City Manager Unfiltered

Teaching Local Government via Citizen Academies with Jeff Niten | Ep. 144

Last year, Mountlake Terrace City Manager Jeff Niten and his team launched their citizen academy. It was designed to teach local citizens about how their local government

In Defense of Parks & Recreation with Michael Patton | Ep. 143

Michael Patton is passionate about parks and recreation and he feels like the podcast has ignored this aspect of government operations for too long. A few weeks back he

Beating Alcohol Addiction by Never Giving Up with Matthew McManus | Ep. 142

My guest tried to beat his alcohol addiction numerous times, but failed repeatedly. In this powerful episode, Matthew "Matt" McManus pulls back the curtains and transpare

City Managers Must Tell Their Own Story with Chris Mann | Ep. 141

Before becoming a city manager, Chris Mann built a career around public affairs, public relations, and political campaign messaging. In this episode, we talk about how im

Funny & Amusing City Manager Stories with Tim Rundel | Ep. 140

We all have some wild and funny stories from our city manager careers. Why? Because we interact with people on a daily basis and people are crazy! In this episode, Tim R

Checking In with My Criminal Defense Attorney (Part 2) | Ep. 139

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a cri

Checking In with My Criminal Defense Attorney (Part 1) | Ep. 138

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a cri

State Official Threatens City Manager Over Criminal Charge | Ep. 137

CAUGHT ON TAPE!  In this episode, we have a recorded phone conversation between a city manager and a state transportation official who was cited on a criminal trespassin

Customer Service vs. Municipal Hospitality with Chris Gilbert | Ep. 136

Chris Gilbert intrinsically believes that when residents feel seen, heard, and cared for, they become more supportive and trusting of their government.  He argues that "

Level Up Your Leadership with The Mental Hygiene Project | Ep. 135

If you want to be a better leader, you have to understand your behavioral preferences and deficiencies and those of your executive team and senior leadership. And the Har

Is this a masterclass on how to handle a termination? | Ep. 134

In October, Mike Mortell was caught flat-footed when he learned that his fate was sealed and that he would be fired a couple of weeks later. The city manager for Stuart,

My Criminal Defense Attorney Breaks Down the Felony Charges | Ep. 133

On this special episode of the podcast, Katie Bogenschutz, my criminal defense attorney joins me to discuss the case and break down my two felony charges. I provide a bit

Mitch Hammes is THAT Code Enforcement Guy | Ep. 132

Mitch Hammes has a built a national reputation as "That Code Enforcement Guy" having worked himself up front the frontlines as a code enforcement officer all the way to t

Black City Manager: You Gotta Meet Me Halfway with Troy Body | Ep. 131

This is the second installment in our new "Black City Manager" series featuring Troy Body, the city manager for Hopkinsville, Kentucky. "I can't love your neighborhood m

Announcing Sam Toles' New Social Media Course for Elected Officials | Ep. 130

Are your elected officials overreacting to negative comments and criticism on social media? Tired of watching them get spun up by a handful of keyboard warriors living in

BEWARE: Bait & Switch in Valley Center, KS City Administrator Recruitment | Ep. 129

In this episode, I call out what I believe to be unethical and deceitful practices by the the city of Valley Center, Kansas in their current search for a new city adminis

Small Town City Manager Love Affair with Halley Roberson | Ep. 128

Beloit City Manager Halley Roberson is one of my favorite interviews of all-time and I am pretty sure that most of you will enjoy it, too. She is absolutely hilarious and

Chris Mann: Knowing Your Why & Being Prepared to Execute | Ep. 127

Chris Mann's journey to the city manager's chair was a circuitous, non-traditional one. The California city manager started his journey as a city councilman in his early

The Black City Manager: A New Series with Troy Body | Ep. 126

For many months, I have been trying to coax and cajole Troy Body into starting his own podcast or at the very least becoming a regular, recurring guest on my podcast. I h

Blaine Oborn: Persecuted Because of My LDS Faith | Ep. 125

For nearly 20 years, Blaine Oborn had an unblemished record as a city manager serving in multiple states. That all changed when he became the city administrator in Oak Ha