Dear ELGL members,
It’s been a lot of fun watching Kent’s visit to Wisconsin (affectionately hashtagged #ELGLSconnie) this weekend on social media. He hadn’t met the person he was going to visit in real life – only through ELGL communications and online networking. I find it hugely encouraging and inspiring that through this organization, authentic friendships are being made while we network and learn about local government and public service careers.
I’m also excited because ELGL continues to build our relationship with both NFBPA and IHN. We’re helping NFBPA publicize their annual conference, scheduled for April 19-23 in Little Rock, AR. And we’re also working with ICMA to expand our Sunday night social event to include both groups to ensure they’re engaged with ELGL at the ICMA conference.
Strengthening all of these relationships is important, because I want to ensure that ELGL members have easy access to other local government groups that can support ELGL members at every stage of their careers.
Thank you,
What I’m Reading
What I’m Listening To
- Children’s Holiday Sing-Along Channel on Apple Music (it’s as tedious as you’d expect)
What I’m Watching
- Lots of interceptions… also scanning the crowd for a glimpse of my husband.
Oregon Local Government Fellowship
The deadline for the Oregon Local Government Fellowship is THIS THURSDAY. We’re only accepting online applications and the December 15 deadline is very firm.
Bite Size Annual Reporting
Last week, I shared parts 10 and 9 of the 2016 Annual Report. Part 10 reported on ELGL special events and Supper Clubs, and part 9 reported on webinars. I’ll continue to release bite-size portions of the annual report so ELGL members can reflect on 2016 and plan ahead for 2017.
Data on Race & Gender in Local Government Leadership
Stacy Schweikhart, Gail Sumi, and I had a call earlier in the week to talk about how the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and ELGL could work together to develop more comprehensive information about race and gender of local government leaders. (Currently, the data from ICMA is limited to ICMA member organizations, and NLC isn’t interested in working with us on this project).
Our thinking is that ELGL and LWM can work together to develop a template that other states can use to compile similar information. Gail wisely suggested that ELGL and LWM partner with the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh to have students assist with the likely manual data collection that will be required to make this happen. Here’s our proposal to UW-O about this project.
Festivus for the Rest of Us & #ELGLMugs
A reminder that Festivus for the Rest of Us and #ELGLMugs are both happening now. Follow along using the hashtags and blog posts; we’re updating with pictures each day.
December 23 GovLove Recording & Periscope Event
Save the date and log on to Periscope at noon PST on December 23 and watch Ben, Kent, and I tape the final episode of GovLove for 2016 . We’ll reflect on 2016, look ahead to 2017, and tell really funny jokes.
GovLove, Guest Bloggers, & New Member Profiles
- GovLove podcast on elections with Tim Tsujii, Forsyth County, NC Elections Office
- Casey Earp on Building & Deploying an Online Engagement Presence
- Nick Mastronardi on Ideas Worth Sharing: Civic Engagement Technologies
- My Life in Presidential Terms with Claire Goodwin, Town of Lexington, MA
- The Best Ever with Joseph Collins, Town of Ashland, VA
- Rae Trotta on Utah Is Not the Only Approach to Addressing Homelessness
- Storytellers with DJ Emily Edmonds, NC Growing Together Project
- Kim Newcomer on Make It Happen: New Year’s Resolutions for Local Government Employees
#ELGL17 & #ELGLPopUps
You’re invite to suggest speakers and sessions for #ELGL17 in Detroit on May 11 and 12, 2017. Use this link to submit your ideas.
Also this week, the ELGL management team decided on September 22, 2017 for #ELGLPopUps in Charlotte, NC, Kansas City, MO, Dallas, TX, and Portland, OR. Similar to #ELGL16, the #ELGLPopUps in 2017 will be simultaneous learning opportunities in multiple cities on one day.
JPG of the Week
