The acclaimed writer, urbanist and best selling author, Richard Florida joins the podcast to discuss his new book and the challenges cities face. Richard is a professor and Director of Cities for the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto, his most recent book "The New Urban Crisis" deals with the increases in inequality and segregation cities have experienced. He discusses the book, his love of Jimi Hendrix and the three T's of technology, talent and tolerance. 

Improving collaboration and innovation in local government. Ellory Monks from The Atlas and Kip Harkness, the Deputy City Manager of San Jose, CA, join GovLove to talk about their work. The Atlas is a marketplace for local governments to work together and learn from each other on infrastructure projects. Kip leads the Office of Civic Innovation in San Jose. They discuss everything from juggling fire and celebrity look-a-likes to improving procurement and email management. Topics Include: Lightning round (3:40), background from Ellory on The Atlas and how it was formed (12:25), what Kip learned working for PayPal (16:00), what Kip thinks innovation is (17:20), creating a place to fail forward (21:00), how Atlas and San Jose worked together (23:55), the office of innovation in San Jose (33:10), and what Kip and Ellory look for when they're hiring (43:20).

Paying for the service outcome rather than the cost of implementation. Brian Beachkofski from Third Sector Capital Partners joins GovLove to talk about a new contracting model called Pay for Success contracting. He shares examples of local governments using the model and how it can be more effective in delivering services to people. Topics: Lightning round (1:10), introducing the Pay for Success concept (3:25), examples of organizations like Los Angeles County using this model (4:40), the role of Third Sector in the process & implementing it in an organization (7:45), using data to make decisions (14:25), getting organization buy-in (19:50), and working with different levels of government (28:50).

Managing in a consolidated city and county government. Jestin Johnson, the Assistant Manager of Athens-Clarke County, GA consolidated government, joins the podcast to talk about his career path and management philosophy. He shared his strong opinions on parking, being a player-coach type of manager and how important town-gown relations are in Athens.  Topics: Lightning round (0:30), Jestin's career background (4:45), what it's like working for a consolidated city-county government (10:50), skills it takes to manage very different job types (16:15), the Athens-Clarke County innovation ambassador program (18:55), working for a college town and town-gown relations (21:40), lessons from his career and Jestin's management style (24:10), and working in consulting (29:45). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX. 

Recruiting & retaining talent in local government. Heidi Voorhees, the President of GovHR USA, joined GovLove to talk about the work of finding and attracting talented local government employees. Heidi discussed her experience as a Management Fellow in Kansas City, MO with current fellows Javon & Alyssa. She also talked about the importance of LinkedIn and the drawback of residency requirements. Topics: Lightning round (0:35), Heidi's experience as a Kansas City Management Fellow (3:30), what drew her to human resources (5:45), tech in human resources (7:00), recruiting & retaining the next generation (8:55), GovHR USA's work (10:55), the challenge of finding and attracting talent (14:50), and her LinkedIn tips (22:25). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX. 

Brent Stockwell, Assistant City Manager of Scottsdale, AZ, joined GovLove to discuss his work on performance measurement, behavioral insights and his favorite color. Brent described how Scottsdale is taking a new approach to simplifying city reports. He also shared his thoughts on diversity in local government and how tourism has shaped Scottsdale.  Topics: Lightning round (1:20), using behavioral insights in Scottsdale (7:40), simplifying reports & communication (19:00), managing tourism (25:15), his work on benchmarking (29:55), his thoughts on diversity in local government (38:20), and how he got into local government (43:35). This interview was recorded from the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX. 

What startups and local government can do to work better together. Barry Greenfield the Co-Founder of GovLaunch, a platform for local governments to compare and review technology solutions. Barry discusses his career path, which includes a stint as an elected official, and what local governments and startups can learn from each other.  Topics: Lightning round (0:45), why Barry ran for local office (3:00), how local government can better engage (4:00), the mission of GovLaunch (7:00), what cities and startups can learn from each other (13:10), and how the procurement and RFP process can be improved (16:40). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX. 

Innovation, performance and public service in Little Rock. Two people from the City of Little Rock, AR join GovLove to talk about their work. Melissa Bridges, Performance & Innovation Coordinator, and Susan Langley, City Clerk, discuss the Commodores, their career paths and a cross-departmental quality of life group. Topics: Lighting round (2:30), how children impacted their careers (7:45), challenges and innovations in Little Rock (10:20), communicating to the public (19:25), what they want to bring to Little Rock (23:00), thoughts on public service and balancing work and life (26:35). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Get to know the City Manager of Decatur, Georgia. Peggy Merriss joins GovLove to discuss her career in local government, which includes 24 years as City Manager and stints in leadership positions with ICMA. She talked about the projects going on in Decatur, her experience as a woman in local government and more. Topics: Lightning round (0:50), Peggy's career background (1:45), road diets (4:30), what keeps her in Decatur and how it's changed during her career (6:40), her time as ICMA's first female president (12:30), the importance of local government (18:05), top speakers at ICMA (21:00), and advice to someone starting their career in local government (25:00). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Forest fire and emergency response. Cindy Cameron Ogle the City Manager of Gatlinburg, Tennessee joins GovLove to discuss what it was like to manage the city through a forest fire that destroyed 2500 buildings last year. She shared her experience dealing with the crisis and how both her home and the Mayor's home were lost in the fire. Cindy also discussed her leadership style and her path to becoming a City Manager.  Topics: Lighting round (1:10), Cindy's path into local government and becoming a City Manager (3:30), the experience of the 2016 wildfires in Gatlinburg (8:15), losing her home in the fire and supporting employees (17:50), and rebuilding after the fire (27:40). This interview was recorded at the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Leading Gahanna, Ohio and improving processes. City Administrator Jennifer Teal joins GovLove to discuss how she's used her black belt in Lean Six Sigma to improve operations and the unique way they taught residents to use roundabouts. Jennifer also shared her experience as a female City Administrator and how she balances her work and life.  Topics: Lightning round (1:30) including her celebrity look alike and top four mentors and concerts attended. Jennifer's career path and her experience being a woman in local government leadership (5:05), what she looks for when hiring (7:40), the issues she deals with in her job (8:45) like infrastructure, growth and personnel issues. Her work using Lean Six Sigma principles and changing culture to challenge the way things have been done (14:20). Teaching residents about roundabouts (25:25). Her thoughts on diversity in local government and supporting families in the workplace (29:35). This interview was recorded from the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX.

From City Manager of Austin, Texas to leading ICMA, get to know Marc Ott. The Executive Director of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Marc Ott, joined GovLove to discuss his career path in local government and his first year on the job at ICMA. Marc also shared his thoughts on diversity in local government as well as the importance of cities in the age of ineffective federal and state governments. Topics include: Lightning round (0:50) including what book he's reading & his role model. What got Marc into local government (6:20), his time at the City of Austin, TX (11:50), his role with ICMA (23:50) including his thoughts on diversity, reflections on his first year and comparing being a City Manager with being Executive Director. Working with strong mayor cities and the National League of Cities (37:15) and the importance of local government (40:15). This interview was recorded from the 2017 ICMA Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Open data and innovation from coast to coast. Brendan Babb, the Chief Innovation Officer of Anchorage, Alaska and Sam Edelstein, the Chief Data Officer of Syracuse, New York join GovLove. They answered questions from our listeners, talked about how innovation doesn't have to be fancy and the role of an innovation office in a city.

Local solutions to homelessness and practicing radical empathy. Andrew Hening the Director of Homeless Planning & Outreach for the City of San Rafael, California joins GovLove to discuss his work reducing the homeless population in Silicon Valley. He also discussed his career path into local government, from law school to Americorps Vista. Andrew Hening took the #1 spot in this year's ELGL Traeger List of local government influencers. This episode was hosted by Javon Davis and Alyssa Dinberg, two Cookingham-Noll Management Fellows in Kansas City, MO.

He started as a management assistant and now he's the Director of Economic and Property Development for the City of Long Beach, California, get to know John Keisler. John was also the innovation team director in Long Beach. In this episode Kent talks with John about his career path, role models and his definition of innovation.

An international perspective on reporting and government. We're joined by a columnist and foreign correspondent during his recent trip to Kettering, Ohio. Ian Birrell a contributing editor of The Mail on Sunday and writer for several papers in London, England talked about his work as an international reporter and adviser for speech writing and crisis management. This episode was guest hosted by Stacy Schweikhart.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida on September 10 but the preparation to weather the major storm started well before then. Dan Biles, the County Manager of Pasco County, FL joins the podcast to discuss all the work that went into preparing for Hurricane Irma and what they have left to do now. He also shared the key role social media played in the County's communications strategy before, during and after the storm.

How cities will be adjusting to automated vehicles and e-commerce. Dr. Ben Clark & Dr. Nico Larco from the University of Oregon join the podcast to discuss the impact of driverless cars and online shopping. Local governments will be adjusting through their tax and revenue policies, land use and more. These changes are already here, many brick and mortar retail stores are closing and Uber and Lyft are impacting how the public uses streets and parking.

Career day with the County Manager of Ellis County, Kansas. To celebrate the start of the new school year we have an interview between second grader Eleanor Wyatt and Phil Smith-Hanes, the County Manager of Ellis County, KS. They discuss his career path, what he likes about his job and the differences between a county and a city. 

Film permits, building applications and more. Dale Fisseler, the City Manger of Waco, Texas, joins GovLove to talk about his career and managing a college town. He also discussed the impact of the TV show Fixer Upper on the city's planning and inspections department, as well as his journey from the water department to the city manager's office.

Local government law and social media. In a new series we're exploring the legal side of local government and this week it's all about social media. Dan Bolin and Julie Tappendorf from the Ancel Glink law firm in Chicago, IL join the podcast to discuss. They talk about the cases and trends they are seeing in the legal world around social media.

Community development and managing growth in Saint John, Canada. Jacqueline Hamilton the Commissioner of Growth and Community Development joins GovLove to talk about the City of Saint John's one-stop development shop and planning for the future. She also discusses what it's like dealing with cruise ships coming to your city.

Helping kids and creating social innovation. Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler joins GovLove to discuss her work at the City of Las Vegas, NV. She talked about how the City works closely with the school system to improve educational achievement, attendance and graduation rates. She also explained what exactly social innovation is and ranked her favorite movies.

True love in local government. We talk with three people whose spouse also works in public administration. They discuss balancing two local government careers, discussing issues at the kitchen table and taking advantage of two networks. Justin Miller works in Lakeville, Minnesota; Dianne Miller works for Eagan, Minnesota; and Ashley Garcia works for Costa Mesa, California.

Encouraging women and girls to get involved with local government. Commissioner Denise Driehaus is the first woman to serve on the Hamilton County, OH Board of Commissioners in 25 years. She wants to make sure that doesn't happen again, so she's starting a Women and Girls Council. Commissioner Driehaus talked about her goals for that Council and what the county is doing to battle Ohio's opioid epidemic.

Local government in the path of totality. Lili’a Uili Neville from Benton County, OR and Patrick Rollens from the City of Corvallis, OR join GovLove to talk about preparing for thousands of visitors for the coming solar eclipse. Patrick and Lili'a also share some of the disruptions to services they expect to happen during the eclipse and the strangest question they've gotten.

Two brothers, two City Managers. Tom and Mike Bonfield join the podcast to discuss what led them to public service, how they motivate employees and the toughest decisions they've made on the job. Tom Bonfield is the City Manager of Durham, NC and Mike Bonfield is the City Manager of Creedmoor, NC. Both brothers have been in local government for over 30 years including previous stints as City Managers in the state of Florida.

The youngest Mayor ever elected to serve the City of Richmond, VA joins GovLove. Mayor Levar Stoney talked about why he wanted to run for local office, what he's learned so far in his seven months on the job and how he's working to change the culture at City Hall. Mayor Stoney discussed his vision for improving education and how the City is working to deal with the history of Richmond's Monument Avenue.

GovLove International returns! Jonathan Veale from the City of Calgary, Alberta talked about how he works to inspire innovation and solve civic challenges. This includes a unique idea platform where residents submit ideas to improve their community and others vote to support them. This crowd sourcing platform, known as Civic Innovation YYC, has lead to over 600 ideas to improve efficiency and effectiveness of city government.

Moving for a job opportunity is often a reality for someone pursuing a local government career. Three professionals who recently moved for a job join GovLove to give their advice and perspective on making that move. Tanya Ange is the Deputy City Manager of Boulder, CO and moved from Mankato, MN. Kristin Donald is the Finance Director in Bozeman, MT and moved from Denver, CO. Clay Pearson is the City Manager of Pearland, TX and made the move from Novi, MI.

Talking trash. Ginger Spencer, the Public Works Director of the City of Phoenix, AZ joins the podcast to talk about their ambitious waste diversion plans and the innovative programs they have to encourage economic development with trash. Ginger also shared the department's efforts to increase women in minorities in public works.

The need for affordable housing is an issue that cities across the country are facing. Melissa Maddox-Evans joins the podcast to discuss the role of the local Housing Authority. She is the CEO of the Housing Authority in Charleston County, SC and the General Counsel of the City of Charleston, SC Housing Authority. Melissa discusses the services housing authorities provide and how local governments can work with them.

The Chief Performance Officer of the City of Cincinnati, OH, Leigh Tami, joins GovLove to discuss data and performance. She shares her background and path to local government, what she looks for when hiring and the importance of data. Leigh also shares her experience as a woman in local government and her theme song.

The legendary Malcolm Gladwell joins the podcast to discuss the education system in America, social justice and the second season of his podcast, Revisionist History. Gladwell has been a staff writer at the New Yorker since 1996 and is the author of several books including David & Goliath, The Tipping Point and Blink.

Talking community relations, battling the opioid epidemic and the Uber of food trucks, meet Pete Haga from the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Pete joins GovLove to discuss his work as the Community/Government Relations Officer in Grand Forks and shares his experience with the Knight Foundation, being a dad in local government and more.

Giovania Tiarachristie argues that if planning was a room, the elephant in it would be race. Giovania is the author of an amazing report exploring the barriers to recruiting and retaining planners of color. In this episode she discusses her report, the hazards of colorblindness, the value diversity can bring, micro-aggressions and so much more. Her report on diversity in planning has lessons and solutions for employers in any field or public sector organization.

The GovLove international team returns with the City Organizer of Jane's Walk Toronto, Alia Scanlon. She talks about the mission of Jane's Walk, an organization that puts on free, locally organized walking tours, in which people get together to explore, talk about and celebrate their neighborhoods. These walking tours celebrate the legacy of Jane Jacobs an urbanist, author and planner. GovLove International is hosted by John Allore, the assistant budget director of Durham, NC.

We talk running for City Council with Sara Eskrich, Alder for District 13 of Madison, WI, and Hannah Lebovits, candidate for University Heights, OH City Council. They discuss why they wanted to run for office, the challenges they have faced as women candidates and what they hope to accomplish. Sara shares her experience knocking on doors in a snow storm and Hannah talks about campaigning with her young children.

Chris Hamilton joins GovLove to talk all about car-free transportation, planning and paradise. Chris is the Car-Free Key West program manager and former Transportation Bureau Chief for Commuter Services in Arlington County, VA. He shares how small investments in marketing can impact transportation use, the value of bike share and more.

The Intern Files is back, this time Madison Thesing interviews Michael Lawson from the City of Aurora, Colorado. Michael leads the city's special projects office and he discussed how Aurora is taking a new approach to hiring, on-boarding and culture. The "Shift" program started in August 2015 and its goal is to help Aurora attract the next generation of local government leaders.

This week we get an international perspective on public service from Indonesia and Singapore. Shaffira Gayatri and Jerry Lewis Ong are two Legislative Process and Governance Professional Fellows visiting the United States, and specifically Guilford County, NC. The program they are a part of is a partnership between ICMA and the U.S. State Department and allows fellows to spend four weeks in a local government learning about governance practices, accountability and transparency. Shaffira and Jerry tell GovLove about their work back home on gender equality and refugees, as well as what they have learned on their fellowship.

Ferki Ferati & Ben Speggan join GovLove to talk about their work with the Jefferson Educational Society in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Jefferson Society has been active in creating civic dialogue, exposing residents and leaders to issues and work going on in the city as well as promoting pride in their home town of Erie.

The latest Intern Files is back to discuss the ICMA local government fellow experience and getting started in a local government career. Madison Thesing is joined by David Nash-Hernandez, Eli Ritchie, Hunter Harris, Micah Phillips, Maia Knox & Craig Dudek. The six guests shared what they learned in their fellowship.

Figuring out the best way to get residents involved and participating in local government has been a hot topic in cities across the country. Matthew Crozier from Bang the Table has been doing engagement work around the world and came on GovLove to discuss best practices, how cities can do better and more.

Lauren Lockwood, the Chief Digital Officer for Boston, MA joined GovLove to talk about technology, communications and bringing new thinking to local government. She discussed redesigning the city's website and holding government to the same standard as the private sector when it comes to digital engagement.

Kathy Nyland the Director of the Seattle, WA department of neighborhoods joined GovLove to talk about rethinking neighborhood engagement. With the goal of getting more people involved her department is working to find new ways to engage residents of the city. Kathy also shares her path to local government, which started as an overly involved resident and led to her current appointment.

Stephen Goldsmith, Director of the Innovations Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the former Mayor of Indianapolis, IN joins GovLove to talk about data, innovation and more. He compared his role as Mayor with being Deputy Mayor at New York City, discusses social media in government and the work of Data-Smart Cities Solutions.

Justin Marlowe from the University of Washington Evans School & Alicia Shatteman from Northern Illinois University join GovLove to discuss what they see as the trending topics in local government. From technology to communication and the use of the M-word Justin & Alicia share what they are seeing from their MPA students.