A panel of government planning lawyers joined to podcast to share their experiences in local, state, and federal planning law. They shared their career paths along with what they do in their current positions. The panel included: Tina Axelrad, Zoning Administrator for the City and County of Denver, CO; Samuel Capasso, Community Infrastructure Resilience Branch Chief for FEMA; Nestor Davidson, Professor of Real Estate, Land Use and Property Law at Fordham University; Daniel Arking, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Detroit, MI; and Kimberly Mickelson, Chair for the Government Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Host: Dan Bolin
Mar 15
1 hr 28 min
Government workers leading change. Allison Bell, Founder and CEO of Bellwether Consulting, joined the podcast to discuss her book, Herocrats: A Guide for Government Workers Leading Change. She shared the definition of a Herocrat, the three main sections of the book, and how you can nominate the monthly Herocrat. Host: Meredith Reynolds
Mar 8
52 min
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
Mar 1
1 hr 3 min
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
Feb 23
52 min
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
Feb 16
1 hr 10 min
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
Feb 9
56 min
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
Feb 2
56 min
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
Jan 26
48 min
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
Jan 19
55 min
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
Jan 12
43 min
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