Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Emily Colon. Emily is a former deputy city manager turned consultant, helping local governments strengthen leadership, culture, and strategy with the Southern Group. She believes the best kind of work is the kind that makes communities better, no matter where you do it. Connect with Emily on LinkedIn.
What I’m reading: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
What I’m listening to: Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl
What I’m working on: Trying to keep all the balls in the air: building a consulting practice that makes real impact, parenting three very active kids, staying married, adjunct teaching at USF, mentoring and volunteering, and trying not to have my house be a complete disaster. You know, balls.
When I first stepped away from my role in local government and into consulting, I carried a quiet fear with me: would people see me as having gone to “the dark side.”
If you’ve spent any time in public service, you know how easily it becomes part of your identity. Your email ends with “.gov.” You start measuring time in budget cycles. You live and breathe city business. You talk in acronyms. You see potholes as personal.
So yeah, I was nervous. After all, for years I wore the “public servant” badge with pride. There’s a rhythm and reward to that kind of service that only those who’ve lived it can understand. Would my peers think I’d sold out? Would they think I’d traded mission for margin?
What I quickly realized is this: I didn’t leave public service. I simply widened the lens.
Now, instead of serving one community, I get to help many. I see the patterns, the pain points, and the wins across cities and counties all over the state (and country). I help local governments connect with the business community in ways that make sense — which, let’s be honest, can feel like translating two completely different languages.
And that’s still public service in my book, just with a slightly different toolkit.
Recently, I had the joy of shadowing Lynn Tipton, local gov royalty in Florida (and the daughter of a California city manager, because this work runs deep). Lynn retired from the Florida League of Cities after 34 years, and her passion for good governance hasn’t dulled.
Watching her lead the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials, I saw that same spark that first drew me into local government. She helps new officials find their footing, reminds them that leadership is service, and makes the complex feel doable.
She’s a helper.
And that’s when it clicked: the helpers aren’t defined by who they work for. They’re defined by how they serve.
Because at the end of the day, “the helpers” aren’t bound by who they work for. They’re defined by how they serve. Whether you’re sitting in City Hall or consulting from the outside, what matters most is that you show up to make communities stronger, people better supported, and systems more humane.
And let’s be honest… we’ve all had public service supervisors who didn’t exactly fit the “helper” mold! (We’ll just call that part of the learning experience.)
So here’s to the helpers — in city hall, in consulting firms, and everywhere in between. Titles change, email addresses change, but the heart of this work stays the same.
Because no matter where we sit, we’re all in this for the same reason: to help local government be its best.
