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 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.
Episode 350 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Local government has a leadership problem. Not because leaders aren’t capable. Not because they don’t care. Not because they aren’t working hard enough.
The problem is that too many leaders feel responsible for having all the answers.
And the longer they lead, the heavier that burden becomes.
Episode 349 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Every community has a story.
Some communities are content to preserve the past. Others are willing to build the future.
Episode 347 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
In local government, leaders are often judged by results. Balanced budgets. New development. Infrastructure projects. Economic growth.
But what if the real driver behind all of those outcomes isn’t strategy, policy, or even expertise?
What if it’s relationships?
Episode 346 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Every community faces pressure to solve today’s problems. Residents want housing. Businesses need infrastructure. Roads need repairs. Budgets need balancing. Elected officials face immediate concerns, and staff work tirelessly to deliver services people depend on every day.
But great local government leadership requires something more. It requires the ability to look beyond today’s demands and ask a difficult question:
What kind of community are we building for the future?
Episode 344 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What transforms an organization’s culture? Many leaders assume it’s a new strategic plan, a revised organizational chart, or a fresh set of values hanging on the wall.
Katelyn Zeits learned otherwise.
Episode 343 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most leaders hope they never have to face a true crisis. Scottie Harris has spent his entire career preparing for one.
