The HaltingWinter Podcast

Julie Underwood: Building More Than InfrastructureWhy Public Works Must Build People, Not Just Projects

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Episode 334 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

Julie Underwood's journey into local government leadership is anything but ordinary.

Born in Vietnam and raised in the American South, Julie shares how identity, belonging, and resilience shaped both her life and leadership philosophy. From serving as city manager in multiple communities to now leading Public Works for the City of Kirkland, Washington, Julie offers a powerful perspective on the human side of municipal leadership and the often-overlooked work that keeps communities thriving.

In this National Public Works Week episode, Seth and Julie explore the leadership pipeline crisis facing local government, why technical expertise alone does not prepare someone to lead people, and the urgent need to intentionally develop the next generation of municipal leaders.

The conversation also highlights the incredible impact of public works professionals—from transportation and utilities to infrastructure, redevelopment, and community experience—and why this work is about far more than potholes and pavement.

Julie also shares the story behind the Northwest Women's Leadership Academy, a program she helped launch to support and accelerate women into leadership roles across local government.

This episode is a conversation about service, leadership, growth, belonging, and the people building communities every single day.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – BelongingEpisode 333 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

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What if the biggest thing holding your team back has nothing to do with skills, systems, or strategy? In this episode, Seth Winterhalter digs into Belonging by Owen Eastwood, the performance coach behind the England Football team, NATO's Command Group, and the British Olympic team, and why his central argument should be strongly considered by every local government leader: belonging isn't a soft concept. It is the foundational condition for human performance.

Seth unpacks three ideas from the book that hit differently in a local government context: the Us Story and your responsibility as the storyteller-in-chief for your organization, the silent dance and the invisible signals you're sending every single day, and why belonging has to come before performance, not after it.

If you lead a city, county, or public agency and you've ever wondered why talented people disengage, why new employees take so long to find their footing, or why your teams don't quite move like a connected whole, this episode and book are for you.

Join the MLDC for the Complete 5-Part Series

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a network of local government leaders from across North America, including city/county managers, administrators, and department heads, giving you access to: ✔ A weekly podcast series breaking down one book for municipal applications ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools ✔ Our live, weekly, virtual mastermind session ✔ Monthly webinars with relevant training from local gov leaders

➡ Learn more at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Belonging by Owen Eastwood

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Kathy Hodgson: When You're Not Ready, But You Lead AnywayThe Reality of Growing Into the Role of City Manager

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Episode 332 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

What happens when you step into the biggest leadership role of your career…and realize you're not ready?

In this episode, Kathy Hodgson—longtime City Manager of Lakewood, Colorado—shares the honest story of growing into leadership in real time. From starting as a teenage lifeguard to leading one of the largest cities in the state, her journey isn't built on a perfect plan; it's built on saying yes, learning fast, and leading through uncertainty.

Kathy opens up about the overwhelming early days of city management, the imposter syndrome that comes with the role, and how she leaned on her team to find her footing. She reflects on the values that shaped her leadership—fairness, forgiveness, and treating people with dignity—and why those matter more than ever in today's environment.

The conversation also explores how the job has changed. Issues like homelessness, incivility, and political polarization have reshaped what it means to lead at the local level, placing city managers at the center of some of the most complex challenges facing communities today.

This episode is a reminder that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about being willing to step in, stay steady, and grow into the responsibility.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Christopher Wren: Similar Roles, Different RealitiesThe Shift from Service Delivery to System-Level Leadership

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Episode 331 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

Most people assume that city and county leadership are essentially the same role, just at different scales.

They're not.

In this episode, Christopher Wren, County Administrator of Newaygo County, Michigan, shares the critical distinction that changed how he leads: cities are built on service delivery, while counties operate through systems.

Christopher walks through his journey from city management to the private sector and back into public service at the county level, offering a rare perspective on how leadership changes when the work becomes less about direct control and more about coordination, influence, and trust.

We explore the realities most people never see:

• Why local government remains one of the least understood professions and what that's costing us
• The pressure, responsibility, and unpredictability behind everyday decisions
• How early crises shaped his leadership approach and decision-making
• The challenge of leading across elected officials, departments, and jurisdictions
• Why presence, not position, is what builds trust inside an organization
• How he navigated burnout and what it took to come back differently

This conversation is a clear reminder: leadership in local government isn't about having all the answers. It's about building the systems and the people that make the work possible.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead without burning out. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – Team of TeamsEpisode 330 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

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In this episode, Seth Winterhalter breaks down Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal and makes the case that the most important leadership lesson from one of history's most elite military forces has nothing to do with combat. It has everything to do with the structure you've built and whether it's designed for the world you're actually leading in.

McChrystal's central diagnosis: large, well-resourced organizations lose not because of incompetence, but because they're optimized for efficiency in environments that demand adaptability. Sound familiar? If you're managing a city or county through shifting council priorities, budget constraints, and a community that expects real-time responsiveness, you're operating in exactly the kind of complex environment McChrystal is describing.

Seth explores three ideas from the book that translate directly to local government leadership: shared consciousness — what it means for your departments to actually understand each other's work; empowered execution — how to push decisions down to the people with the best real-time information without losing accountability; and the leader as gardener — the shift from controlling outcomes to cultivating the conditions that produce them.

Join the MLDC for the Complete 5-Part Series

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a network of local government leaders from across North America, including city/county managers, administrators, and department heads, giving you access to: ✔ A weekly podcast series breaking down one book for municipal applications ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools ✔ Our live, weekly, virtual mastermind session ✔ Monthly webinars with relevant training from local gov leaders

➡ Learn more at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Justin Hopkins: Before the Tap Runs DryWhat Leaders Need to Know About Growth, Scarcity, and the Future of Water

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Episode 329 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

Most people don't think about water…until they have to.

But behind every faucet, every development project, and every growing community is a system under pressure and one that most residents will never see.

In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Justin Hopkins, General Manager of the Stockton East Water District, to pull back the curtain on the complex world of water in local government. From aging infrastructure and groundwater depletion to regulatory pressure and explosive growth, Justin shares what it actually takes to keep water flowing and what happens when the math no longer works.

As communities continue to expand and resources become more constrained, the conversation around water is no longer just operational; it's strategic.

And for local leaders, it's becoming one of the defining challenges of the next generation.

This episode also highlights Drinking Water Week (May 3–9, 2026), an initiative led by the American Water Works Association to recognize the essential role water professionals play in protecting public health and supporting thriving communities.

If you're a city manager, department head, or public sector leader navigating growth, infrastructure, or long-term planning, this is a conversation you can't afford to ignore.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Lisa Garcia: Not Just a ClerkThe Leadership, Influence, and Impact Behind the Title

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Episode 328 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

May 3 through May 9, 2026, marks the 57th Annual Professional Municipal Clerks Week, and there's no better time to shine a light on one of the most essential and often overlooked roles in local government.

In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Lisa Garcia, Clerk and Deputy Manager for the Town of Florence, Arizona, whose 30+ year career tells a story most people never hear, but every community depends on.

From her early days navigating uncertainty to becoming a nationally recognized leader and past president of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Lisa shares what it really means to serve at the center of local government.

This conversation goes far beyond the title.

You'll hear:

• Why the municipal clerk role is far more than most people realize
• How local government leaders grow into roles they were never fully prepared for
• The power of mentorship, community, and continuous learning
• What transparency actually looks like behind the scenes
• How communication—and lack of it—shapes public trust
• The rising challenge of incivility and what leaders can do about it
• Why local government is not just a job, but a calling

Lisa also shares one of the most practical leadership exercises you'll hear all year, something every leader should be doing, but almost no one is.

This week, take a moment to recognize and thank the municipal clerks in your community...the ones working behind the scenes to bring order, transparency, and continuity to the work that keeps our cities running.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – The Five Dysfunctions of a TeamEpisode 327 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

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Most leadership teams look functional on the surface. Meetings happen. Decisions get made. People stay professional. But if your most important initiatives keep stalling, if the hard conversations keep happening everywhere except the room where they need to happen, and if you've quietly become the only person holding the whole operation together, the problem probably isn't strategy, budget, or staffing.

It's the team.

In this week's MLDC book, we dig into Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — one of the most important leadership books written in the last two decades — and run it straight through the realities of local government. Lencioni's model is built on a five-layer pyramid, and every layer compounds on the one below it. Absent trust produces conflict avoidance. Conflict avoidance produces shallow commitment. Shallow commitment kills peer accountability. And without accountability, teams drift toward protecting their own corner of the organization instead of delivering for the community they serve.

Every one of those dysfunctions hits differently when you're operating in a fishbowl, managing directors who've been in their seats longer than you've been their manager, and navigating elected oversight that can turn an internal disagreement into a public agenda item.

Join the MLDC for the Complete 5-Part Series

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a network of local government leaders from across North America, including city/county managers, administrators, and department heads, giving you access to: ✔ A weekly podcast series breaking down one book for municipal applications ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools ✔ Our live, weekly, virtual mastermind session ✔ Monthly webinars with relevant training from local gov leaders

➡ Learn more at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC

Resources Mentioned

• Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Chase Bruton: Earning Respect, Not Demanding ItHow Jiu-Jitsu Shapes Leadership in an Increasingly Uncivil World

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Episode 326 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

What does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu have to do with running a town?

More than you'd think.

In this episode, Town Manager Chase Bruton (Yorktown, Indiana) shares how lessons from the mat—patience, positioning, and staying composed under pressure—have shaped the way he leads in local government. Because in a role where you're navigating public scrutiny, internal dynamics, and rising incivility, force doesn't work. Presence does.

Chase reflects on stepping into leadership at a young age, learning to earn trust without relying on authority, and why the most effective leaders don't stay behind a desk; they get out into the community and meet people where they are.

From managing day-to-day operations to responding in moments of crisis, this conversation is a grounded look at what leadership actually requires when there's no playbook and no easy wins.

If you're leading in today's environment—or preparing to—this episode will challenge how you think about respect, resilience, and what it really means to show up.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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

Matthew von der Hayden: The Leadership Gap No One Is FixingWhen Technical Experts Are Thrown Into Leadership Unprepared

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Episode 325 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

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Most leaders in local government aren't struggling because they lack effort.

They're struggling because they were promoted for their skills and never properly trained to lead people.

In this episode, Matthew von der Hayden, Township Administrator of Stafford, New Jersey, and one of the National Academy of Public Administration's 250 Public Service Champions, shares his unconventional path from chemist to city hall, and what it taught him about the real leadership gap facing local government today.

We talk about the tension between managing the day-to-day and leading for the long-term, why infrastructure decisions no one sees matter the most, and how communication—not policy—is often the starting point for culture change.

Matthew also pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to run a modern municipality: long-range planning, cross-department alignment, building trust with staff and elected officials, and making decisions that impact thousands of lives, often without recognition.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Download their latest e-book on AI for FREE at https://tylertech.com/winter

• The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is built for local government leaders who were promoted for their skills, but never specifically trained to lead people. It's the development center for leaders across the nation who serve in all types and sizes of local government organizations. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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