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 310 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What if leadership in local government isn’t about the position you hold…but the impact you make?
In Episode 310 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Benjamin Bitter, City Manager of Maricopa, Arizona, offers a perspective that cuts through a lot of the noise in today’s leadership conversations.
You’re preparing for tonight’s council meeting. The budget proposal faces serious opposition. Your heart rate climbs. Your palms sweat. You mentally rehearse defenses against every possible attack.
You’ve prepared thoroughly. You know the numbers. But you’re consumed with one question: “How will I look if this goes badly?”
Episode 308 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What prepares someone to become a city manager?
For Jessica Leavins, it wasn’t a straight line…it was a calling.
Episode 307 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What does shoveling horse stalls have to do with becoming a city administrator?
More than you’d think.
You’re three weeks into budget season. Your inbox has 247 unread emails. The council wants updates on five different initiatives. Your assistant manager needs decisions on two personnel matters. Public Works is waiting on approval for the street project. And the community group that’s been calling daily just scheduled themselves on next week’s agenda.
You’re doing everything. And somehow, nothing’s moving forward.
This is exactly why we’re spending this week on “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan inside the Municipal Leadership Development Circle.
Episode 305 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most cities talk about culture. Very few engineer it.
In Episode 305 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, I sit down with Ken Striplin, City Manager of Santa Clarita, California, a leader who has spent more than 30 years inside one organization, rising from intern to city manager.
Episode 304 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most city managers didn’t grow up dreaming about becoming one. Many of them didn’t even know the role existed.
For Jeff Weckbach, Township Administrator of Colerain Township, Ohio, it all started with a college assignment. He was told to interview someone in a field he might be interested in. So he reached out to Cincinnati’s city manager at the time…Milton Dohoney.
You sit in your office between a difficult council meeting and an emergency department head call. The budget’s tight. The union’s upset. A resident complaint just hit the media. And you think: “What control do I actually have here?”
More than you realize.
Episode 302 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Small-town leadership carries a unique kind of pressure.
You don’t just serve the community; you live in it. The people affected by your decisions see you at school events, church, and the grocery store. When something goes wrong, they know exactly who to call.
Episode 301 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What does 38 years in local government teach you?
For Brian Heck, City Administrator of Montgomery, Minnesota, the answer isn’t strategy alone. It’s resilience.
