City Manager Unfiltered

We all have some wild and funny stories from our city manager careers. Why? Because we interact with people on a daily basis and people are crazy!

In this episode, Tim Rundel, one of the most popular guests of the show, recounts the insanities and inanities of his city management life spanning stints in California and Oklahoma. 

If you have some funny stories, surreal first council meetings, or absolutely incredible first-day on th...

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 2 of a two part series so tune back in next week.

You can catch Part 1 here.

If you did not listen to my very first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this link and check out Episode 133 publ...

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 1 of a two part series so tune back in next week.

If you did not listen to my first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this link and check out Episode 133 published on November 19, 2025. You...

CAUGHT ON TAPE! 

In this episode, we have a recorded phone conversation between a city manager and a state transportation official who was cited on a criminal trespassing charge. The state official repeatedly suggests that he will make things difficult for the city manager and his city if the charge is not taken care of.

Such was the dilemma facing Brian Daily when he was serving as the city manager for a small town in Kansas.

Bria...

Chris Gilbert intrinsically believes that when residents feel seen, heard, and cared for, they become more supportive and trusting of their government. 

He argues that "customer service" is the transactional act of doing what needs to be done for the customer. However, municipal hospitality is centered around how you make residents feel during and after the delivery of services to them.

The Sp...

If you want to be a better leader, you have to understand your behavioral preferences and deficiencies and those of your executive team and senior leadership. And the Harrison Assessment can help you.

A couple of months ago, the fellas at The Mental Hygiene Project shepherded me through it. Michael Stahl and Ryan Gallik went through an hour long debrief identifying my core strengths and where I could impro...

In October, Mike Mortell was caught flat-footed when he learned that his fate was sealed and that he would be fired a couple of weeks later. The city manager for Stuart, Florida didn't take it lying down or run off with his tail between his legs.

After enduring months of "social media slander" and the machinations of an elected official who orchestrated his ouster, Mortell had to sit through hours of a cou...

On this special episode of the podcast, Katie Bogenschutz, my criminal defense attorney joins me to discuss the case and break down my two felony charges. I provide a bit more context about my time in Walton County, Florida, and how we got to this point. Additionally, we talk about the terms of the pre-trial diversion offer extended to me by the prosecutor and the discussion we had as to whether I should accept it.

At the time of t...

Mitch Hammes has a built a national reputation as "That Code Enforcement Guy" having worked himself up front the frontlines as a code enforcement officer all the way to the top as a city administrator.

In this episode, we avoid getting into the weeds and examine code enforcement related topics at the 30,000 foot level in a manner that his hopefully more relevant to city managers and executives. In essence, I wanted to give a voice ...

This is the second installment in our new "Black City Manager" series featuring Troy Body, the city manager for Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

"I can't love your neighborhood more than you love it," Troy explains as we navigate his philosophical approach to city management. He uses the "pick up the can" metaphor to explain how he believe residents must taker ownership for the condition of their own neighborhoods ...

Are your elected officials overreacting to negative comments and criticism on social media? Tired of watching them get spun up by a handful of keyboard warriors living in their mother's basement?

Then you need to enroll your elected officials in Sam Toles' new social media training course for elected officials. He is the social media master and a former council member. 

Lean on his experience and expertise to show your governing bo...

In this episode, I call out what I believe to be unethical and deceitful practices by the the city of Valley Center, Kansas in their current search for a new city administrator.

The have posted on LinkedIn that the salary range for their next administrator is $115,000 to $200,000. However, their original job postings that are still visible on various job boards listed a salary of range of $105,000 to $145,...

Beloit City Manager Halley Roberson is one of my favorite interviews of all-time and I am pretty sure that most of you will enjoy it, too. She is absolutely hilarious and I am glad I drove the two plus hours to meet her.

In this episode, we discuss our mutual love for small town city management, especially in Kansas, and the opportunities it presents for aspiring public sector executives. We also talk abou...

Chris Mann's journey to the city manager's chair was a circuitous, non-traditional one. The California city manager started his journey as a city councilman in his early 20s and would later go on to start his own public relations firm which heavily focused on local government issues and land development. He would then launch a a successful political action committee that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars each ele...

For many months, I have been trying to coax and cajole Troy Body into starting his own podcast or at the very least becoming a regular, recurring guest on my podcast. I have wanted to provide a platform for the Hopkinsville, Kentucky city manager and give him a voice.

He has interesting perspectives and opinions you will not find anywhere else regarding local government and city management and he often sha...

For nearly 20 years, Blaine Oborn had an unblemished record as a city manager serving in multiple states. That all changed when he became the city administrator in Oak Harbor, Washington.

He assumed his duties as the city was at the very tail end of a wastewater plant project that had tripled in costs from $50 million to $150 million under the leadership of Cathy Rosen, the public works director.

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