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 209 of The HaltingWinter Podcast – Featuring Laura Philpot, City Manager of Maple Valley, WA
Brought to you by Zencity
When Laura Philpot started her career, she wanted to build big things—bridges, stadiums, and infrastructure that would last for generations. But somewhere between a concrete canoe competition in college and a salmon stream restoration project in Maple Valley, Washington, her vision shifted.
Episode 208 of The HaltingWinter Podcast – Featuring Mayor Alan Keck of Somerset, Kentucky
Brought to you by Zencity
What if your city’s next big leap forward didn’t come from a strategic plan, but from listening—really listening—to the people who live there?
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?
There’s a moment in every city leader’s career when you realize something sobering:
You’re making decisions with 80% of the information…
…while the people you serve, and often the people you report to, only see 15%.
What makes someone walk away from career stability, a steady paycheck, and a long track record of success—just to step into the chaos and risk of small-town leadership?
For Wesley, the answer goes all the way back to a childhood in England, a handwritten letter to Mensa, and a simple belief: that he was meant to make his corner of the world a little better.
When you think about local government leadership, your mind probably goes to bustling city halls, policy debates, and big-city mayors making headlines. But in the quiet lakefront village of Pentwater, Michigan, where the year-round population barely breaks 900, leadership looks a little different.
And that’s exactly why it matters.
Reaching 200 episodes of The HaltingWinter Podcast is a milestone and one worth pausing to celebrate. But it’s not just the number that matters. It’s what we’ve built along the way: a community of municipal leaders who are hungry for honest stories, practical insight, and meaningful conversations that help them lead better and live fuller.
That’s why it’s fitting that Episode 200 isn’t just another conversation—it’s a glimpse into the future of local government.
In Episode 199 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we sit down with Gabe Reaume, City Manager of Saginaw, Texas—a leader whose story reminds us that purpose doesn’t follow a straight line.
What do a radio studio and city hall have in common?
More than you’d think.
Before becoming the City Administrator of Festus, Missouri, Greg Camp was a radio DJ, program director, and elected mayor—each role teaching him something vital about communication, connection, and leadership.
What happens when your city doubles in size… but your infrastructure doesn’t?
Shawn Bell didn’t set out to become a city administrator. In fact, he started his career deep in politics—campaigning, lobbying, even working in D.C. But one grad school conversation, followed by an internship in Ferguson, Missouri, sent him down a different path: one that traded national headlines for neighborhood potholes, and policy theory for real-life leadership.
