eyes by Blended Colours What I’m Reading – Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda What I’m Watching – People reconnecting with old friends in physically-distant spaces What I’m Doing – Riding my bike a lot farther than I ever...

Meet the PAFR Fellows! Part Three

ELGL and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) created the PAFR Fellowship Program to connect graduate students with local governments looking to create a Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for submission to the GFOA award program. The fellows have all been finalized and ELGL and GFOA are excited to announce everyone over the next few...

Pilot Partnership for Behavioral Science, Design, & Evidence

This article is by ELGL member Michael Halford, Assistant County Manager for Gaston County, NC. Gaston County Government is working with Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH) and NC State University’s College of Design to form a pilot partnership of local governments interested in applying behavioral science, good design, and evidence to strengthen their COVID-19 responses. The partnership’s...