Voices in Local Government

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, lessons of that day continue to resonate for local government leaders. Ron Carlee was county manager of Arlington County, Virginia, when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. His experience offers important lessons for leaders preparing their own communities for crisis.

In this episode of Voices in Local Government, Carlee joins ICMA managing director Tad McGalliard to reflect on 9/11 and discuss preparedness, partnerships, communication, and crisis leadership.

IN THIS INTERVIEW:
1. Why crisis preparedness must involve the entire local government organization.
2. How strong relationships and regional partnerships strengthen emergency response.
3. Why leaders must uphold community values and build trust, even in moments of crisis.

FEATURED GUEST:
- Ron Carlee, DPA, Clinical Assistant Professor & Director, Center for Regional Excellence, Old Dominion University

HOST:
- Tad McGalliard, Managing Director, ICMA

Economic development is often measured in jobs, investment, and business growth. In Taos County, New Mexico, local leaders are taking a different approach by starting with the people, culture, and traditions that already strengthen the community.

Through the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) and the Cultural Treasures Project, Taos County is working with residents to better understand the cultural assets they value and how those assets can help shape the county’s future. The work brings community voices directly into conversations about economic development, preservation, affordability, and opportunity.

In this episode of Voices in Local Government, Jessica Stern, Economic Development Director for Taos County, and Economic Recovery Corps Fellow Contessa Trujillo join ICMA’s Gabe Daugherty to discuss building an economy from the inside out and what it means for local government to “move at the speed of trust.”

IN THIS INTERVIEW:

FEATURED GUESTS:

HOST:

For local government and economic development professionals, this conversation offers a different way to think about growth: one that starts with understanding what a community values and builds from there.

LEARN MORE:

Featured Guest: Ben R. Spoer, PhD, MPH, Program Director, City Health Dashboard and Congressional District Health Dashboard, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Population Health

Episode Host: Emily Sparks, Program Director, Thriving Communities, Innovation & Research, ICMA

In this Interview:

1. Learn how local leaders are turning city health data into action.

2. Discover the local government decisions that influence community health every day.

3. Explore real-world examples of data-driven problem-solving and grant success.

4. See how neighborhood-level insights can help target resources where they're needed most.

Resources Mentioned:

In This Interview:

Featured Guests:

- Tomeka Lee, program manager, National League of Cities (NLC)

- Laura Searfoss, AICP Programs, associate director, Enterprise Community Partners

- Vonnette Harris, president & CEO, Kairos Development, LLC, ERC fellow

For city managers, economic development professionals, housing leaders, and local government staff, this conversation offers practical insights on how to align housing, transportation, and economic strategies to create more resilient and equitable communities.

Resources:

Economic Recovery Corps: https://economicrecoverycorps.org/

Enterprise Community Partners: https://www.enterprisecommunity.org

Purple Line Corridor Coalition: https://purplelinecorridor.org

National League of Cities Housing Supply Accelerator: https://www.nlc.org/initiative/housing-supply-accelerator/

Guest Information

 Zhikun Liu, Ph.D., CFP®, vice president, head of MissionSquare Research Institute

Gerald Young, senior researcher, MissionSquare Research Institute

Topics

Financial wellness: Generic benefit, or strategy?

Guaranteed income options altering  

Artificial intelligence impact on staffing.

Retirement decisions: Human advice vs Technology.

Employers recognizing and tracking mental and emotional labor.

Resources

MissionSquare Research Institute

Local Government Reimagined Conference - The AI Edge: Orlando, FL | April 8-10, 2026

Key Takeaways:

• The ERC program focuses on building long-term economic resilience.
• It funds people and capacity, not just projects.
• Communities gain repeatable local controllable tools for investment.
• Economic development is a relational function, not just technical.
• Local governments can be conveners and enablers of economic growth.
• Community capital allows residents to invest in local businesses.
• The ERC experience emphasizes the importance of trust and relationships.
• Resilience is built through alignment with community priorities.
   

Featured Guests:

Sydney Davis

Entrepreneur & Funding Navigation Specialist
ERC Fellow with National Coalition for Community Capital 

Resources

Economic Recovery Corps (ERC)

Community Investment Fund Handbook & Toolkit: The National Coalition for Community Capital is a great resource. NC3 offers practical education, case studies, and tools that help communities understand what’s possible beyond traditional grants and incentives—and how to approach these models responsibly.

In this episode of Voices in Local Government, Phil Kiraly and Julia D. Novak, ICMA-CM answer the critical question at the heart of our profession: why council-manager government matters now more than ever. They discuss how ICMA's Future of Professional Management Fund supports advocacy and how to educate residents when defending and adopting council-manager government comes up on the ballot.
 

Key Takeaways:

• Why council-manager form of government is effective and how to best educate residents
• What is ICMA's Future of Professional Management Fund, what it's used for, and why it matters for members
• How a "team sport" approach of advocacy led to success defending council-manager government in Illinois
• Excitement to continue the conversation on form of government and more at ICMA Annual Conference
   

Featured Guests:

Phil Kiraly - ICMA-CM - village manager of Glencoe, Illinois

Julia D. Novak - ICMA-CM – CEO and executive director of ICMA
 

Voices in Local Government Podcast Hosts:

Joe Supervielle and Angelica Wedell

Resources:

ICMA's Future of Professional Management Fund

PM Magazine: Making Big Strides in Advocating for Council-Manager Government

ICMA Annual Conference, October 25-29 in Tampa. 

Key Takeaways for local government AI:

• Why policy might not be the best starting point... start doing!
• Get in the figurative sandbox and to play and test AI with small teams for real outcomes.
• Official policy documents and templates can be found (and copied!) via the GovAI Coalition.
   

Featured Guest:

Parth Shah – CEO and Co-Founder, Polimorphic
 

Voices in Local Government Podcast Hosts:

Joe Supervielle and Angelica Wedell

Resources:

ICMA Annual Conference, October 25-29 in Tampa. 

Multiple AI trainings on the ICMA Learning Lab.

AI policy, templates, and more tools from the GovAI Coalition

Voices in Local Gov Episode: GovAI Coalition -  Your Voice in Shaping the Future of AI

Key Takeaways for local government's emergency management and response:

• Best practices in governmental preparedness.
• How to address the entire community.
• Ways to leverage technology to enhance information management and situational awareness.
• Cooperation with FEMA.
• Implement actionable review and continuous improvement.

Featured Guest:

John Antapasis, Emergency Management Director, Fire Rescue, City of Tampa

Voices in Local Government Podcast Hosts:

Joe Supervielle and Angelica Wedell

Resources:

ICMA Recovery Resources

ICMA Annual Conference, October 25-29 in Tampa

Key Takeaways for local government's data and software:

• Be intentional during idea stage with disciplined winnowing.
• The difference between a platform and a tool - and what will best serve your needs.
• Sunk cost fallacy and resisting the urge to double down.

Featured Guest:

Raman Shah – Owner, Raman Shah Data Science

Connect with Raman on LinkedIn
 

Voices in Local Government Podcast Hosts

Joe Supervielle and Angelica Wedell

Resources

Learn more from Raman in his three-part blog series, Software Trouble.

ICMA Annual Conference, October 25-29 in Tampa.