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 284 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Some leadership roles come with applause.
Municipal leadership rarely does.
When a city is under financial strain, when public trust is fragile, and when the problems on your desk were created long before you arrived, leadership stops being theoretical. It becomes personal. Heavy. Relentless.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, I sat down with Rose Beverly, City Manager of Paris, Texas, to talk about what it actually looks like to hold the line when a city is struggling.
Episode 283 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most people discover leadership after they’re given the title.
Elvin “EJ” Hardwick found it long before.
In Episode 283 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with EJ Hardwick, Town Manager of Somerset, Maryland, to explore a question local government needs to ask more often:
You know that comprehensive plan your council wants? The one you’ve had on your calendar for six weeks? Still not done.
That organizational restructure that would actually solve your capacity problems? Still in draft form.
The performance system redesign your department desperately needs? Still on the “someday” list.
It’s not because you’re lazy. It’s not because you don’t care. It’s because you’re trying to do deep, strategic work in an environment designed for constant distraction.
Episode 281 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
When the water rises faster than forecasts predicted, leadership stops being theoretical.
In this episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, City Manager Kevin Robinson shares what it means to lead when 65% of your city is underwater, hundreds of residents need rescue, and the recovery will take years, not weeks.
Episode 280 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What changes when you’ve led through war zones, natural disasters, political upheaval, and then step into city management?
For Troy Body, City Administrator of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, leadership didn’t come through a straight line. His journey spans Appalachia, national media, state government, post-Katrina New Orleans, South Sudan, and multiple regions of Africa, all before ultimately landing in local government.
When’s the last time you made a decision you regretted?
Not a catastrophic mistake. Just something where you looked back later and thought, “If I’d had ten more minutes to think about that, I would’ve handled it differently.”
Now ask yourself: Were you hurrying when you made it?
Episode 278 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Municipal leadership has a way of creeping into every corner of life.
The meetings don’t end when the workday does.
The pressure doesn’t pause on weekends.
And over time, it becomes easy to confuse dedication with depletion.
Episode 277 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
City management isn’t about control.
It’s about stewardship: showing up day after day to lead through uncertainty, pressure, and moments that don’t wait for permission.
In Episode 277 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Andy Pederson, Village Manager of Bayside, Wisconsin, and President-Elect of ICMA, to explore a leadership journey shaped by longevity, service, and a deep sense of calling.
Every January, leaders feel the pressure to “get balanced.”
New routines.
New habits.
New expectations.
But if you lead in local government, you already know the truth: the work doesn’t slow down because the calendar flips. The weight doesn’t disappear because intentions are good. And balance, at least the way it’s been sold, has never quite fit the reality you live in.
Episode 275 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Municipal leadership has a way of convincing people they’re supposed to carry it all by themselves.
The pressure doesn’t shut off.
The criticism doesn’t always make sense.
And the responsibility—financial, organizational, human—never really leaves your shoulders.
