Municipal Leaders: Develop Faster, Lead Stronger, Build Better
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
If you lead in local government, you know this tension intimately:
The need to act—fast.
The need to include—thoroughly.
The reality that doing both well is rarely easy.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Will Ibershof, City Administrator of Madras, Oregon, shares a story that’s equal parts hilarious, humbling, and hard-earned.
It starts with a dare.
And vomit on a perfectly manicured lawn.
But it leads to multi-million dollar infrastructure wins, community connection, and a life reshaped by the call to serve.
What do Amazon, Chick-fil-A, and your local public works department have in common?
Ideally—more than you think.
Leadership in local government carries a weight that few outside the role ever fully grasp. It’s not just the pressure to solve problems, manage crises, or balance competing priorities. It’s the quiet burden of being the person everyone looks to, even when you’re unsure yourself. It’s the weight of the title.
In a sector that often rewards caution, Bret Prebula is choosing courage. And not just in words, but in action, innovation, and the way he leads his city.
In Episode 182 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Bret—City Manager of Suisun City, California—shares his powerful journey: from leading golf retail stores to managing multimillion-dollar investments in Napa County to now reshaping the culture, speed, and strategic direction of a city in urgent need of reinvention.
Oh, and he’s doing all of it while legally blind.
We often celebrate municipal leaders for their toughness—their ability to carry pressure, manage conflict, and keep showing up no matter the storm. But what if the greatest strength in leadership isn’t grit?
What if it’s grace?
As National Public Works Week continues, we’re honored to highlight the often-unseen heroes who keep our cities, counties, and communities moving—not just with heavy equipment, but with deep purpose.
In Episode 179 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we sit down with Kevin Richardson, Water and Wastewater Engineering Project Manager for the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and a 16-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who found a new mission in local government.
This week is National Public Works Week, and we’re celebrating by turning up the volume on one of the most essential and least understood arms of local government.
In Episode 178 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we sit down with Ryan Blancke, Assistant Public Works Director for York County, South Carolina, to explore what it takes to lead one of the most complex, dynamic, and mission-driven departments in local government.
When a township begins to grow, it doesn’t just need more infrastructure—it needs more trust.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we sit down with Christopher Garges, Township Manager of Solebury, Pennsylvania, to explore how leadership, empathy, and community alignment can keep a growing municipality grounded in its identity.
In the latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we head to southern Maine to spotlight a municipal leader whose leadership journey began not in city hall, but in a family-owned bowling alley.
