The HaltingWinter Podcast

Rose Beverly: Holding the Line When a City Is Struggling
Financial Strain, Fragile Public Trust, and the Work No One Sees
Episode 284 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What does leadership look like when you inherit financial strain, face fragile public trust, and are still expected to keep a city moving forward?
In this episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Rose Beverly, City Manager of Paris, Texas, for an honest and grounded conversation about the realities of municipal leadership when the work is weighty, the challenges feel overwhelming, and the solutions aren't immediate.
Rose shares her unconventional path into local government, from rural Idaho and elected office, to city administration roles in Minnesota and Kentucky, and now leading a regional hub city in Texas, where she finds herself navigating deferred infrastructure, financial pressure, and community expectations. Throughout the conversation, she offers a rare look at what it means to step into complexity you didn't create, but are now responsible for stewarding.
This episode isn't about quick wins or polished success stories. It's about holding the line, earning trust slowly, and doing the work that matters even when it goes unseen.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at 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 haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Elvin "EJ" Hardwick: Finding the Call Before the Title
Youth Councils, Public Service, and the Making of a Town Manager
Episode 283 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What happens when someone discovers their calling before they ever hold the title?
In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Elvin "EJ" Hardwick, Town Manager of Somerset, Maryland, and one of Government Business Review's Top 10 Town Managers to Watch. EJ's journey into municipal leadership didn't begin in graduate school or a corner office; it started as a teenager serving on a Youth City Council and a citizen recycling committee.
This conversation explores what it looks like to grow into leadership early, stay grounded in service, and lead at the most human level of government, where politics fade and community takes center stage.
EJ shares honest reflections on stepping into the town manager role at a young age, navigating council–staff–community dynamics, and creating space for innovation, youth voice, and belonging in a small but vibrant municipality just outside Washington, D.C.
This episode is both a reminder and an invitation: Local government doesn't just maintain systems; it shapes lives. And the future of the profession depends on who we invite in early, how we mentor them, and whether we help them find the call before the title.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Download your free e-book on cloud managment at 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 haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – Deep Work
Episode 282 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
This week in the Municipal Leadership Development Circle, Seth Winterhalter breaks down the key insights from Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, and it might be the most important book you read as a local government leader trying to produce impactful work.
When was the last time you had three uninterrupted hours to think strategically? For most city managers, county administrators, and department heads, the answer is "I can't remember." That's the crisis Newport addresses: your most important work requires sustained focus, but everything about your work environment destroys your ability to concentrate.
In this episode, Seth breaks down why the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it's becoming increasingly valuable and what that means for your leadership effectiveness.
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
Special Announcement: Head to our YouTube channel to gain access to our first Leadership & Culture Training Session of 2026: "Personal Well-Being When Work-Life Balance is BS." This webinar is a feature for MLDC/L&C members and is only available to the public through January 31st!
Book: Deep Work by Cal Newport
L&C Training Session: YouTube Channel
MLDC Info: www.haltingwinter.com/mldc
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Kevin Robinson: Called When the Water Rose
Floods, Crisis Leadership, and Carrying a City Forward
Episode 281 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What does leadership look like when the plan collapses, the water keeps rising, and an entire city is depending on steady hands?
In this episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Kevin Robinson, City Manager of Spencer, Iowa, to explore a leadership journey shaped not by ambition, but by service, timing, and crisis.
Kevin's path into city management is anything but traditional. From nonprofit work and private-sector entrepreneurship to serving as mayor, cemetery superintendent, and eventually stepping into city leadership during one of the most devastating floods in Spencer's history, his story is a powerful reminder that leadership often finds us before we feel ready.
This conversation pulls back the curtain on what crisis leadership really demands in local government, long after the cameras leave and the headlines fade.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Download their free guides and more at 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 haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Troy Body: When You've Seen the World, You Lead Differently
Perspective, Pressure, and the Power of Local Government
Episode 280 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What changes when you've led through war zones, natural disasters, political upheaval, and then step into city management?
For Troy Body, City Administrator of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, leadership didn't come through a straight line. His journey spans Appalachia, national media, state government, post-Katrina New Orleans, South Sudan, and multiple regions of Africa, before ultimately landing in local government.
In this conversation with our host, Seth Winterhalter, Troy shares how global experience reshaped his understanding of pressure, responsibility, and perspective and why those lessons matter deeply in city management today.
This episode is a powerful reminder that there is no single path into local government leadership, and that perspective, earned through hardship, service, and lived experience, changes how leaders show up when the work is heavy and the criticism is loud.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at 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 haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com