The Clear Voice

Jim Devlin joins James Groom for Part 1 of a 2 part conversation on leadership, accountability, culture, and the move from Police Chief to City Hall.

Jim serves as Assistant City Manager for the City of Hewitt, Texas, after nearly three decades in law enforcement, including more than a decade as Chief of Police. In this episode, he discusses dynamic leadership, correcting people without tearing them down, building trust inside an o...

The City of Caldwell, Texas is searching for its next City Administrator, and this PositionCast™ episode gives candidates a deeper look at the community, the organization, and the leadership expectations behind the role.

James Groom, Host of The Clear Voice and Retired Chief of Police, is joined by Brad Stafford of Clear Career Professionals, outgoing Mayor Janice Easter, and incoming Mayor John Rychlik for a conversation about Cal...

In this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice, James Groom and Michael Boese talk with Debbie Munoz, Executive Director of the Texas Municipal Retirement System, about the Human Resources Director opportunity at TMRS.

Debbie explains TMRS’ mission to provide secure lifetime income to members across 946 participating Texas cities, the organization’s statewide impact, and the culture that makes TMRS a meaningful place to work. The...

Katie Hagen, CEO of CPS HR Consulting, joins Host of The Clear Voice James Groom and Clear Career Professionals President Michael Boese for a conversation about public sector HR, workforce challenges, organizational change, and the future of public service.

Katie brings decades of public sector leadership experience, including senior roles in California state government, where she worked in HR, civil service reform, organizational ...

The City of Victoria, Texas is recruiting its next Deputy City Manager, and this PositionCast™ episode gives candidates a closer look at the opportunity, the organization, and the leadership environment.

James Groom, Host of The Clear Voice, is joined by Kelly Kuenstler, retired city manager and recruiter for this position, and Jesús Garza, City Manager for the City of Victoria. Together, they discuss why Victoria is creating this ...

In this episode of The Clear Voice, James Groom and Michael Boese talk with Darren Mann, leadership coach, speaker, and author of Rise Above Routine. Darren shares lessons from his project management career, early leadership failures, and transition into coaching. The conversation covers daily leadership habits, asking for help, mentoring, building support systems, servant leadership, failure friendly cultures, and the importance o...

In this episode of The Clear Voice, host James Groom sits down with Sam Toles, founder of CiviSocial, to discuss why local government social media is failing and how agencies can rebuild trust through modern communication strategies. With experience in both public office and digital media leadership, Sam explains why traditional approaches like polished graphics and static posts no longer resonate in today’s fast-moving, video-driv...

When a school district prepares for a bond election, they aren't just asking for funding; they are asking for community trust. In an era of strict legislative oversight, accidental planning can sink a project before it starts.

Host James Groom and co-host James Hopper (retired superintendent) sit down with Derek Bird (Director of Operations, Central Texas for AG|CM) and Jason Burdine (Texas education leader) to break down the "Two-...

Odessa, Texas is hiring two Assistant City Attorneys, and this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice takes you inside the opportunity.

Host James Groom is joined by recruiter Kelly Kuenstler, Odessa City Manager Aaron Smith, and City Attorney James Parker to walk through the structure, expectations, and day to day reality of these roles inside a large and growing West Texas organization.

Odessa operates under a council manager f...

Certainly a lot to unpack as we feature three amazing opportunities from Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Ruidoso is entering a defining moment.

In this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice, Mayor Lynn Crawford and City Manager Ron Sena join recruiter Kelly Kuenstler and Host James Groom to outline three critical leadership roles that will help shape the future of the Village of Ruidoso.

This is more than a recruitment. It is an opportunit...

What does it take to develop strong leaders in local government, and why do so many high performers struggle when they move into leadership roles?

In this episode of The Clear Voice, James Groom, Clear Vice President and Host of The Clear Voice, is joined by Michael Boese, President of Clear Career Professionals, for a conversation with LaShon Ross, Deputy City Manager for the City of Plano, Texas.

With more than 30...

In this episode of The Clear Voice, James Groom is joined by Chief Carrie Ellis, a law enforcement leader with more than three decades of experience and the author of Ma’am In Command.

Chief Ellis currently serves as the Chief of Police at Central Texas College and was recently sworn in as President of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, becoming only the second woman to hold that position in roughly thirty years.

This conversatio...

In Episode #52 of The Clear Voice, Marty Schmitt, President and CEO of AGCM, and Kendra Hickman, Director of Operations for AGCM South Texas, join the show to discuss what it actually takes to deliver successful public sector projects.

They are joined by Michael Boese, President of Clear Career Professionals, and James Groom, Host of The Clear Voice.

From city facilities and infrastructure to school district bond programs, public s...

Marshall, TX City Manager Recruitment | PositionCast™

Marshall, Texas is at a pivotal moment.

In this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice, Mayor Amy Ware joins Clear Career Professionals Vice President and recruiter and Retired City Manager Brad Stafford along with Host, James Groom, to provide a detailed look at the City Manager opportunity in Marshall. This conversation goes beyond the job brochure to explore the leadership ...

The City of Lufkin, Texas is at a pivotal moment, focused on steady, intentional growth and delivering tangible improvements that residents can see and experience every day.

In this PositionCast™, Host of The Clear Voice and Retired Police Chief James Groom is joined by Retired City Manager and President of Clear Career Professionals, Michael Boese, Lufkin City Manager Kevin Gee, ...

In this episode of The Clear Voice, we sit down with Andrew Weber, a Texas attorney and public policy leader focused on groundwater, water governance, and aquifer sustainability.

Andrew is a partner at Kelly Hart and Hallman, where he leads the Austin office and chairs the firm’s Public Law practice, working at the intersection of law, policy, and government relations before the Texas Legislature and state agencies. He currently se...

Leadership is often portrayed as vision, strategy, and motivation. But experienced leaders know there is another side. The difficult conversations, personnel decisions, and moments when doing the right thing carries real consequences for people and organizations.

In this episode of The Clear Voice, host and Retired Police Chief James Groom sits down with Ron Ward, Amazon bestselling author of The Dirty Side of Leadership, executive...

Strong communities are built one life at a time, and at the center of every strong community are its kids.

Episode 47 features Dena Petty, Founder and Director of Mentors Care, in conversation with host and Retired Police Chief James Groom. This episode explores how structured mentoring programs create measurable impact for at-risk students and strengthen schools, cities, and entire communities.

Founded in Midlothia...

Are you exploring command-level law enforcement leadership opportunities or preparing for a future Chief of Police role?

In this PositionCast™ episode of The Clear Voice, retired Chiefs of Police James Groom and Jeff Spivey sit down with Bridgeport Chief of Police Steve Stanford to discuss the newly created Assistant Chief of Police position in Bridgeport, Texas.

Clear Ca...