City Manager Unfiltered

Joe Turner

City Manager Unfiltered is a podcast by a city manager for city managers. I am your host, Joe Turner, and I’m on a mission to build a community for ambitious city managers.

I want to provide you with the career tools and resources to help make you a better executive so you can rack up victories, polish your resume, dominate interviews, land your dream job, and win your contract negotiations.

If you are a city manager looking to level up, check out my podcast, City Manager Unfiltered. Hit that subscribe button today so you don’t miss an episode.

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144 episodes
Updated February 25

Episodes144

Newest first

Dec 11, 2024 · 52 min
My First 100 Days as City Manager with Chris Hoem | Ep. 84
Back in June, the City of Atwater hired Chris Hoem to be their next city manager. It was his first city manager gig and he was coming off of being terminated as a department head a few months before. This interview was conducted shortly after he had completed his first 100 days in the position in late October. We talked about his preparation and how he navigated this introductory period. And he candidly shared his story about his termination and why he did not accept an offer to resign. SHOW NOTES: Chris Hoem's LinkedIn page EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by Holbrook Asphalt. Maintaining your roads is one of the most difficult tasks for any city government. The good news is the secret to making it easier is only 3 letters: H-A-5. HA5 extends the life of roads and reduces the financial burden on taxpayers. HA5 is an innovative pavement preservation treatment trusted by over 300 public agencies. It keeps good roads in good condition, reducing repair costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Join the hundreds of other cities making the smart choice. Choose HA5 for longer-lasting roads and a healthier budget. Learn more at holbrookasphalt.com/city. AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dec 4, 2024 · 1 hr 12 min
The Municipal Financial Crisis with Mark Moses | Ep. 83
Mark Moses is the author of "The Municipal Financial Crisis" where he lays out a "framework for understanding and fixing government budgeting." Mark has some strong opinions on how local governments have gradually increased and broadened their scope of services to an unsustainable level and he kills off some sacred cows along the way diagnosing the problem. In this episode, we discuss zero based budgeting, privatization, impacts on the nonprofit community, and how elected officials negatively impact the budgeting process. The book is very thought provoking and I highly encourage you all to read it. In particular, I recommend that the city and county managers listening to this podcast purchase the book for their electeds so that they can read Chapter 3, which was probably my favorite chapter. SHOW NOTES: The Municipal Financial Crisis by Mark Moses Mark Moses' LinkedIn page EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nov 27, 2024 · 37 min
Score an Easy Win with Inclusive Parks | Ep. 82
One of my goals with this podcast is to help you produce "wins" for your resume so that you can advance your career. When you can do the "right thing" and help those who need it most while also scoring a professional win -- it does not get much better. This is a great, relatively low cost idea that many communities will benefit from. Morgan Massera of Coalinga, California, is a mother of a young child that has difficulty communicating verbally. In this episode, we discuss her personal journey and her efforts to get communication boards installed throughout the parks in her community. Not only do these boards help children like hers, they also help children and individuals who are unable to communicate in the same language interact with each other. She worked closely with the incredible staffers staffers at the City of Coalinga and the Coalinga-Huron Recreation and Park District. This includes former Coalinga city manager, Marissa Trejo, and Mallory Griffith-Wells, general manager for the district. Funding for the project was generously provided by the Coalinga Healthcare District. SHOW NOTES: Link to Morgan Massera's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/morgankathleen9/ Morgan would like to refer parents and families of those affected to Apraxia Kids for more information and resources. Communication Boards produced by Talk to Me Technologies EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/
Nov 20, 2024 · 56 min
How to Calculate Your Mental Health Score | Ep. 81
In last week's interview about radical mental health transparency, Todd Hopwood broadly discussed the 10 questions he asks himself each day. In this follow up episode, we breakdown those 10 questions, how you should assess them, and how to calculate your score so that you can better track your mental health and mood. Here are the 10 questions: How motivated am I today? What are my perceived energy levels? Are simple tasks easy or difficult? How well have I slept lately? How's my physical health today? How purposeful do I feel? How connected am I to family and friends? How has my diet been lately? How are my stress levels? How easy or difficult is decision making for me today? What does your daily score mean: 10/10 - All time, lifetime peak form 9/10 - Exceptional Form 8/10 - Very Good Form 7/10 - Decent Form 6/10 - Average Form 5/10 - Low Mood 4/10 - Very Low Mood 3/10 - Extremely Low Mood 2/10 - I am struggling and need help 1/10 - CRISIS, please reach out to me These questions are based off of the research and work over at FormScore. SHOW NOTES: Todd Hopwood's LinkedIn Page EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nov 13, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 80 | Radical Mental Health Transparency with Todd Hopwood
Todd Hopwood shocked me when he explained his radical approach to mental health transparency. We discuss a system he has implemented which is designed to help him when he is struggling and needs help the most. Frankly, it is not an approach that I would personally be comfortable practicing in my workplace. However, there is no question that his courage, leadership, and modeling of this behavior promotes greater awareness of mental health issues in the workplace and it most definitely gives employees greater assurance that their mental health concerns are valid and will be supported within the organization. Todd is my first international guest on the show. He works for the Australian city of Wollongong as the senior manager for their Customer and Business Integrity department. SHOW NOTES: Todd Hopwood's LinkedIn Page EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nov 6, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
Work-Life Balance is Bullshit with Seth Winterhalter | Ep. 79
Seth Winterhalter has some thoughts on work-life balance, leaders needing chaos to thrive, and the let down that achievers can feel once they accomplish major goals. An executive coach and owner of HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions, Seth seeks to help city and county managers escape burnout, set boundaries, and experience breakthroughs in work-life balance. He recently rebranded his podcast to focus on local government executives and content. He has started rolling out interviews with city managers, too. I encourage you all to check it out and will link to it in the show notes. Also in this episode, I went "off script" and put myself on the couch a little bit. It was an unplanned detour and I thought about cutting my personal elements out of the podcast -- but I think the resulting discussion may prove beneficial to some of you so I left it in. SHOW NOTES: Seth Winterhalter's LinkedIn profile and website for HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions Link to The HaltingWinter Podcast EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nov 3, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
SHS: Using Leverage & Real Estate to Create Wealth with Noel Bernal | Ep. 78
In my first installment of my new "Side Hustle Sunday" series, I discuss the power of leveraging real estate to create wealth with Noel Bernal. Noel started his real estate investment journey in his early 20's before he became a public sector executive. He, along with his wife, have increased their real estate holdings over time and expanded into larger real estate transactions through syndication deals. We both preach the importance of city and county managers adding additional income streams to their portfolio so that they can weather separations and also maintain some control over their own destiny when it comes to working in toxic environments. Passive and secondary income streams give you options and prevent you from being trapped in soul crushing situations where you might feel forced to put up with abusive and unprofessional treatment by elected officials because you are fearful of not being able to put food on your family's table. My initial plan is to release an episode on the first Sunday of every month featuring interviews with government employees who are working on a side hustle or highlight someone outside of local government who is engaged in a side hustle that I think might inspire you to start your own journey towards securing financial independence. If you or someone you know has an interesting side hustle that they want to share with my audience, please reach out and contact me. SHOW NOTES: Noel Bernal's LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelbernal/) Noel is the Founder & CEO of Main St. Public Financial (https://mainstpublic.com/) EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Oct 30, 2024 · 1 hr
Jorge Garcia Methodically Prepared for First City Manager Post in Pismo Beach | Ep. 77
Confident. Certain. Poised. Prepared. Jorge Garcia, a first-time city manager in Pismo Beach, California, embodies all of these adjectives. He has spent many years readying himself for this moment -- his first assignment as a chief executive officer for a municipal corporation. He is only one year into his tenure, but as you listen to this interview, you will come away with the impression that he's sat in "the chair" for a decade plus! Jorge is the next generation of public sector leadership and he models a wonderful example for those aspiring to become city managers. There are several really good nuggets in this conversation and in particular, his communications strategy with his elected officials designed to build trust and create confidence. SHOW NOTES: Jorge Garcia's LinkedIn profile Pismo Beach public works director vacancy with an 11/15/2024 application deadline can be found here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pismobeach EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Oct 23, 2024 · 1 hr 19 min
Daniel Rosemond Appeals Case to the Florida Supreme Court | Ep. 76
Our friend, Daniel Rosemond, visits the show to provide an update on his legal case against the City of Hallandale Beach. In February, he had a major set back and we talk about battling through this ordeal that has now stretched out more than 8 years. We also talk about his work with East to West Development and share some exciting news about his book, "Death of the Public Servant." Daniel was featured in a 3-part interview series last year: Episode 10: Death of the Public Servant, Episode 12: Revenge of the Public Servant, and Episode 16: Betrayal of the Public Servant SHOW NOTES: Daniel Rosemond is the author of "Death of the Public Servant" and CEO of the East to West Development Corporation. You are invited to reach out and contact him for professional advice and consultation on affordable housing initiatives and to support him by purchasing his book. Daniel's LinkedIn profile EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Oct 16, 2024 · 42 min
Side Hustles & Passive Income Streams with Nick Loper | Ep. 75
Nick Loper is a legend in the side hustle and internet marketing space. He is the host of the Side Hustle Show podcast and runs the Side Hustle Nation website. I get excited when talking about internet marketing, start-ups, passive income, and entrepreneurship. And I hope many of you do, too, as I would like to explore this topic in more earnest in the future. Being a city or county manager is very risky. Governing bodies are churning and burning through public sector executives who are increasingly seen as disposable and interchangeable commodities. In the past, I have talked about minimizing downside risk exposure during contract negotiations and explored the idea of side hustles and alternative income streams to augment incomes during transitions so that you are not pressured into taking an unattractive opportunity just for the sake of putting food on the table. Please let me know if you enjoy or do not enjoy this podcast so that I can modify future programming. SHOW NOTES: You can find Nick Loper here: Side Hustle Show podcast Side Hustle Nation website: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/ideas/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickloper/ EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/cmu/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Oct 9, 2024 · 49 min
Started From the Bottom with Brian Barboza | Ep. 74
Clarendon City Administrator Brian Barboza literally started at the bottom and worked his way to "the chair." When he was a young man, recently graduated from high school, Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna took an interest and gave him an application to become an employee in the streets department. Barboza worked for the city while going to college with plans to becoming a police officer. A fateful conversation with Hanna who pitched Barboza on the idea of becoming a city manager would forever change his life. In this episode, we talk about how Brian worked his way up from the bottom and how important it is to have mentors and people who believe in you. SHOW NOTES: You can find Brian Barboza on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-barboza-cpm-40a011172/ EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/solutions/city-manager-unfiltered-live-speech-translation/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Oct 2, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
Rising to Serve with Brooks Williams | Ep. 73
City Manager Brooks Williams brings a passionate but demanding philosophical approach to local government. He joins the program to talk about the importance of innovation and efficiency, accountability, employee development, and building strong relationships with your elected officials as he leads the City of Ferris, Texas. Brooks recently published "Rising to Serve," which I can only describe as his personal love letter to public service and city management. The foreward was penned by the incomparable Tommy Gonzalez. In his book, available on Amazon, Brooks sets out on a mission to reimagine public administration in this era of unprecedented change. SHOW NOTES: Brooks Williams' LinkedIn Page Link to Brooks' book "Rising to Serve" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4eu66Tw EPISODE SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by KUDO. Make your council meetings accessible with translated audio and live captions into 45+ languages. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Only listeners of the City Manager Unfiltered podcast can sign up for a FREE, no risk, no obligation one-month trial offer. Use this link: https://kudo.ai/solutions/city-manager-unfiltered-live-speech-translation/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sep 22, 2024 · 1 hr
James Freed Wins After ICMA Settles Lawsuit! Now What? | Ep. 72
As I predicted, the ICMA finally capitulated and settled the anti-defamation lawsuit brought forth by Michigan city manager James Freed. As part of the agreement where financial details were not releaed, the ICMA agreed to retract the censure by removing it from their website. The settlement was announced via a joint statement on ICMA letterhead. However, I have received overwhelmingly negative responses from the city managers in my network regarding the language of that statement. In this episode, I dissect the statement and compare it to the original press release issued by the ICMA when it announced the public censure of James Freed. And now that this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties -- we ponder the logical question that remains: Now what? SHOW NOTES: James Freed posted the release on his personal LinkedIn page. You can read it here: ICMA Joint Statement Freed Email Statement and Court Filing Video of James Freed addressing ICMA issue ICMA Public Statements & Court Filing LinkedIn Post In Defense of the ICMA Code of Ethics by Jason Grant, Director of Advocacy Court Filing Additional Information about James Freed vs ICMA Main Reference Page AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sep 18, 2024 · 50 min
James Freed and ICMA issue multiple statements about lawsuit | Ep. 71
Things are heating up in the battle between Port Huron City Manager James Freed and the ICMA over the last two weeks. The two-year saga began in June 2022 when the ICMA publicly censured Freed and stripped him of his credential. Freed countered with a lawsuit alleging the ICMA engaged in a conspiracy to defame him. On September 5, 2024, Freed sent out an email along with a 21-page court filing. See link in the show notes. On Friday the 6th, the ICMA issued its first public statement on the lawsuit mentioning James Freed by name and referencing yours truly indirectly. On Monday the 9th, Freed and the ICMA once again made public statements. Freed addressed his employees at an annual luncheon and spoke about the lawsuit and upcoming trial. His remarks were about 20 minutes long and have been included in this podcast. Additionally, the ICMA's director of advocacy pubished an article on its website. Jason Grant argued that public censures were not punitive and defended the organization. However, the final paragraph signaled to me thta the organization is preparing to settle with Freed while trying to save face. SHOW NOTES: James Freed Court Filing and Public Statements: Freed Email Statement and Court Filing Video of James Freed addressing ICMA issue ICMA Public Statements & Court Filing LinkedIn Post In Defense of the ICMA Code of Ethics by Jason Grant, Director of Advocacy Court Filing Additional Information about James Freed vs ICMA Main Reference Page AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sep 11, 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
Ep. 70 | Surviving Sexual & Domestic Abuse with Audree Guzman
Audree Guzman refused to become a statistic and has courageously battled through childhood sexual molestation and domestic abuse as a young woman. We discuss her battles along with other struggles encompassing eating disordes and mental health issues. This is very powerful episode but listener discretion is strongly advised. SHOW NOTES: Here is the LinkedIn page for Audree Guzman For more information about James Freed's anti-defamation lawsuit against the ICMA, I have created a reference page that will serve as a Wikipedia page of sorts. It can be found here: https://citymanagernews.com/james-freed-vs-icma/ AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sep 4, 2024 · 35 min
The Trials & Tribulations of your First Gig with Audree Guzman | Ep. 69
Audree Guzman was hired into her first city administrator gig at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Less than a year later, she would be forced to deal with another historic event that rocked her community. In this episode, Audree and I discuss the trials and tribulations she faced down in her first city administrator gig in small town Kansas. We also discuss the impact a mentor had on her and what impact, if any, her being a Latina in a predominantly white state has had on her career. Originally planned to be a single episode interview, Audree and I ended up spending considerable time discussing the impacts of child and domestic abuse on our lives. This segment of the conversation will be released next week in part two of the series. SHOW NOTES: Here is the LinkedIn page for Audree Guzman AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aug 28, 2024 · 1 hr 7 min
Keyboard Warriors & Social Media Terrorists with Sam Toles | Ep. 68
In Part 2 of my interview with Sam Toles of CiviSocial, we discuss keyboard warriors and social media terrorists. I offer up my distinction between the two and urge elected officials to exercise more discernment when evaluating online attacks. We discuss the outsized impact of the minority, whether they are truly engaged and participating in the process, and how spineless elected officials can send demoralizing signals and messages to their staff. Sam also shares a secret tip he uses to differentiate himself from the competition when competing for jobs. If you are a public sector executive or aspire to become one, you should definitely listen for this little nugget in the first half of the episode. SHOW NOTES: If you are interested in hiring Sam Toles & CiviSocial for social media consulting, you can save 10% between now and December 31st by simply telling him that you are a City Manager Unfiltered listener. CiviSocial website and LinkedIn page Sam Toles' LinkedIn page AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aug 21, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
Your City is Doing Social Media Wrong with Sam Toles | Ep. 67
Sam Toles is a social media expert having worked for large entertainment companies like Bleacher Report, MGM, and Warner Music, as well as Vimeo. He was also served as an elected councilmember for the California community of Cathedral City. He is passionate about social media and the public sector, but believes that most communities across the country are doing social media wrong. That is why he launched his new firm, CiviSocial. In this two part series we are going to discuss why communities are failing, how they can silence the haters, create passionate boosters, and what platforms are trending up and down when it comes to reach and influence. He also thinks communities that hire consultants to run their social media platforms are wasting their money. In Part 2, we are going to dive into a discussion about how elected officials get spun up by negative comments on social media and what can be done to minimize their overreaction to the trolls. We will also announce a special promotional offer for listeners of the podcast in Part 2. SHOW NOTES: CiviSocial website and LinkedIn page Sam Toles' LinkedIn page AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aug 14, 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
How do we attract more women and minorities to the profession with Amy Farkas | Ep. 66
Patton Township Manager Amy Farkas is passionate about recruiting more women and minorities into the profession of city and county management. In this episode, we talk about the importance of "telling a better story" to attract these candidates. We also discuss her unique approach to dealing with the stresses of the job through her hobby and what benefits she has been able to transfer over into her professional life as a result. SHOW NOTES: Amy Farkas' LinkedIn page AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aug 7, 2024 · 1 hr 10 min
Michael Penny believes the AAME can help city managers with performance reviews | Ep 65
In the third and final installment of my interview series with Castle Pines City Manager Michael Penny, he shares his views on the recruitment and performance review processes and puts forth the idea that the American Association of Municipal Executives can assist city and county managers by influencing how these events are structured. Penny argues that candidates currently have little say in the recruitment process and do not have a seat at the table under the current paradigm. And he suggests that performance reviews are too often left open to a myriad of variables that disadvantage the executive. If you enjoyed this series and have some questions for Penny regarding the credentialing process, please reach out and contact me as we have discussed the possibility of conducting a live webinar Q & A. However, we need participants to ask questions! SHOW NOTES: Michael Penny's LinkedIn profile Information about the ICMA Credentialing Advisory Board (CAB). If you have questions about the credential, you can contact the CAB via email or phone at: credentialing@icma.org (202) 962-3504 If you want to join the American Association of Municipal Executives and becoming a founding member, register today at: https://community.aame.org/. Deadline to become a founding member has been extended to July 25th. AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.