Jordan Cook didn't even get an interview the first time he tried to land a city administrator gig in Nevada, Iowa. But, on the second go around he not only got an interview -- he got the job.
In this episode we discuss perseverance, mental toughness, and talk about the state of public sector executive recruiting. We also extoll the virtues of the Midwest and talk about how aspiring city managers can turbocharge their career trajectory by exploring small town options.
Jordan Cook's LinkedIn Page
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

The Aransas Pass police department recently removed two public speakers from council chambers after they hurled numerous vulgarities and profane language at members of the governing body and city staff. 
Did they violate the First Amendment rights of these individuals and expose the taxpayers to a lawsuit?
One of the men booted from the meeting is a civil rights attorney who claims the city did violate his rights and the rights of his clients. I have contacted this attorney and plan to have him on a future episode of the podcast to discuss this issue in more detail. 
If you would like to ask a specific question of this attorney, please use my SpeakPipe app to record your message and I will play it on the air. Go to this link to record your question.
What would you have done if these two individuals spoke like this during your public meeting?
SHOW NOTES:
Here is a link to the new YouTube channel for the City Manager Unfiltered podcast. Please subscribe to the channel today.
You can also view the YouTube videos associated with this podcast episode here:
Part 1
Part 2
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

City manager Stanley Hawthorne was wrongfully fired with cause by just two members of his governing body. It was amateur night in Georgia on January 16, 2024 when Councilman Joe Carn rushed through this vote over the objections of Mayor Bianca Motley Broom. 
In this episode, I breakdown the tape and show how these unprofessional councilmembers voted to silence Hawthorne and prevent him from speaking during his termination. I also reveal how childish they were when none of them accepted the gavel from Mayor Broom so that she could make a public statement from the dais. 
Tune into the end to find out if Mr. Hawthorne is vindicated. Hint: This story has a happy ending.
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode I discussed Stanley Hawthorne's "Resignation & Release Agreement."
You can view the YouTube video I made about Hawthorne's termination here.
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

A disgruntled ICMA spouse is submitting public information requests across the country and ICMA executive board members are stonewalling and blocking these requests. Why?
In this episode we talk about the increasing levels of scrutiny the ICMA is facing as a result of my podcast and LinkedIn posting. And we also highight various executive board members across the country who are refusing the respond to these FOIA requests or requiring multi-thousand dollar payments in order to gather the information.
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode I talked about my new donation/supporter link. If you are interested in supporting the podcast with a one time or monthly recurring donation, please visit this link.
I also introduced my new YouTube channel. Please subscribe today.
I spoke about Micah Gaudet's ChatGPT course and how it is without question the best value for those wanting to level up.
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

A disgruntled spouse of an ICMA member emailed me in December to express their frustration with staff salaries and the luxurious international travel junkets enjoyed by organizational executives and the executive board members. 
A city manager vents to me about the crappy salary listed in a job recruitment brochure.
And I take a look back at my LinkedIn and podcast stats for 2023 and compare my performance against that of the ICMA and Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL).
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode I introduced a new donation/supporter link. If you are interested in supporting the podcast with a one time or monthly recurring donation, please visit this link.
Link to the City Manager Unfiltered podcast press release inviting Pacific Grove (CA) Councilman Luke Coletti to come on the podcast.
Daniel Rosemond is the author of "Death of the Public Servant".
Link to top 10 podcast episodes in 2023.
Link to top LinkedIn posts in 2023.
 
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

Former Fort Meade City Manager Jan Bagnall declined to be interviewed for the second part of our interview series after receiving multiple threats since our first interview aired on December 13th, or Episode 29.
On New Year's Day, I received an email from a stranger named Greg King. I would later learn that he was the campaign manager for Jaret Williams, who one his Fort Meade commission race in November. 
I was unsure how to proceed and a little concerned based on some of the things Bagnall had shared. However, I was uncomfortable putting just one-side of the story out there without giving the "other side" equal time to make their case.
So, I decided to respond to King's inquiry and we discussed the situation in Fort Meade on the phone. I recorded the call and feature it in this episode of the podcast.
We also discussed the impending arrival of Pat Oman, the incoming city manager who was recently hired by the governing body without he input and consideration of Mr. Williams.
 
SHOW NOTES:
In the introduction, I mentioned Mark Moses book: The Municipal Financial Crisis.
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 
 

Nick Kittle is a nationally recognized leader in the field of public sector innovation and author of the book, Sustainovation. At the age of 35, Nick suffered a major health scare and it would become a catalytic moment in his quest to find personal purpose and fulfillment. He would go on to ask himself the following question: "What pays my soul?"
We explore a wide array of topics in this deeply personal and introspective conversation with relevant and applicable lessons for public sector managers seeking to build a more innovative department or organization.
SHOW NOTES:
Nick Kittle is the author of "Sustainovation: Building sustainable innovation in government, one wildly creative idea at a time." He is an accomplished public speaker and you can find additional information at his website: Sustainovation.us.
You are also invited to reach out and contact him for professional advice and consultation on his LinkedIn page.YouTube video link for Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying"
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
 

Former Hallandale Beach city manager Daniel Rosemond checks-in to update us on his wrongful termination lawsuit. The author of the "Death of the Public Servant" won a massive multi-million dollar judgment and we discussed his story from termination to jury awarded verdict to the appeal filed by the Florida beach community.
Rosemond recently received news from the court that the city's appeal hearing date has been set. 
We talk about the upcoming appeal hearing, the support he has received from fellow city managers since appearing on the show, his affordable housing consulting business, and other associated topics.
You can catch the previous episodes as follows:
Ep. 10 | Death of the Public Servant
Ep. 12 | Revenge of the Public Servant
Ep. 16 | Betrayal of the Public Servant
SHOW NOTES:
Daniel Rosemond is the author of "Death of the Public Servant" and CEO of the East to West Development Corporation. You are invited to reach out and contact him for professional advice and consultation on affordable housing initiatives and to support him by purchasing his book.
AAME JOB BOARD:
The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/
SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.
Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page
City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!
Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.