Voices in Local Government

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.