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.
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.
When Jennifer Poirrier joined the City of Clearwater as an HR director, becoming city manager wasn’t remotely on her radar. In fact, she explicitly told mentors throughout her career: “I do not want to be a city manager.”
Yet today, she leads one of Florida’s premier tourism destinations through recovery from devastating hurricanes and manages the complex dance between 15 million annual visitors and residents who cherish their “small town feel.”
When Kevin Phelps arrived in Glendale, Arizona in 2016, he inherited a city the Wall Street Journal had described as in “worse financial straits than any city except Detroit.” Today, Glendale boasts nearly $300 million in reserves, hasn’t raised property taxes in eight years, and is home to a booming entertainment district featuring some of the Southwest’s most exciting developments.
How did this remarkable transformation happen?
In the latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with Dawn Peters, a transformative figure in municipal leadership development who serves as Executive Director for both the Illinois and Wisconsin City and County Management Associations.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of a leader who transformed county government in Maine and built a legacy of collaboration spanning four decades.
Many great municipal leaders trace their path back to a defining childhood moment. For Peter Crichton, it was attending town meetings in Mars Hill, Maine (population under 2,000) with his father at the tender age of eight. These early exposures to local democracy planted seeds that would flourish into a remarkable 40-year career in public service.
In the latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with Shawna Davis, City Administrator of Odessa, Missouri, for a conversation that reveals both the challenges and rewards of municipal leadership in small communities.
In episode 166 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with David Cline, whose extraordinary career in municipal leadership includes surprising encounters with undercover operations and transforming some of Washington state’s most challenged neighborhoods.
In an era where cities face increasingly complex challenges with limited resources, finding innovative solutions has never been more critical. Yet, many municipalities struggle with bureaucratic inertia and siloed departments that stifle creativity. Jimmy Liles, City Administrator of Nixa, Missouri, has developed a refreshingly effective approach that’s earning national attention.
In the northernmost reaches of Maine, a small border town of just 2,000 people is experiencing a renaissance that defies the typical narrative of rural decline. At the helm of this transformation is Luke Dyer, Town Manager of Van Buren, whose journey from police sergeant to municipal leader offers valuable lessons for communities of all sizes.
