The CityVoice Podcast

Cities work with public employee unions on a variety of issues, and good working relationships with unions are critical for making sure that the important work of cities continues each day. That’s why at AWC we think it’s important for city management to hear labor-side perspectives. We sat down with Michael Rainey, the new President of the WA Council of County & City Employees, and his colleague Staff Representative Suzette Dickerson to get their take on management/union relations, bargaining, employee discipline, and upcoming trends and changes in the world of HR.

 

We will soon welcome Matt Lehrman to the AWC Annual Conference stage in Vancouver, Washington, to talk to 400 city officials and staff about how to think about community interactions in a new way. This podcast offers an inspiring sneak peek at his Friday closing keynote session. AWC Member Services Director Tonia Sugarman sits down with Matt for a preview of his most popular training, which helps city elected officials and staff learn how to better engage and understand their residents. Explore how to approach community conversations using emotional intentionality—responding to someone’s emotion, getting them to tell you more, and ultimately making them feel heard, respected, and empowered. This podcast will get you thinking about community engagement and leave you wanting more. Register for Annual Conference to see Matt’s full keynote in person on Friday, June 24, at 9:30 am.

 

On this edition, we’ve produced an episode for our HR & Labor Relations newsletter, HR insights. AWC’s Candice Bock sat down with Rod Younker, CEO and attorney at Summit Law Group, to talk about current trends in HR and labor relations law and to give a sneak peek at Summit Law’s content for the upcoming AWC Labor Relations Institute conference in the first week of May.

 

The end of the 2022 legislative session is coming into view. The AWC Government Relations team sat down to talk housing, transportation funding, policing, the victories and challenges cities have faced so far, and what battles are still being fought. 

Are introverts more successful at working from home than extroverts? How can managers best support their teams? AWC spoke with Ken Zuckerberg, VP of Training at ComPsych, about how to navigate the challenges of remote work. Listen in and read the article here: https://wacities.org/news/2022/01/27/distance-learning.

At City Action Days this year, we had the rare opportunity to welcome leaders from all four corners of the Legislature—that’s the caucus leaders of the Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Democrats, and House Republicans. They joined together to talk candidly about their priorities and their work on city issues. Listen in to hear their thoughtful and insightful discussion about housing, public safety, transportation, infrastructure, and civility.

We sat down with AWC Government Relations Deputy Director Carl Schroeder to get his expert take on the status of key housing-related bills he’s been tracking and working on this session. Carl offers us a deep dive into the issues that’s both informative and easy to follow. Listen in to learn what’s at stake, what’s our stance, hear our proposed solutions, and discover why we need your help. More

Listen in to what has become our most popular podcast episode each year, the legislative kickoff! You’ll hear our four lobbyists Candice, Carl, Sharon, and Brandy discuss their predictions for the short, remote legislative session. This is a quick and informative explainer of the issues that each lobbyist covers and what they expect to see. They also answer a few fun questions at the end about how they destress during a busy legislative session, with some snack-related surprises.

AWC’s own Candice Bock recently sat down (virtually) with Greg Prothman of the Prothman Company, a recruitment consulting firm that specializes in local government hiring. After serving as city manager at the City of Des Moines, WA, Greg went on to found the Prothman Company in 2001 where he helps local governments across the state and country find top talent for their executive-level and managerial posts. Candice talked with Greg about how recruiting has changed during the “Great Resignation,” and he shared insights for recruiting successfully in the current labor market.

This episode offers an audio version of two stories from the Fall 2021 issue of Cityvision magazine. Find out how Long Beach converted municipal sewage sludge into pay dirt and how Kenmore hatched a plan for long-term financial sustainability.