Show Notes: Sam Toles – Belonging Beats Bureaucracy: What CiviSocial Reveals About Our Civic Crisis Episode 191 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

Overview

In this return conversation, Seth Winterhalter welcomes back Sam Toles, CEO of CiviSocial, to explore the ideas behind his new book and a growing movement to rebuild trust, identity, and participation in local government.

Sam’s not just a civic tech founder—he’s a former digital executive (Warner Bros, MGM, Bleacher Report) who now devotes his career to reimagining how communities connect. And what he sees is urgent: a civic crisis driven by disconnection, disillusionment, and a sense that government doesn’t feel personal anymore.

This episode dives deep into the future of civic engagement, the power of belonging, and why municipalities must evolve from broadcasting to co-creating if they want to earn public trust.

This conversation is anchored in Sam’s new book, The Social Media Playbook for City and County Managers—a practical, entertaining guide for local government leaders looking to modernize their approach. Download your free copy

Episode Highlights

The Civic Disconnect Why most Americans feel more emotionally connected to influencers than to their own cities and what that means for trust in local government

Civic Social Capital Defined How Sam’s new book reframes community strength not in demographics or voter turnout but in shared rituals, digital touchpoints, and micro-interactions that build trust

From Transaction to Relationship Why cities must stop optimizing for efficiency alone and start designing systems that feel human, not bureaucratic

The Real Public Square How to rethink public meetings, local apps, and digital engagement platforms to serve as modern civic gathering spaces—not just information dumps

Designing for Belonging What local governments can learn from entertainment, social platforms, and storytelling when it comes to relevance and emotional connection

Hope Through Infrastructure Sam shares what he’s seeing on the front lines—cities experimenting with belonging as infrastructure and local teams hungry for something that works

Connect with Sam Toles

Website: www.civisocial.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samtoles Grab his new book: The Social Media Playbook for City and County Managers Download your free copy or purchase a paperback copy on Amazon

Connect with Seth Winterhalter:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions

At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Leadership.

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Seth's Upcoming Keynotes:

2025 South Carolina APWA Chapter Annual Conference June 24 | Spartanburg, SC Details at SCAPWA

2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 24 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC

2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 4 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA

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