Recognizing trafficking. Two guests join the podcast to talk about how local government staff can be part of the effort to eliminate human trafficking. Margaret Henderson, Director of the Public Intersection Project at the UNC School of Government, and Angela Sowers, Environmental Health Specialist at Orange County, North Carolina, discussed the signs of trafficking and how local governments can prepare staff in different departments to be part of the solution. Host: Lauren Palmer

Possibility government. Mitchell Weiss, Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, joined the podcast to talk about his new book We the Possibility. He discusses how bringing entrepreneurship into government can help solve complex problems and improve services. He also shared how public entrepreneurship is different than starting a pilot program.  Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Mentors matter. Marlon Brown, City Manager for the City of Sarasota, joined the podcast to discuss his career path, including his recent transition from Deputy City Manager to City Manager. He talked about working with the City Commission and his plans for his first few months in his new role. He also shared the importance of finding a mentor and how the City has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Host: Ben Kittelson

A new way to solve problems. Salimah Samji, the Director of Building State Capability at the Harvard Kennedy School, joined the podcast to talk about a step by step process that allows for flexible learning and adaptation called Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). She shared how this process allows stakeholders to determine what the problems are rather than outsiders. Salimah also discussed examples of PDIA in local government, training, and how data is used in the process. Host: Toney Thompson

The electric revolution. Kevin Miller, the Director of Public Policy for ChargePoint, joined the podcast to talk about electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them. He shared how electric vehicles and charging stations can be integrated into the built environment. Kevin also discussed how cities can support the adoption of electric vehicles such as by making changes to building codes. Host: Javon Davis

Mesa Cares. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about supporting entrepreneurship and economic development using an online tool and technical assistance. Jay O'Donnell, Assistant Economic Development Director for the City of Mesa, Arizona, and Jenny Poon, Founder & CEO of CO+HOOTS, discussed how the City worked with CO+HOOTS to support small businesses. Jaye shared what the City was looking for in providing technical assistance to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenny talked about how CO+HOOTS got involved and the creation of the online HUUB platform. Host: Lauren Palmer

Maintaining equity during a pandemic. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about how they promote equity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Farris Muhammad, Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Lawrence, Kansas, and Ruaa Hassaballa, COVID Testing Equity Project Manager for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, shared how the partnership between the City and Public Health Department has helped promote equity in testing and vaccine distribution. They also discussed other equity and inclusion efforts and how Dr. Muhammad has worked to start a equity and inclusion program in Lawrence. Host: Ben Kittelson

Learning about public administration. Three undergraduate students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Faiza Mawani, Mary Gilmore, & Kyle Adams, joined the podcast to discuss what they learned from a class about public administration. The students shared their notions of the profession before and after the class. Each guest highlighted their favorite GovLove episode and how it helped form their public service portfolio, an assignment in which each student created a vision and mission for public service. Lastly, they commented on what they are seeking from future employers. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Teaching local government. Dr. Peter Jones, Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, joined the podcast to talk about his classes teaching students about public service careers. He discussed how he teaches students about different government government careers and ways to be a public servant. He also shared what students are interested in and might be helpful in recruiting and retaining the next generation of leaders. Dr. Jones even talked about how he has used GovLove Podcast episodes in his classes. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Celebrating public service. Catie Miller, Strategic Communications Manager for the General Services Administration, joins the podcast to discuss the Federal agency's #GovLove campaign to highlight success stories in government. She shared the types of successes they are highlighting and how other organizations can participate. She also talked about the work of the Office of Shared Solutions & Performance Improvement within GSA. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Consult early and consult often. Claire Elizabeth Williams, CEO & Co-Founder of Foundations for Social Change, joins the podcast to discuss the New Leaf Project. She outlined how the New Leaf Project distributed a direct cash payment of $7,500 (CAD) to 50 recipients who recently became homeless in Vancouver, British Columbia. Claire shared the results of the project as well as lessons learned and how other local governments could implement a similar program. Host: Toney Thompson

Pizza, beer, & public input. Kevin Lyons, CEO & Co-Founder of FlashVote, joins the podcast to discuss community engagement. He highlights common mistakes made with various types of communication channels as well as mistakes organizations make in town halls, social media, online forums, and surveys. Kevin also shares with resources to improve community engagement. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Sustainable planning and design. Joseph Kunkel, Principal at MASS Design Group and Director of the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab, joined the podcast to talk about planning projects with Native communities. He discussed his work on affordable housing in Indian Country and engaging with the community to incorporate local context and art. He also shared examples of projects incorporating placemaking. This episode is part of ELGL’s Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Ben Kittelson

From public meetings to communications. Two guests joined the podcast to talk about how communication and engagement has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley Traynum-Carson, Communication Specialist for the City of Asheville, North Carolina, and Jay Dawkins, CEO of Public Input, shared their perspectives and lessons learned. They discussed how receiving comments changed and how local governments are using technology. They also shared how the changes made make participation more accessible for residents. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Adapting the Agriculture and Consumer Services Department. Nikki Fried, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the State of Florida, joined the podcast to talk about her journey to becoming Commissioner and what her Department does. She discussed how COVID-19 has impacted the work of the Department and how they have adapted, highlighting the Be SMART Florida campaign. She also shared advice to other women considering running for office or applying for executive-level positions in government. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Reducing unnecessary warrants and jail time. Alissa Fishbane, Managing Director at ideas42, and Dr. Aurélie Ouss, Assistant Professor of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about their study to reduce the number of arrest warrants for failure to appear in court in the New York City criminal justice system. The guests highlighted the use of behavioral interventions, or nudges, that were low cost and easy to implement. They also shared how other local governments can apply behavioral science practices. Host: Toney Thompson

Social services, not jail. Christopher Leonard, Administrative Supervisor for the City of Forth Lauderdale, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about the City's community court that serves individuals experiencing homelessness. The program focuses on the root causes of each defendant’s issues and applies mandates such as community service, drug treatment, or social services to have their cases dismissed. He also explained how the court has continued to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Who says you can't go home? Nick Edwards, City Manager of the City of Joplin, Missouri joined the podcast to talk about his career path in local government and coming home to Joplin to become the City Manager. He talked about building new relationships during COVID-19 and how the City has responded to the pandemic. Nick also shared the City's strategic planning process and his plans for 2021. Host: Lauren Palmer

Building community trust. Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO & Founder of Zencity, joined the podcast to talk about the work Zencity is doing to track the public sentiment of the COVID-19 vaccine in cities across America. He shared there is currently twice as much negative sentiment towards the vaccine as positive. He also outlined the impact local governments and leaders can have on the sentiment of the vaccine for their community. Zencity recently published a guide to help local governments build trust in the vaccine. Host: Toney Thompson

Redevelopment through arts and culture. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Kinston, North Carolina has redeveloped their community through the implementation of a arts and cultural district. Raney Rogers, Executive Director of smART Kinston, details the 12-block residential area in downtown Kinston where artists live and work by long-term residents in colorful houses. Adam Short, Planning Director, and Sarah Arney, Community Development Planner, for the City of Kinston outline the positive impact this district has had on the City, highlighting increased tourism and lower vacancy rates. This episode is part of ELGL’s Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Ben Kittelson

Building an inclusive government. Nefertiri Sickout, the Acting Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about the work of advancing equity and improving the diversity of the City's workforce. She shared how the City has changed specific hiring practices and methods to improve the diversity of candidates and how the City is working to improve the diversity of businesses that participate in the procurement process. She also shared her career path into local government and how COVID-19 and the protests in 2020 impacted her work. Host: Ben Kittelson

It's been a year. The GovLove co-hosts teamed up to hand out awards and recap the fifth full year of a podcast about local government. Kirsten, Kent, Alyssa, Javon, and Ben all selected four of their favorite episodes to honor with the most prestigious award in local government podcasting, a GovieLovie. They also debated the best holiday movie, made up local government themed songs, and shared a memory from the first five years of GovLove. Plus meet some new GovLove contributors for 2021 in Lauren, Toney, & Mike. Hosts: Kirsten Wyatt, Kent Wyatt, Ben Kittelson, Alyssa Dinberg, & Javon Davis   The GovieLovies Kirsten Race and Equity in Minneapolis with Joy Marsh Stephens Public Art & Black Lives Matter with Amina Cooper, Arts & Science Council Greedy Bastards with Sheryl Sculley, San Antonio, TX Remote Public Meetings & COVID-19 with Lindsay Lara, San Rafael, CA Ben Leadership and FireStat with Chief Reginald Freeman, Hartford, CT Community Safety & Innovation with Sarita Nair, Albuquerque, NM Building Inclusive Communities with Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Oregon Metro Budgeting During COVID-19 with Gregory Patrick, Norfolk, VA Javon Civic-Minded Journalism with Lucas Grindley, Next City Embracing Failure in Local Government with Andi Mirviss Reducing Reliance on Policing with Alex Vitale, Brooklyn College Reducing Evictions in Newark, NJ with Khabirah Myers Alyssa Leadership Through Crisis with Betsy Hodges, Kauffman Mayors Council Building Strong Towns with Chuck Marohn Addressing Equity During COVID-19 with Shannon Hardin, Columbus, OH Leadership in Times of Crisis – The Drucker Playbook with Tanya Ange and Lawrence Greenspun Kent Advocating for Public Records with Ginger McCall Recruiting in the City of Bend, OR with Eric King & Stephanie Betteridge Supporting Akron Businesses During COVID-19 with James Hardy and Michael Mazur Library Operations During COVID-19 with Jamie Eustace, Baytown, TX   Exit music: The 12 Clogs of Christmas by NEORSD

The Port Orange Government Show. Christine Martindale, Public Information Officer for the City of Port Orange, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about her new podcast for the City of Port Orange. She shared her transition from the private sector into local government as well as all of the work she does as a department of one. Christine and Ben discuss the benefits of podcasting and how easy it is to start a podcast of your own. Host: Ben Kittelson

Placemaking and economic development. Sandi Curd, Promise Zone Coordinator for the Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation, joined the podcast to talk about her work supporting communities and small businesses through placemaking. She shared how the Promise Zone impacts the 22-county service area in southeastern Kentucky and how placemaking can serve as an economic incubator. Sandi also discussed placemaking examples and how the community drives what they do. This episode is part of ELGL’s Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Ben Kittelson

Tips for video conferencing. Becky Hirst, Community Engagement Consultant from McLaren Vale, South Australia, joined the podcast to talk about her work as a community engagement consultant and her new e-book covering video conferencing etiquette. She discussed how she works with communities to inform the decision-makers by connecting with the community. She also shared the 10 tips for video conferencing in her new e-book such as testing your equipment, rules of engagement, and how to minimize distractions during meetings. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Doing it all. Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator for the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts, joined the podcast to talk about innovation, change management, and responding to COVID-19. He shared how the Town takes a customer focused approach to their work and the freedom departments have to implement new technology. He also discussed how smaller local governments have to manage large issues with fewer resources. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Preserving black history. Rebecca Bellan, Freelance Reporter for Forbes and CityLab, joined the podcast to tell the story of 227 Duffield in Brooklyn, New York. This home has ties to New York's abolitionist movement and is believed to have been part of the underground railroad. In two articles this year she's detailed the battle over preserving the home and the fight to preserve black history. Articles: What It Takes to Preserve a Building Tied to Black History and Did a Brooklyn Home’s Tunnel Provide Passage to Escaped Slaves? Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Don't make videos, make an impact. Dana Healy, Executive Director of CTV North Suburbs, joined the podcast to talk about the benefits of local community media centers. She discussed CTV North Suburbs which is a collaboration between nine cities in the Minneapolis area that creates video content on behalf of those local governments. The core function of the non-profit is to can help local governments promote and amplify their message. Dana also shared the upcoming content series with ELGL on effective relationships with community media centers and local governments. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Freedom to move. Kyle Rowe, Global Head of Partnerships for Spin, joined the podcast to talk about the role of micromobility in transportation. He discussed how micromobility helps people travel the last mile to their destination and how Spin, Inc. works with local governments to improve the experience of traveling by bike or scooter. He talked about how COVID-19 has impacted micromobility programs. Kyle also shared his career path which included time in the City of Seattle Department of Transportation. Host: Javon Davis

Government after shock. David Pembroke, Founder & CEO of contentgroup, joined the podcast to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing communications and digital tools in the public sector. He is the host of the upcoming GovComms Festival, which is an online event exploring how government communications is changing around the world. He talked about how COVID-19 has shown that communications needs to be a central, strategic function of government. Host: Ben Kittelson

A Texas-sized struggle to avoid financial crisis. Sheryl Sculley, former City Manager for the City of San Antonito, Texas, joined the podcast to discuss her book Greedy Bastards, which tells the story of her time leading San Antonio and dealing with financial challenges. Sculley was at the center of renegotiating public union safety contracts, which if not changed, would have bankrupted the City. She also talked about her career path and leadership style. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Attracting aspiring local government leaders. Eric King, City Manager, and Stephanie Betteridge, Chief Innovation Officer, joined the podcast to talk about a new recruitment in the City of Bend, Oregon. The City is hiring for a Strategic Initiatives Manager (and other roles) and they shared what led to creating this position, what skills they are looking for, and what the first few months on the job will be like. Eric and Stephanie also shared their own career paths in local government and what makes Bend unique. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Inspiring dialogue through art. Salam Rida, Project Director, and Travis Crabtree, Project Manager, discuss the Fertile Ground Project in Jackson, Mississippi. This project uses public art to talk about urban farming, the availability of healthy food, and the history of land use in the City of Jackson. Salam and Travis shared what led to the project and how food access intersects with history, class, race, and planning. This episode is part of ELGL’s Creative Community series, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Ben Kittelson

Empowering local governments. Nathan Lee, the Founder and Managing Director of Civic Pulse, joined the podcast to talk about their research and data analysis into local governments. He shared how he started Civic Pulse and the partnership with ELGL on the Diversity Dashboard measuring the diversity of the local government profession. He also discussed Civic Pulse's research into COVID-19 efforts by local governments on compliance and budget impacts. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Inspiring equitable cities. Lucas Grindley, the Executive Director of Next City, joined the podcast to talk about local journalism and the role Next City is filling by covering issues that impact cities. He discussed non-profit news organizations and solutions journalism. Lucas also shared he career path into journalism and the topics Next City has covered that local governments can learn from. Host: Javon Davis

Encouraging diversity. Pamela Antil, the City Manager of the City of Encinitas, California and Founder of the League of Women in Government, joined the podcast to talk about diversity in local government. She shared what the League of Women in Government does and why they were founded as well as the value of diversity. Pamela also talked about her new position, why data is important to the conversation, and ELGL's Diversity Dashboard. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Creating meaningful experience. Pat Madej, Senior Budget & Management Analyst for the City of Durham, NC, and Molly Gaskin, Graduate MPA Student at the University of North Carolina, joined the podcast to talk about the City of Durham's internship program. Pat discussed how the Budget Department established its internship program. Molly shared what it was like to be an intern during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discussed the project Molly worked on this summer which added a performance measurement and equity lens to evaluating budget requests. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

GFOA Fiscal First Aid. Shayne Kavanagh, Senior Manager of Research for GFOA, and Greg Devereaux, retired Chief Executive Officer of San Bernardino County, CA, joined the podcast to talk about recovering from a financial crisis. GFOA has identified a 12 step process for dealing with any crisis. Even the best-prepared local governments can be impacted by situations where there isn't enough money to do everything that people expect to get done.  Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Technology and emergency response. Sarah Tuneberg, the Innovation Response Team Lead for the State of Colorado, joined the podcast to talk about a new COVID-19 exposure notification app that uses bluetooth to alert people if they have exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. She described how the technology works and how it helps as another tool in the State's response to the coronavirus. Sarah also shared how she ended up working on the Innovation Response Team and what else the group is working on. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Powering communities. Joy Ditto, the President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA), joined the podcast to talk about public power utilities and how the electric industry has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. She discussed how APPA shared best practices to keep employees safe and how incorporating pandemic response measures fits with the safety culture in the electric industry. She also talked about the role of public power agencies. Host: Kirsten Wyatt

Reimagining government. Amanda Renteria, the CEO of Code for America, joined the podcast to talk about using technology to serve communities and use technology for good. She discussed how Code for America wants to encourage a delivery driven government that starts with people it serves. She also shared her career path in public service and example projects completed by Code for America brigades. Host: Javon Davis

Using data and technology to monitor streets. Three guests joined the podcast to talk about how the City of Savannah, Georgia is using new technology to understand the condition of their road infrastructure and more efficiently maintain their roads. Heath Lloyd is the Chief Infrastructure & Development Officer for the City of Savannah, Joe Shearhouse is the Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Savannah, and Stuart Frick is a Partner Success Lead for RoadBotics. They talked about how Savannah adopted RoadBotics to measure road condition more effectively and use data to better invest road maintenance funding. Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Inequity eliminator. Manisha Paudel, Equity Coordinator for the City of Des Moines, Iowa, joined the podcast to talk about implementing racial equity work and engaging with the community. She shared her career path doing equity and engagement work as well as how she works to normalize racial equity concepts and identify inequities in the City. Host: Ben Kittelson

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 of Hanford, California, joined the podcast to talk about their careers in local government. Meredith shared what she learned from growing up with a father who was a City Manager and how it has impacted her career choices. Jan shared what he learned in his career and his advice for people that want to become City Managers. Host: Kent Wyatt

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 to rethink their public art and what it emphasizes or honors. Amina also talked about how the way public art programs are administered can exclude artists from marginalized backgrounds. This is part of ELGL’s Creative Community, a partnership with ArtPlace America and CivicArts to write, explore, share, and learn about creative placemaking. Host: Javon Davis

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 discussed how past policing reforms have not been successful at changing outcomes and the need to solve community problems in new ways rather than just using the criminal justice system. He also shared examples from across the country of how cities are reducing the role of police (Examples: The Ithaca Plan, CAHOOTS, Cure Violence, and City of Berkeley). Host: Ben Kittelson

Rewards for shopping local. James Hardy, Deputy Mayor for Integrated Development at the City of Akron, Ohio, and Michael Mazur, Vice President for Business Development for Colu, joined the podcast to talk about an app that connects Akron residents with local businesses. The Akronite app gives retailers marketing tools and incentivizes shopping local by providing rewards at participating Akron businesses to residents.  Host: Alyssa Dinberg

Feeling politics. Brandon Davis, Assistant Professor of Law and Society for the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration, joined the podcast to discuss a recent paper he published titled, Feeling Politics: Carceral Contact, Well-Being, and Participation. His paper is about the impact that contact with police and the criminal justice system have on civic participation. Brandon discussed what his research found and how local governments can address this issue. Host: Kirsten Wyatt