From Noise to Insight: Episode 200 with Eyal Feder-Levy and the Launch of a New Chapter with Zencity

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 this episode, I sit down with Eyal Feder-Levy, the CEO and co-founder of Zencity, one of the most innovative civic tech companies working with cities and counties across the U.S. and beyond.

We explore the hard truth most public sector leaders already know: community engagement is broken. Town halls are sparsely attended. Surveys rarely reflect the full community. And loud voices—often driven by political or personal agendas—can easily distort what’s really going on.

Zencity was built to solve that.

Eyal walks us through how their platform collects and analyzes massive volumes of resident input—from 311 calls to social media posts to open-ended survey responses—and distills it into real-time, actionable insights that help city leaders make more informed, confident decisions.

It’s not about tracking trends. It’s about really listening—to the full spectrum of your community, not just the vocal few.

But this episode is more than just a platform demo. It’s a deeper conversation about:

• The erosion of public trust—and how to rebuild it through transparency and empathy
• The shift from anecdote-based leadership to insight-driven strategy
• What local governments need to navigate complexity without losing their humanity

And perhaps most importantly—it marks a new chapter for The HaltingWinter Podcast.

We’re proud to announce Zencity as our official presenting sponsor.

This partnership isn’t about ads. It’s about alignment. Zencity believes, as we do, that leadership in the public sector requires more than just knowledge. It requires tools, yes—but also courage, curiosity, and the willingness to change.

Together, we’re committed to supporting the city managers, county administrators, and local government leaders doing the often invisible work of making their communities stronger.

So if you’ve been following the podcast for a while—or if this is your first time—Episode 200 is the perfect place to dive in.

Listen now: www.HaltingWinter.com/resources
Learn more about Zencity: www.Zencity.io

Here’s to the next 200. And to building better cities—together.

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The HaltingWinter Podcast celebrates and elevates the people who power local government. Through in-depth conversations with leaders from cities, counties, and communities of all sizes, host Seth Winterhalter explores the journeys, challenges, and innovations happening in municipal leadership across America. This episode is proudly presented by Zencity—helping local governments turn everyday feedback into real-time insights so leaders can make confident, community-informed decisions. To learn more about how Zencity is helping turn data into action and insight into impact, visit zencity.io/winter.