Episode 94: Civic Trust, Together (With Matt Lehrman)
Public leaders often find themselves in situations of disagreement -- and that's not inherently bad. "Effective leadership isn't about avoiding disagreement," says Matt Lehrman, a civic facilitator and past CityVision keynote speaker. He adds: "Disagreement isn't just natural; it's necessary." On this half-hour episode, Lehrman of Social Prosperity Partners circles back with Municipal Equation to go over the overarching importance of a shared sense of purpose and effective communication points so leaders can discuss disagreements and other intersections productively and fulfill the reality that our communities' people depend on it.Â
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Episode 93: Marion's GEM, Sanford's RISE
One of Municipal Equation’s favorite topics to cover is the kind of partnership and idea-sharing that can make success easier for everyone. When the City of Marion learned about a commerce-boosting concept that seemed to work for other cities, they tried it, and it worked for them. When the City of Sanford learned about it from Marion, they tried it, and it worked for them, too. In this instance, it was two cities in separate parts of the state with the initiative to directly trade know-how, and it went so well that Sanford circled back and helped Marion with resources. On this episode, we dig into that idea-sharing, how it started, and how it all worked, joined by leaders from both cities to hear about the GEM program in Marion and the RISE program in Sanford and how they've worked with residents to create a more vibrant local business scene. Â
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Episode 92: For the COOP (Continuity of Operations)
Emergencies happen, and sometimes at scales that surprise us. We can shrug, or we can invest that sensitivity. That goes for all of us, and our shared stakes in the kind of local governance that can keep vital functions going for communities amid disruptive wildcards like hurricanes or other natural disasters. More than a basic conversation for our cities and towns, it's filled with varying nuance, science and new technologies for better outcomes. Deeply familiar with the subject is Bill Hollingsed, the former Waynesville police chief and current executive director of the , who joins us on this episode to talk through the points. They include what we've learned about our sense of readiness since the fall 2024 devastation from Hurricane Helene, very much on our minds as 2025's hurricane season is soon to begin. Visit the NC League of Municipalities and learn about all it has to offer at https://www.nclm.org/.
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Episode 91: Municipal Community
With any profession, hobby, cause or life experience, there's community. The NC League of Municipalities itself is an expression of that, and so are the many affiliate groups and friend organizations that seek to advance focus on nuanced issues as specifically understood by, for example, municipal clerks, or local government attorneys, or budget officers, or women serving in public office, or the many other groups that represent distinct communities or expertise. These groups create important opportunities for profession-boosting, idea-sharing and individual input that can enhance group perspective. On this episode, we speak with a North Carolina mayor who was one of just a few mayors from around the world selected for a special peer group and leadership initiative. That mayor, Leonardo Williams of Durham, joins us on this episode to talk about his experience interacting with counterparts from different continents, with different forms of government and different dynamics on the ground, to see what they might have found in common and why it was worth the time. The NC League of Municipalities is a member-driven organization founded in 1908. .Â
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Episode 90: WNC Recovery Communication
In mid February, the League and its longtime friends at the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and western North Carolina region Councils of Governments held a second, large convening of governments -- local, state and federal -- in storm-hit Asheville to go over the latest in the post-Helene recovery work for western North Carolina, demonstrating again the power of same-page communication in a shared comeback that ultimately involves the entire state. The multimedia teams from the League and NCACC captured the full day's speakers and panels on video (). The League assembled highlights for a digestible Municipal Equation episode here.
Municipal Equation is a podcast about cities and towns in changing times. Created by the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Producer/host: Ben Brown.
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