Engaging Local Government Leaders

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Engaging Local Government Leaders

We engage the brightest minds in local government. You may know us from GovLove Podcast, Top Influencers in Local Gov, and Day: Aug. 12, 2025.

We believe we can make a difference in people’s lives and communities. We believe telling stories about people, ideas, trends and approaches in local government is the best way to make a positive difference. We believe that working creatively, harder and smarter makes our professional association unique, relevant and timely. We believe that building a network of support will attract and retain th

e best and brightest to the local government profession. We believe that anyone with a passion for public service can become a member, and understand that there is no longer one path to leadership.

06/02/2026

🎓 It’s graduation season… and apparently we have feelings about it.

Today’s Morning Buzz from Jennifer Teal, senior manager at Raftelis, is part reflection, part love letter to public service, and part “how did my kids get this old already?” 😭

After working with 140+ local government organizations across 29 states, Jennifer shares one big takeaway: The people doing this work are extraordinary.

Also:
✔️ “We need more staff” usually isn’t the whole story
✔️ Strategic plans are the starting line, not the finish line
✔️ The future of local government is still full of smart, creative, mission-driven people

Also shoutout to everyone currently crying over old school photos while simultaneously facilitating a strategic planning retreat. Truly the experience. 😂

Cue up the Vitamin C Graduation Song and give it a read here: https://elgl.org/its-graduation-season-and-apparently-i-have-a-lot-of-feelings/

05/28/2026

No one leads alone. 🏛️ 👁️ 👄 👁️ 🤳

Not the city manager trying to navigate impossible budgets.
Not the comms person answering comments at 10 p.m.
Not the planner juggling growth, housing and “one more quick question.”
Not the intern wondering if they belong in hashtag .

That’s why ELGL exists.

We’re a community built on connection, creativity and unapologetic joy in public service. We are the place where people share ideas, celebrate wins, ask hard questions and remind each other that local government is still one of the coolest ways to make a difference.

Whether you’re new to local gov or decades into the work, there’s a seat for you here.

🚂 Hop on the Joy Train.
🏁 Join the Government Grand Prix crowd.
🤝 Find your people.

Because no one leads alone.

05/27/2026

⏰ Solid, hands-on and practical tools for using AI at City Hall.

is gradually transforming how cities communicate, grow and operate.

From elevating customer service to developing smarter economic development decisions, local governments are evaluating various practical and responsible ways to integrate and into municipal operations.

In today's , Alexander Fung, MPP with the City of Eastvale, CA, highlight his recent success in leveraging AI and GIS tools to enhance data-driven decision-making and elevate our economic development programs.

05/21/2026

The rusty, old filing cabinet could become you next IT Department project!

Today's from Jorge Valens, MPA, Innovation & AI manager for Miami-Dade County, is a must-read for anyone trying to figure out what AI actually means for local government beyond the hype cycle.

The big takeaway? Your SOPs, policy manuals, workflows, FAQs, and “tribal knowledge” aren’t just dusty documents anymore… they’re becoming the building blocks for AI-powered systems. 🤯

Turns out the future of innovation might not start with coding. It might start with finally updating that 94-page PDF everyone avoids opening.

This article does a great job explaining how:
📂 Documentation becomes infrastructure
🤖 AI thrives on clarity and process
🏛️ Local governments may already have more AI-ready assets than they realize

Also, shoutout to every frontline employee who has ever said: “Well… the process technically says this, but what we ACTUALLY do is…”

Congrats. You are now part of the system architecture. 😂

Excellent read from Jorge on practical, grounded AI implementation in .

05/19/2026

📚 Local Gov should be more like a serious book club. Today’s Morning Buzz from Josie Peery, enterprise account executive at Zencity and ELGL Board Member, takes something wonderfully simple; a group of friends reading books together and turns it into one of the best reflections on community, leadership and culture we’ve seen in a while.

The big takeaway?
✅ Show up.
✅ Respect disagreement.
✅ Take turns leading.

Whether you work in city hall, public works, communications, budgeting or somewhere in between, this is a reminder that strong communities aren’t built by everyone thinking the same thing — they’re built by people who keep showing up for each other anyway.

Honestly, local government really is just one giant group project/book club/community meeting hybrid.

👉 Give this one a read.

05/18/2026

🏁 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… START. YOUR. NETWORKING. 🏁

The green flag is about to drop on the 🏎️ ELGL Government Grand Prix 🏎️ and this isn’t your average annual conference pit stop.

We’re intentionally capping attendance at around 100 racers because the goal isn’t a bigger crowd; it’s better connections.

As a volunteer organization committed to the idea that No One in Local Gov Leads Alone, we are going for less “find your people in a sea of thousands.” And want more “you leave knowing people by name.”

Expect fast ideas, meaningful conversations and enough energy to fuel the whole track. ⚡

So grab your crew chief, tune up your stories, and get to the starting line before all the spots are gone.

🚦Ready to race?

05/14/2026

At some point in every local government career, you wake up and realize you somehow became the keeper of institutional knowledge. The unofficial historian of old photos. The person who remembers when we clipped newspaper articles by hand!

Today’s from Jennifer Preston, public information officer for Town of Collierville, TN, is a thoughtful reminder that staying relevant in isn’t about chasing every shiny new trend — it’s about staying grounded in your mission while evolving your tools, your team, and your approach.

Also: “the newspaper clippings eventually all turn into pixels” is going to emotionally devastate at least 37% of local gov communicators today. 😅

A great read about leadership, institutional knowledge, mentorship and adapting without losing sight of why we do this work in the first place.

05/12/2026

🚨 Friends: We need to talk about conflict. And apparently… toilet paper orientation. 🧻😅

Today’s Morning Buzz from Sheila Shockey at Shockey Consulting Services starts with a family debate over whether toilet paper should roll over or under…

…and somehow turns into one of the most relatable leadership lessons you’ll read this week.

Because let’s be honest: A lot of teams aren’t avoiding conflict.
They’re just quietly re-rolling the metaphorical toilet paper when nobody’s looking. 👀

This piece is funny, thoughtful, painfully accurate, and packed with reminders about:
✔️ saying the hard thing early
✔️ building teams that can disagree well
✔️ why “Midwestern nice” is not always a communication strategy

Also: “You are not the toilet paper police” might be the best management advice of 2026.

👉 Give this one a read.

05/11/2026

Right on the heels of sharing our Top Influencers and all the events around Public Service Recognition Week, we hope everyone is feeling a little extra ✨ inspired and joyful ✨ when it comes to hashtag !

This is the perfect time to let everyone know that we are now accepting applications for our Board of Directors. As an all-volunteer organization, we are looking to fill two seats on our board that will serve three-year terms.

With our new strategic plan in place, we are doubling down on our commitment that no one in local government leads alone. This next cohort of board members will really help lead that through 2029!

Application link can be found in the comments! 👇

05/09/2026

🌇 As Public Service Recognition Week comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who Supper Clubbed, Coffee Chatted, Pen Pal-ed and celebrated our Top Influencers in Local Government! 🙌

We hope that it brought A LOT of joy and few new connections to your family.

We have ONE LAST special message from 2026 Top Influencer Jim Schutz.

'Song to My Local Government People'

You are my people:
local government toilers,
wicked problem foilers.

I’ll take ten of you randomly
and we can crack any crisis,
slash the tangled forest of discord.
Instead of machetes, we’ll use a whiteboard.

We the unsung
but never unstung,
persisting and forging forward
to help, to solve, to innovate.
Together we will celebrate.

We are seldom seen but always see —
what does the community want to be?

We are not expectant spectators.
We are in the arena,
sometimes warrior,
sometimes ballerina.

My people — sister, brother,
truly known,
only to each other.

Address

850 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN
46204

Website

http://elgl.org/

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