Empathy and change. Veronica O. Davis joined the podcast to talk about her book,  Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities. She discussed a different way to center equity in transportation, the importance of centering people in the planning process, and how the history of a community impacts their current transportation needs. She also shared her career path in local government and what made her want to write the book.  Host: Ben Kittelson

#609 Inclusive Transportation with Veronica O. Davis

Early investments. Jose Landeros, Director of Strategic Development for El Paso County, Texas joined the podcast to discuss innovation in economic mobility. He discussed participating in ICMA's Economic Mobility and Opportunity Cohort, the needs assessment conducted related to after-hours child care, and why local government has a vested interest in this issue. Host: Lauren Palmer

#608 Innovation in Economic Mobility with Jose Landeros, El Paso County, TX

Sabine Rogers, Federal Policy Project Manager for the U.S. Green Building Council, joined the podcast to discuss Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding, building energy codes, and performance standards. She provided an update on energy reductions in commercial buildings, how local governments can benefit from Inflation Reduction Act funding related to updated building and energy codes, and how to stay up to date with the work of the U.S. Green Building Council. Host: Ben Kittelson

#607 Sustainable Buildings and IRA Funding with Sabine Rogers, USGBC

In this special episode, Lauren Palmer, Director of Local Government Services for the Mid-America Regional Council joined the podcast to discuss working for a regional government. She shared her GovLove in Love story, what services a Regional Council provides, and the projects she is currently working on. Host: Dan Bolin 

#606 Regional Vision with Lauren Palmer, Mid-America Regional Council

Lara Biggs, Capital Planning Bureau Chief and City Engineer for the City of Evanston, Illinois, joined the podcast to discuss capital planning, infrastructure, and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety. She shared the City's engagement strategy to design projects with the community and stakeholders. She also talked about what data points are used when prioritizing projects, how to handle reduction in parking spaces with safety improvements, and how to get public buy-in on new safety design elements. Host: Ben Kittelson

#605 Infrastructure and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety with Lara Biggs, Evanston, IL

Two guests joined the podcast to discuss financial empowerment. Tamara Lindsay is Chief of Strategy for the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and Janae Bradford is the Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment and Community Wealth at the City of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They shared what financial empowerment centers are, what programs the centers offers, and how a local government can start their own center. Host: Lauren Palmer

#604 Financial Empowerment and Wealth Building with Tamara Lindsey and Janae Bradford

Drawing ideas out of people and implementing those ideas. Josh Edwards, Assistant Manager for Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, joined the podcast to talk about leadership, the role of an Assistant Manager, and strategic planning. He discussed how the organization created its first organization-wide strategic plan, how to get departments to buy into strategic planning, and the importance of building capacity to implement a strategic plan. He also shared how Athens-Clarke County is planning for growth and dealing with affordability. Host: Ben Kittelson

#603 Strategic Planning and Leadership with Josh Edwards, Athens-Clarke County, GA

Digging around in your municipal couch cushions. Kimberly Olivares, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the City of Austin, Texas, and Ben McAdams, Senior Fellow at the Government Finance Offers Association (GFOA), joined the podcast to discuss GFOA's Putting Assets to Work program which explores how local governments can utilize their assets differently or monetize their assets to create revenue. Ben talked about the program as a whole and the opportunity using assets differently can be for municipalities. Kim shared the City of Austin's experience in reviewing their real estate assets and why it is a necessary strategy for the City. Host: Lauren Palmer

#602 Putting Assets to Work with Kimberly Olivares and Ben McAdams

Dr. Dylan Hayden, author of The Public Administrator's Guide to ChatGPT, joined the podcast to discuss all things artificial intelligence (AI) and local government. He shared why you should consider using AI, uses for AI in local government, and the importance of prompts. He also talked about the importance of the ethical use of AI and things to keep in mind when developing an AI policy. Host: Rafael Baptista

#601 The Public Administrator's Guide to Artificial Intelligence with Dr. Dylan Hayden

The most prestigious award in local government podcasting. The GovLove co-hosts teamed up to hand out awards and recap another year of a podcasting about local government. Lauren, Dan, Meredith, and Ben selected three of their favorite episodes to award a GovieLovie. They also shared their highlight from 2023, dream guests for 2024, and what they are obsessed with. Hosts: Lauren Palmer, Dan Bolin, Meredith Reynolds, & Ben Kittelson  The 2023 GovieLovies  Lauren   Alternative 911 Responses with Gabriela Solis, Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab  Family Focused Urbanism with Barry Greene Jr., Density Dad  Local Government 2030 with Megan Caron, Elizabeth McDonald, and Ryan Webb  Dan   Building a Customer Service Culture with Melissa Cantarero Weiss, Wauwatosa, WI  Housing Choices and Building Opportunity with Spencer Gardner, Spokane, WA  Performance and Process Improvement with Kayla Barber-Perrotta, Brighton, CO  Meredith   Humans in Public Service with Brian Whittaker  Vision Zero and Tactical Urbanism with Barkha Patel, Jersey City, NJ  State of ELGL with Maggie Jones, Tarrant County, TX  Ben   Community Carbon Neutrality in Ann Arbor, MI with Dr. Missy Stults  High Performance Organizations with Hannes Zacharias, University of Kansas  Hiring a 21st Century Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA  Rafael:  Performance and Process Improvement with Kayla Barber-Perrotta, Brighton, CO Toney:Inclusive Recovery Toolkit with New Growth Innovation Network Producer Pick from Pizza Mike:Small Town Management and Tourism with Greg LeBlanc, Snowmass Village, CO

#600 The 2023 GovieLovies

High impact, not low-hanging fruit. Dr. Pamela Braff, the Director of Climate Programs for the City of Olympia, Washington, joined the podcast to discuss prioritizing climate initiatives and building climate action into the way the City does business. She talked about the  Energize Olympia program which subsidizes the cost of installing heat pumps for residents and climate action planning at the regional level. She also shared the City's multi-agency sea level rise response  plan. Host: Ben Kittelson

#599 Addressing Climate Change in Olympia, WA with Dr. Pamela Braff

Ben Effinger, Cash Management Operations Chief for the Treasurer and Tax Collector in Los Angeles County, CA joined the podcast to discuss transitioning from the military to the local government. He shared how military roles can transition to local government, what local governments can do to help military members, and the importance of men's mental health. Host: Rafael Baptista

#598 Transitioning from Military to Local Government with Ben Effinger, Los Angeles County, CA

Outcomes and processes. Three guests joined the podcast to discuss community wellness hubs. Kristine Stratton is the President and CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Matt Mann, Recreation Program Manager, and Sean Kennan, Recreation Superintendent, both work for the City of Shawnee, Kansas. They shared what defines a community wellness hub and an in-depth example of the  Shawnee Community Wellness Hub. They also discussed the role of health equity in hubs and the NRPA Community Wellness Hubs  toolkit. Host: Ben Kittelson

#597 Community Wellness Hubs with NRPA and Shawnee, KS

Jed Byrne, Editor at Oak City CRE, joined the podcast to discuss development finance. He shared the important role of developers, the lifecycle of a project, and shared examples of how projects are financed. Host: Rafael Baptista

#596 Demystifying Development Finance with Jed Byrne, Oak City CRE

Helping communities weigh tradeoffs on their roadways. Conor Semler, Principal Planner for Kittelson & Associates, joined the podcast to talk about a new tool that will help communities make streets safer. He shared his recent  research into roadway cross-section reallocation and how cities can use the tool to balance community priorities with roadway usage. He also discussed the issue with outdated standards and the tradeoffs communities should consider when designing streets Host: Ben Kittelson

#595 Improving Roadway Safety and Meeting Community Priorities with Conor Semler, Kittelson & Associates

Planning with natural charm. Tim Maslow, Community and Economic Development Director for the City of Groveland, Florida, joined the podcast to talk about planning and urbanism. He shared how Groveland is working to manage population growth, retain natural amenities, and create walkable places. Tim talked about creating the City's new form-based code and establishing  pre-approved plans in the Florida Vernacular style to streamline the development process. Host: Ben Kittelson

#594 Community Building and Agricultural Urbanism with Tim Maslow, Groveland, FL

Strategy and service. Melissa Cantarero Weiss, Deputy City Administrator for the City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, joined the podcast to talk about building a customer service culture. She shared how they engaged employees in developing customer service values and integrating customer service into training, employee evaluations, and awards. Melissa also discussed the City's strategic plan, community engagement, the City's 2024 budget, and her career path in local government. Host: Ben Kittelson

#593 Building a Customer Service Culture with Melissa Cantarero Weiss, Wauwatosa, WI

Go get 'em, tiger. Gabe Reaume, the City Manager for the City of Saginaw, Texas joined the podcast to discuss his new book,  Strangers and Angels. Gabe shared stories growing up in rural Michigan, his unique path to city management, and how a friendship with a woman old enough to be his grandmother impacted his life. Host: Rafael Baptista

#592 Strangers and Angels with Gabe Reaume, Saginaw, TX

The state of ELGL is strong. Maggie Jones is the Chair of the ELGL Board of Directors and Assistant Director of Community Development for Tarrant County, Texas. Maggie joined the podcast to provide listeners with an update on ELGL. She shared what makes the organization special, how members can maximize their membership, and a preview of ELGL 24. Maggie also talked about her career path and is rumored to have shared a membership promo code during the episode for listeners. Host: Rafael Baptista

#591 State of ELGL with Maggie Jones, Tarrant County, TX

Choices for all. Spencer Gardner, the Planning Director for the City of Spokane, Washington joined the podcast to discuss their innovative Building Opportunity and Choices for All program. He discussed the use of an interim zoning ordinance, what things in the city code need to be addressed to achieve more equitable housing, and tax credit programs the City offers to support their housing goals. Host: Ben Kittelson

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