GovLove - A Podcast About Local Government

Jeff Marino, Planning Manager at the City of Champaign, Illinois joined the podcast to discuss how the City worked to improve customer service in the building permit and development approval process. The City underwent a Development Services Audit which won an award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and allowed them to implement best practices alongside a new software system. He discussed the purpose of the audit, the importance of coordinating all reviews, and benefits of customer engagement.

This episode was recorded at the American Planning Association – Illinois Chapter 2026 Annual Conference.

Host: Dan Bolin and Andy Cross

Sabrina Abdulla, Director of Customer Experience for the City of Sugar Land, Texas joined the podcast to discuss customer service in local government. She talked about how the prioritizes customer experience through their 311 call center, resident surveys, and communication. He also discussed her career path and the transition from operations work to policy and strategy work.

Host: Ben Kittelson

Jennifer Wills, City Manager for the City of Longview, Washington joined the podcast to discuss her career path and transition from the Parks and Recreation Department to City Manager. She talked about the transition from peer to leader and how her background and leadership style have informed her approach to city management. She shared how she's using leadership training and community engagement to breakdown silos in the organization. She also talked about economic development and responding to a disaster.

Host: Ben Kittelson

To recognize 10 years of GovLove co-host Ben Kittelson started a retrospective project. He went back through the archives and picked 10 of our favorite guests to interview again as part of the anniversary. These guests are from all over the country and in various local government roles but the thing they have in common is they gave great insight into the profession and into the work of local government. As part of those conversations we asked them to reflect on the last 10 years of local government, the trends and challenges that have impacted the way that organizations do their work and provide service to their communities. This episode pulls together their answers about trends and the themes were fascinating, from COVID and remote work to polarization, AI, and the rising demands on government they hit on the big issues of our time. Host: Ben Kittelson

10 Interviews for 10 Years of GovLove:

1. Starting as a New County Manager and Building Culture with Josh Edwards, York County, SC
2. Finance, Innovation, and Emerging Trends with Chris Morrill and Shayne Kavanagh, GFOA
3. Leadership and Change Management with Kelly McAdoo, Santa Barbara, CA
4. Parks Commissioner to City Council Member with Mitchell Silver, Raleigh, NC
5. Leading ICMA and the Roots of Professional Government with Julia Novak, ICMA
6. Development and Customer Service with JC Hudgison, Tampa, FL
7. Utilities, Leadership, and an Employee-First Culture with Cathy Bailey, Cincinnati, OH
8. Building a People-Centered Workforce with Alex Lawrence, Boston, MA
9. City Management and Public Works with Ginger Spencer, Phoenix, AZ
10. Equity in Action and Supporting Small Businesses with Aleea Slappy Wilson, Norfolk, VA

Cassie Johnson, Interim General Manager of WestWorld for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona joined the podcast to discuss her transition from the Police Department to the City's equestrian event center. She talked about wanting to take on interim assignments to build her leadership skills and how her management and professional skillset from the Police Department transferred to her new role. She also talked about the operations of WestWorld as a special event venue with events as varied as rodeos and horse shows to camps and concerts.

Host: Ben Kittelson