Show Notes: Eyal Feder-Levy – From Noise to Insight: How Zencity Helps Cities Truly Listen

Episode 200 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

Overview

For our 200th episode, we’re honored to feature Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO and co-founder of Zencity—a company that’s redefining how local governments understand and serve their communities.

Eyal’s journey began far from the city halls of the U.S. in the world of urban planning and civic tech in Tel Aviv. What started as a fascination with how cities grow and adapt became a bold mission: help city leaders make better decisions by listening more effectively to their residents.

This episode dives into the heart of that mission. Eyal and Seth explore the real challenges local leaders face—drowning in fragmented data, struggling to cut through the noise, and trying to lead in a world where trust is eroding. And then they get practical—how Zencity’s platform takes social media posts, 311 data, open-ended survey responses, and more, and turns it all into real-time insight leaders can use to act.

This isn’t just a tech story, it’s a leadership story. It’s about how listening well might just be the most important skill for every city manager, mayor, or public works director in today’s environment.

And yes, it’s also the official announcement that Zencity is now the presenting sponsor of The HaltingWinter Podcast. Let’s go.

Episode Highlights:

What’s Broken in Local Feedback Loops: Eyal shares why traditional resident engagement tools—like town halls and one-way surveys—fail to capture the full picture, and how Zencity is changing that.

Why Listening is a Leadership Superpower: In an era of mistrust and polarization, Eyal explains why it’s more important than ever that leaders really hear what their communities are saying, beyond the loudest voices in the room.

From Tech Founder to Municipal Ally: Eyal opens up about his shift from “startup CEO” to “partner in public service,” and why Zencity doesn’t just want to sell tools—it wants to solve real problems.

Turning Data into Direction: How Zencity helps local governments filter noise, find trends, and make confident decisions, without guessing what their residents want or need.

What Keeps Eyal Up at Night (and What Gives Him Hope): A powerful reflection on the state of democracy, the future of civic leadership, and why he’s still optimistic about the role local governments can play.

Connect with Eyal Feder-Levy

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eyalfeder

Email: [email protected]

About Our Sponsor: Zencity

This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is proudly sponsored by Zencity—a trusted partner to hundreds of local governments around the world.

Zencity helps city and county leaders make more confident, community-informed decisions by turning resident input into real-time, actionable insights. Whether it’s social media sentiment, 311 calls, or open-ended survey feedback, Zencity distills the noise into clear signals—so local leaders can lead with clarity, not guesswork.

Learn more at Zencity.io

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 Municipal Leadership. 

Learn more at HaltingWinter.com

Seth's Upcoming Keynotes:

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

The MLDC

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is where municipal leaders grow together through weekly podcasts, curated book insights, and a nationwide peer community focused on real leadership, real culture, and real conversations.

Secure Your Seat with our Summer Special: Join the MLDC