Filling Potholes in Heels: What Bold Local Leadership Really Looks Like

What does it take to lead three towns through a pandemic, manage multimillion-dollar infrastructure without debt, and still have the humility to literally fill potholes in high heels?

In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast brought to you Zencity, we sit down with Sandra Fournier, Town Manager of Mapleton, Castle Hill, and Chapman, Maine—a leader whose path into public service is as unconventional as it is inspiring.

Sandra didn’t follow a traditional leadership track. She was a teen mom who dropped out of high school, worked night shifts to pay the bills, and got her first taste of local government as a young woman seeking help from the very town office she now leads. That early experience, being met with compassion instead of judgment, sparked a lifelong desire to give back. And she’s done that with fierce determination ever since.

In this conversation, Sandra opens up about:

• The winding road from administrative assistant to multi-town manager
• Why saying “yes” before you feel ready is often the best leadership move
• How three towns came together under one inter-local agreement and why it works
• Leading through crisis as a newly hired town manager at the start of the pandemic
• Capital planning as a legacy of service, not just a line item
• And the viral moment that showed her community who she really is

Sandra’s story is a masterclass in bold leadership, compassionate governance, and the quiet strength it takes to build something that lasts.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your background disqualifies you from leadership, or wondered how to lead change in small towns with big expectations, this is the episode for you.

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Listen to Episode 206: Sandra Fournier: Filling Potholes in Heels

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This episode is brought to you by Zencity
This episode is proudly presented by Zencity—helping local governments turn everyday feedback into real-time insights so leaders can make confident, community-informed decisions. To learn more about how Zencity is helping turn data into action and insight into impact, visit zencity.io.

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The HaltingWinter Podcast celebrates and elevates the people who power local government. Through in-depth conversations with leaders from cities, counties, and communities of all sizes, host Seth Winterhalter explores the journeys, challenges, and innovations happening in municipal leadership across America.