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.
Episode 365 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Sponsored by Tyler Technologies
Before we dive into Eric Swanson’s remarkable career, it’s worth pausing on the advice that defines both the man and this episode:
“Just keep showing up.”
It sounds almost too simple. But anyone who has spent time in local government knows it may be the hardest leadership lesson to live.
Episode 364 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Sponsored by Tyler Technologies
When people think about local government, they often think about roads, budgets, permits, or public meetings.
Ken Pulskamp sees something much bigger.
After nearly four decades in local government, including helping build the City of Santa Clarita from its earliest days, Ken believes local government has a far greater purpose.
“We are architects of the good life.”
Episode 362 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most leadership stories celebrate the moment someone says “yes” to a promotion. Benjamin Marentette’s story is different. When he was unanimously selected to become the City Manager of Traverse City, Michigan, he turned the job down.
Not because he lacked the qualifications. Not because he didn’t love his community. And not because he didn’t aspire to lead. He simply knew he wasn’t ready. That decision became one of the defining moments of his leadership journey.
Episode 361 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Every leader has experienced it. An employee follows the process, checks every box, and completes exactly what’s required…but something is missing.
Initiative. Creativity. Ownership.
Episode 359 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Every local government leader knows retirement is coming. The challenge isn’t replacing a position. It’s replacing decades of experience and knowledge.
Every organization has employees who know where the undocumented utility line runs, why a policy exists, how a recurring problem was solved ten years ago, or which resident to call before a project begins. Much of that knowledge lives only in their heads and when they retire, it often leaves with them.
That challenge is at the heart of today’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast.
Episode 358 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most people assume exceptional careers are carefully planned. Choose the right degree. Find the right job. Earn the next promotion. Keep climbing.
But what if that’s not how the best leadership journeys actually unfold?
Episode 356 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Some leaders make an impact measured in months. Others leave a legacy measured in decades.
For 33 years, Mike Van Milligen has served as the City Manager of Dubuque, Iowa, helping lead one of the most remarkable community transformations in local government. During his tenure, the city rebounded from economic decline, revitalized its historic downtown and riverfront, invested in neighborhoods, strengthened partnerships across the community, and became a five-time All-America City.
Episode 355 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most leaders believe experience is what makes them better. But experience alone isn’t enough.
Some leaders repeat the same year of experience twenty times. Others intentionally learn from every challenge, every conversation, every success, and every setback. Those are the leaders who continue to grow and whose organizations continue to grow with them.
That idea sits at the heart of my latest conversation with Opal Mauldin-Jones, City Manager of Lancaster, Texas.
Episode 353 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Ask a room full of city managers and county administrators how they arrived in local government, and you’ll quickly discover there isn’t a single blueprint for ascending to the role.
Some studied public administration. Others came from engineering, planning, finance, public works—or entirely different careers.
Jeremy Scott’s story may be one of the most unconventional yet.
Episode 352 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What makes someone choose one community over another? It’s a question every local government leader should be asking.
Too often, economic development conversations focus on attracting businesses, creating jobs, or expanding the tax base. While those priorities matter, longtime City Manager Tim Ellis believes the most successful communities start somewhere else: quality of life.
