The CityVoice Podcast

Hear highlights from the session, Rethinking local government after COVID-19, from AWC’s Annual Conference Online. Now is the time to reflect on the challenges cities have faced, the lessons cities have learned, and new ideas and programs that cities can implement to support their communities.

We focus on one of this year’s legislative priorities: medication-assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder. We sit down with Jessica Blose and Tony Walton, two representatives from the Washington State Health Care Authority, to get a clearer picture of the opioid crisis in Washington. We also talk with AWC’s own Sharon Swanson to learn how city-owned jails are affected.

At the start of the year we released our 2020 State of the Cities report, which found that cities are the economic drivers of our state and play an important role in the health of Washington. But cities are struggling to meet the basic needs of their communities and are facing new challenges. We sat down with Sheila, Candice, and Maggie to go over these and other report findings.

Find out more about the CityVoice podcast here.

 

New year, new season! We're back for Season 2 with our first episode about what cities can expect during the 2020 legislative session. Listen in as we sit down with Candice and Carl from our Government Relations team to discuss the details of our seven legislative priorities. P.S. Don't miss the end! We have some fun making four lighthearted predictions about what's to come this session.

Find out more about the CityVoice podcast here.

In this episode of the CityVoice Podcast, we cover articles from the CityVision magaizing. The first article, Race Pace, covers the city of Tumwater as they adopt a long-term approach to diversifying their fire service. The second article, Business School, follows the city of Walla Walla as they cater to a neglected niche of the city's would-be entrepreneurs.

Find out more about the CityVoice podcast here.

Find out more about the CityVision magazine here.

This special episode of the CityVoice Podcast was recorded at AWC’s Annual Conference in Spokane. We sit down with Rhys Roth, Director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure to learn how Washington cities can become environmentally friendly economic hubs through “industrial symbiosis.”

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It's a feud Shakespeare himself could have conjured: Two cities - Bingen and White Salmon - locked in a bitter rivalry dating back to their founding in the late 2800s. The issue? Access to the Columbia River. Read the entire CitiVision magazine here.

Do rural communities face unique challenges? How do you realize economic growth when you can’t afford an economic development department? Interviewed on location in South Bend, AWC talks with Heidi Khokhar, Executive Director of Rural Development Initiatives, about these questions and more.

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We sit down with Carol Wilmes to discuss how drugs and alcohol are impacting municipal workplaces across our state. Find out what counts as “reasonable suspicion,” who is subject to random drug testing, and more.

For more information about Drug & Alcohol testing and training, visit the D&A consortium.

Get the inside scoop from Candice Bock, Logan Bahr, Sharon Swanson and Carl Schroeder as they discuss the most interesting and unexpected happenings from the Legislative session, including popular footwear during this year’s “snowmageddon,” and what’s happening with the Legislature in the run-up to adjournment. Also, find out what you can do after session ends.

Find out more info here.