Local Matters Podcast

How can better communication help rebuild trust in government? Evan Meyer shares how technology, transparency, and civic engagement can make government more accessible and effective while helping residents better understand how to get involved and make an impact in their communities.

Evan is a tech entrepreneur and founder of several impactful ventures, including MyGovTools.org, BeautifyEarth.com, BeautifyEarth.org, and RideAmigos.com. His work spans government transparency and civic engagement, urban beautification through public art, transportation technology, and community building.

As a civic leader, Evan has served as a District Director for the California State Senate, led his neighborhood association, worked on civic engagement strategies, and hosted Meyerside Chats. He also leads seminars on corporate culture, community and civic engagement, and political philosophy.

DISCLAIMER: Local Matters Podcast Host Janice Allen Jackson is speaking only for herself. Her thoughts, views, and opinions regarding this tragedy belong solely to her. These are not to malign any profession, organization, anyone, or anything. Local Matters does not endorse candidates.

To contact Mrs. Jackson for consulting or speaking engagements, please see the Contact Us page at
www.Janiceallenjackson.com
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalMattersPodcastofGeorgia
Subscribe on Youtube: Local Matters Podcast of Georgia
youtube.com/@localmatterspodcastofgeorg3624
Twitter:
twitter.com/JAJAndAssocLLC
Local Matters Podcast:
Soundcloud:
@localmatterspodcast
Spotify:
@localmatterspodcast
Apple Podcasts:
@localmatterspodcast

00:00 – Cold Open: Can Government Move Faster?
01:11 – Introduction: Government Transparency
02:05 – Introducing Evan Meyer
03:04 – Welcome & Becoming a “Civic Ninja”
04:10 – Evan’s Work With Government & Technology
06:06 – Why Government Is Designed to Move Slowly
06:25 – Making Government More Efficient & Effective
08:15 – The Purpose of Government
09:00 – Entrepreneurship, RideAmigos & Beautify Earth
11:26 – GovTools & Rebuilding Trust Through Communication
11:59 – Government Communication & Constituent Engagement
13:10 – Understanding Where Tax Dollars Go
13:43 – Transparency Across Different Levels of Government
16:24 – When a Lack of Transparency Creates Distrust
17:43 – Rebuilding Trust in Government
19:20 – How GovTools Improves Government Transparency
20:44 – Making Communication Easier for Public Officials
22:16 – Why Government Needs to Tell Its Story
23:05 – Understanding Your Local Government
24:39 – Why Civic Education Matters
25:25 – Local Elections & Voter Engagement
26:23 – Becoming a More Informed Voter
27:13 – Why Local Matters Was Created
28:00 – Looking Beyond the Ballot
29:58 – Media, Information & Political Perspectives
32:20 – Evan’s Approach to Civic Involvement
33:00 – Working With Political Leaders From the Outside
34:00 – Beautifying Communities Through Public Art
37:20 – Growing Beautify Earth
39:02 – Final Thoughts
40:06 – Learning Civics & Taking Action Locally
40:41 – Where to Find Evan & His Work
41:44 – Closing

Chief Michael Pickett shares his journey into law enforcement and his approach to creating safer communities in Birmingham, Alabama. From building trust between officers and residents to crime prevention, community partnerships, and youth engagement, he explains why effective policing requires more than enforcement—it requires relationships with the people you serve.

Chief Michael Pickett is a seasoned law enforcement leader with a distinguished career in public safety, special operations, and crime reduction. He was officially appointed Chief of Police for the Birmingham Police Department on April 1, 2025, after serving as Interim Chief of Police since November 20, 2024. Under his leadership, he has implemented an 8-Point Crime Reduction Plan, relaunched the Police Athletic Teams, and led initiatives that have reduced the city’s violent crime rate.
Prior to his current role, Pickett served as Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Bureau, where he was instrumental in planning and executing high-profile security operations. His leadership was pivotal during The World Games 2022 (TWG), where he served as the Law Enforcement Branch Director, successfully overseeing Alabama’s one and only SEAR 1-rated event.
He enhanced his expertise by becoming a 2024 graduate of the FBI National Academy. Chief Michael Pickett remains committed to enhancing the safety and well-being of Birmingham’s residents while fostering stronger partnerships between law enforcement and the community

DISCLAIMER: Local Matters Podcast Host Janice Allen Jackson is speaking only for herself. Her thoughts, views, and opinions regarding this tragedy belong solely to her. These are not to malign any profession, organization, anyone, or anything. Local Matters does not endorse candidates.

To contact Mrs. Jackson for consulting or speaking engagements, please see the Contact Us page at
www.Janiceallenjackson.com
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalMattersPodcastofGeorgia
Subscribe on Youtube: Local Matters Podcast of Georgia
youtube.com/@localmatterspodcastofgeorg3624
Twitter:
twitter.com/JAJAndAssocLLC
Local Matters Podcast:
Soundcloud:
@localmatterspodcast
Spotify:
@localmatterspodcast
Apple Podcasts:
@localmatterspodcast

Janice Allen Jackson welcomes Citibot Co-Founder and CEO Bratton Riley back to Local Matters Podcast of Georgia for a conversation about AI, customer service, accessibility, employee morale, and public trust.
Bratton explains how Citibot helps government agencies communicate with residents through AI-powered voice, web chat, text, and other channels. They discuss multilingual access, modern alternatives to frustrating automated phone menus, and how technology can handle repetitive questions while giving government employees more time to solve complex problems and connect with the people they serve.
The conversation also explores a bigger question surrounding AI: instead of viewing technology only as a replacement for workers, how can local governments use it to support employees, improve the resident experience, make better use of community data, and strengthen trust?

Bratton Riley is Co-Founder and CEO of Citibot, a leading provider of AI-powered communication solutions for governments nationwide. A recognized innovator in civic technology, Bratton is passionate about transforming how governments engage with residents. He works closely with public sector leaders to modernize service delivery, expand accessibility, and strengthen public trust through secure, responsible AI. His focus is on equipping communities with the tools they need to communicate more efficiently, transparently, and effectively in the digital age.

DISCLAIMER: Local Matters Podcast Host Janice Allen Jackson is speaking only for herself. Her thoughts, views, and opinions regarding this tragedy belong solely to her. These are not to malign any profession, organization, anyone, or anything. Local Matters does not endorse candidates.

To contact Mrs. Jackson for consulting or speaking engagements, please see the Contact Us page at
www.Janiceallenjackson.com
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalMattersPodcastofGeorgia
Subscribe on Youtube: Local Matters Podcast of Georgia
youtube.com/@localmatterspodcastofgeorg3624
Twitter:
twitter.com/JAJAndAssocLLC
Local Matters Podcast:
Soundcloud:
@localmatterspodcast
Spotify:
@localmatterspodcast
Apple Podcasts:
@localmatterspodcast

In this episode of Local Matters, Janice Allen Jackson sits down with Ellen Lubinsky, an attorney and mental health advocate, to discuss her experiences with psychiatric treatment and her push for greater informed consent and patient choice. They explore psychiatric medications and withdrawal, the cost and accessibility of therapy, the 988 system, psychiatric hospitalization, medical malpractice, Social Security disability, insurance, and the role of policy in mental healthcare. Ellen also discusses the Mental Health Choice Project, an organization she founded to raise awareness about informed consent and choices in mental health treatment.

Ellen Lubensky is an attorney and mental health reform advocate working at the intersection of law, patient rights, and psychiatric care accountability. With over 20 years of legal experience, including work in Social Security Disability and medical malpractice, she brings a legal perspective to issues surrounding informed consent, patient rights, and transparency in psychiatric care. Through education, advocacy, and public engagement, Lubensky works to increase awareness of informed consent, psychiatric medication withdrawal, misdiagnosis, and the need for greater support for individuals navigating mental health treatment.

Website: https://ellenlubensky.com/

Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/ellen_lubensky/
https://www.facebook.com/ellen.lubensky/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenlubensky/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenlubensky

DISCLAIMER: Local Matters Podcast Host Janice Allen Jackson is speaking only for herself. Her thoughts, views, and opinions regarding this tragedy belong solely to her. These are not to malign any profession, organization, anyone, or anything. Local Matters does not endorse candidates.

To contact Mrs. Jackson for consulting or speaking engagements, please see the Contact Us page at
www.Janiceallenjackson.com
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalMattersPodcastofGeorgia
Subscribe on Youtube: Local Matters Podcast of Georgia
youtube.com/@localmatterspodcastofgeorg3624
Twitter:
twitter.com/JAJAndAssocLLC
Local Matters Podcast:
Soundcloud:
@localmatterspodcast
Spotify:
@localmatterspodcast
Apple Podcasts:
@localmatterspodcast

What role did slavery play in the American Revolution? In this episode of Local Matters, Dr. Sean Gallagher explores the experiences of enslaved people during the Revolutionary War, including the fight for freedom, slave confiscation, forced labor, and the formation of maroon communities.
Dr. Gallagher also discusses the skilled labor performed by enslaved people and how the choices made during the Revolution helped shape America’s ongoing struggle with race and freedom.
A fascinating conversation that challenges how we understand the founding of the United States.

Dr. Sean Gallagher is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He is a historian whose research focuses on slavery, labor, and the American Revolution, with particular attention to the experiences and contributions of enslaved people during the founding of the United States.
His research examines the ways Patriots and state governments depended on enslaved labor during the Revolutionary War, including shipbuilding, piloting, blacksmithing, carpentry, road construction, fortification work, hospital labor, and other skilled and unskilled trades. His work also explores the experiences of Black Loyalists who sought freedom by joining the British, as well as the confiscation and trafficking of enslaved people by Patriot forces.
A major focus of his research is marronage, the formation of communities of enslaved people who escaped bondage and sought refuge in difficult terrain. His work examines maroon communities along the Savannah River during and after the Revolutionary War and their connections to the broader history of Black freedom and resistance.
Dr. Gallagher earned his Ph.D. in American History from the University of California, Davis. His research began with an interest in early American labor history before leading him to investigate the central role enslaved people played in the labor systems that supported the Revolutionary War.
He is currently completing his book manuscript, Slavery’s Revolution, which is forthcoming from Penn Press. His research has also appeared in academic journals and other publications, including work on different aspects of the Black experience during the American Revolution.

To contact Mrs. Jackson for consulting or speaking engagements, please see the Contact Us page at
www.Janiceallenjackson.com
Follow us on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalMattersPodcastofGeorgia
Subscribe on Youtube: Local Matters Podcast of Georgia
youtube.com/@localmatterspodcastofgeorg3624
Twitter:
twitter.com/JAJAndAssocLLC
Local Matters Podcast:
Soundcloud:
@localmatterspodcast
Spotify:
@localmatterspodcast
Apple Podcasts:
@localmatterspodcast