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 the 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.

🏐 I yelled “F💣 YEAH!” when I first read a draft of ELGL’s new North Star. That fact that I may or may not have been sitt...
10/15/2026

🏐 I yelled “F💣 YEAH!” when I first read a draft of ELGL’s new North Star. That fact that I may or may not have been sitting courtside at my daughter's volleyball practice is irrelevant (I promise I’m a mostly normal sports parent.)

This week’s by Mike Ekey, assistant city manager at Belton, Missouri and ELGL Chair, is about what happens when you realize ELGL’s future isn’t something the Board gets to decide in a vacuum. It belongs to our members.

At the Gov Grand Prix conference this past month in Indianapolis, we asked members what they want more of when it comes to our strategic plan: joy, belonging, and growth.

The answers included superpower directories, more Supper Clubs, better leadership development, and making sure local government folks don’t have to run themselves into the ground to be successful.

Turns out, the best strategic plan isn’t written for members. It’s built with them.

🏁 Read the article, share your ideas, and help us keep building an ELGL where No One Leads Alone.

Sometimes the next chapter is exciting, bittersweet, and exactly right. This week’s from Cassie Johnson is a beautiful...
10/07/2026

Sometimes the next chapter is exciting, bittersweet, and exactly right. This week’s from Cassie Johnson is a beautiful reminder that both things can be true.

You can be thrilled about what’s next and sad to leave something you loved.

You can know a season is complete without deciding there was anything wrong with it. And you can carry the lessons, people, and experiences from one chapter with you without staying in that chapter forever.

After nearly 16 years with the City of Scottsdale Police Department, Cassie is stepping into a new role as the permanent Director of WestWorld of Scottsdale. Along the way, she’s collected a career’s worth of lessons about leadership, systems, accountability, compassion, and finding your place at the table.

It’s a love letter to a place that helped shape her and a reminder that moving forward doesn’t mean leaving everything behind.

Read Cassie’s latest : “Both Things Can Be True: On Knowing When a Season Is Complete.” 💚 (Link in the comments)

And maybe grab yourself an iced lavender Americano with espresso cold foam while you’re at it. ☕️

Forget the hustle & grind.Fridays are for watching all the 2026 Day winners and soaking up as joy for as you can in ...
10/02/2026

Forget the hustle & grind.

Fridays are for watching all the 2026 Day winners and soaking up as joy for as you can in spot.
🏛️ 👁️ 👄 👁️ 🤳

Check out all of the winner from 2026 on our website: https://elgl.org/city-hall-selfie-day-2026-honorees/

You are not going to want to miss out on what we have coming up ...👀Are you an ELGL member? Make sure your membership is...
09/28/2026

You are not going to want to miss out on what we have coming up ...👀

Are you an ELGL member? Make sure your membership is up to day. Not a member yet? What are you waiting for?!

ELGL is where local government folks come to find their people, swap ideas, learn something new, laugh at the chaos, and remember that we really don't have to do this work alone.

💚 No One Leads Alone.

So today, take one of three actions:
👉 Join ELGL
👉 Check your membership status
👉 Tag someone who would LOVE being part of this community

Because the best part of ELGL isn't the webinars, events, resources or professional development.

It's the people.

Come for the nerdiness. Stay for the ridiculously good people. 🫶

Hit up our membership page or log into our member portal at the links below. 👏 👇

Why does local government love a good policy so much?This week’s Morning Buzz from Kayla Barber, of City of Albany Orego...
09/24/2026

Why does local government love a good policy so much?

This week’s Morning Buzz from Kayla Barber, of City of Albany Oregon, takes a closer look at one of our favorite government habits and asks us to think a little differently about how we document the way we work.

It might have you looking at your own organization’s policies with a slightly more suspicious eye. 👀

👉 Read the latest and join the conversation.

It is wild to think that the ELGL Gov Grand Prix is over. The whole conference was a blur of big ideas, big conversation...
09/23/2026

It is wild to think that the ELGL Gov Grand Prix is over. The whole conference was a blur of big ideas, big conversations, new connections (and, naturally, a little friendly competition. 🏁)

Throughout the conference, artist Cal Brackin sketched sessions in real time, turning conversations about leadership, AI, organizational culture, values, and ELGL’s future into colorful visual stories.

The result is something pretty special: a snapshot of not just what we talked about, but how we think, learn, challenge each other, and connect.

From “Winning the Race Without Losing Your Way” to “Under the Hood: A Hands-on Test Drive of AI Tools” and “Pit Stop: It’s All in the Manual,” these sketches capture the energy and personality that made Gov Grand Prix feel like so much more than a conference.

They’re a reminder that the best conference moments aren't always found in the slides. Sometimes they're in the scribbled notes. Sometimes they're found in the person you met for the first time who somehow felt like an old friend.

.

And the Gov Grand Prix was a pretty great reminder of what happens when we get together, share what we know, and make a little room for each other to learn.

Take a lap through Gov Grand Prix—artist edition. 🏎️🎨

…And now we’re making the final turn! 🏎️💨Our second day of the Gov Grand Prix was full of optimism, humility and a whole...
09/19/2026

…And now we’re making the final turn! 🏎️💨
Our second day of the Gov Grand Prix was full of optimism, humility and a whole lot of learning around with a side of board games. ♟️

Board members Mike Ekey , Kassandra Aleskova, MPA, CPM , Sarah Nissen MPA, CPM and Johncito “John” Peraza, M.A. led our racers through a meaningful feedback session on what it means to be an ELGL member.

Then Robert Fierro, MPA hosted a panel of veteran city leaders who shared what it means to face the tough challenges, but still be true to yourself and set healthy boundaries.

Then - to round out this time trial - Meredith Reynolds brought her best game show host energy as everyone played a round of the City Hall Game of Life.

AND THEY’RE OFF! 🏎️ 🍃 Our racers hit the ground running this morning at the ELGL Gov Grand Prix in Indianapolis! 💯 We s...
09/17/2026

AND THEY’RE OFF! 🏎️ 🍃
Our racers hit the ground running this morning at the ELGL Gov Grand Prix in Indianapolis!

💯 We started the day learning about slang from each generation led by Meredith Reynolds.

🤪 Sam Toles with CiviSocial took us through a crash-course of media data and what it means when it comes to handling the next social media crisis (or what our elected officials perceive as a crisis!)

🤖 Josie Peery and Zencity took racers into the first turn by hosting an honest conversation and hands-on session about AI in .

🪄 We are firing on all cylinders after a quick reminder of mindfulness and some stretching by Sarah Nissen MPA, CPM to start the race. We also took a pit stop with Kellye Mazzoli and City Boss Coaching, LLC as she led a quick activity that encouraged us to write postcard to those who bring us Joy and make us feel like we belong in !

Every city manager, HR director, and department head is familiar with this scenario. When budget season comes, training ...
09/17/2026

Every city manager, HR director, and department head is familiar with this scenario. When budget season comes, training expenses are often the first to be cut. How does invest in training at low or no cost and make it valuable to employees and the organization? In today's ELGL Morning Buzz, Bill Brantley tells us that some of the most effective training may come from within.

Read on below in the comments to get educated on the details 👇 👍

First of the ELGL Gov Grand Prix conference is in the books! We will see you all Thursday as we hit the starting line ...
09/17/2026

First of the ELGL Gov Grand Prix conference is in the books! We will see you all Thursday as we hit the starting line to prepare for the greatest race of 2026!
🏎️💨🏛️👁️👄👁️

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850 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN
46204

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