Real Talk on Politics, PEG Funds, and Putting Your City on Camera | Ep.11

🎙️ Guest Appearance on the City Manager Unfiltered Podcast with Joe Turner

What if you could build a full recording studio in your city without touching your general fund? That’s exactly what I did—and in this episode, I explain how.

I recently joined Joe Turner on the City Manager Unfiltered podcast to unpack how cities can leverage PEG (Public, Educational, and Governmental) access funds to modernize communications, rebuild public trust, and engage the community in ways your website never will.

We cover:

✅ What PEG funds are—and why your city might be sitting on hundreds of thousands of unused dollars

✅ How we turned an underutilized office at City Hall into a studio for an award-winning podcast

✅ Why long-form content + short-form clips can outperform traditional government comms

✅ Candid lessons from launching Yucaipa 360, including one thing I might do very differently

✅ How transparency today means meeting people where they are—not hiding behind “it’s on the website”

We also dive into the leadership mindset required to thrive as a city manager, how to build resilience when facing termination risks, and that understanding the “why” behind your career matters more than ever.

 

🎥 Note for YouTube Viewers: This episode was recorded for an audio-only podcast, so following a video intro you’ll see a static image while the audio rolls.

 

🔑 Key Learnings:

• PEG funds are a powerful, underused tool—especially for digital media and council chambers upgrades.
• Professional-quality city podcasts are possible without using general fund dollars.
• Being proactive with communications builds trust, while hiding behind legal minimums erodes it.
• Authentic, long-form content can boost the perception of transparency—even if engagement is low.
• Your podcast can be an archive of helpful links to send when questions arise in the community.

🎧 Featured Topics:

• PEG funding 101
• City podcast studios
• Government transparency
• Council dynamics and communications
• Leadership mindset in city management
• Lessons from Yucaipa 360
• Developer relations & process streamlining
• Why video is the new town square

📚 Links & Resources:

• 🎙️ City Manager Unfiltered Podcast: Listen to Joe Turner’s show
• 📲 Connect with Joe Turner on LinkedIn
• 📲 Connect with Chris Mann on LinkedIn
• 📬 Subscribe to the free Gov360 Newsletter
• 🎙️ Subscribe to Gov360: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

 

🗣️ About Gov360:

Gov360 is the show for local government professionals who want to lead with impact, master their craft, and rise to the top of the profession.

 

Tags: LocalGovernment, CityManager, PEGfunding, PublicCommunications, Gov360, GovTech, CivicEngagement, Transparency, Podcasting, Leadership, CityManagerUnfiltered, Yucaipa360