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 election cycle.

In this episode, we talk about the "why" behind his journey and an aspect that many are simply unprepared for. We also discuss the reasons behind the city podcast he launched when he was the city manager in Yucaipa, California. He explains the funding source he used to pay for the equipment and we kick around an idea that many cities and counties may want to consider implementing so that they can help their residents develop their own voice in our rapidly evolving digital economy.

SHOW NOTES:

Links to Chris Mann's LinkedIn profile and Gov360 Podcast

AAME MEMBERSHIP:

To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/

The AAME 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:

1. 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/
2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
3. 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

Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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 shares these "hot takes" on the "Black City Managers" LinkedIn page.

The plan is to roll out a series of interviews with Troy so that he can get a sense of whether he would like to do his own podcast and help him build a pre-launch audience if he decides to venture out on his own. Building listenership for a podcast is incredibly difficult.

If you enjoy this new series, please let us know by going to BlackCityManagers.org and leaving a comment.

SHOW NOTES:

The LinkedIn page for "Black City Managers"

Website for "Black City Managers"

Troy Body's LinkedIn profile

AAME MEMBERSHIP:

To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/

The AAME 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:

1. 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/
2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
3. 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

Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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.

She would go on to level unsubstantiated accusations that masked her religious bigotry toward Blaine, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These claims were embellish and exaggerated by the publisher of the local paper. She had previously applied for a job with the city and was rejected by Oborn.

These horrible, baseless accusations have been amplified in newspaper articles, tainted his Google footprint, and severely hurt him in job searches. In this episode, he seeks to set the record straight and repair the damage done to his reputation.

SHOW NOTES:

Blaine Oborn's LinkedIn profile

AAME MEMBERSHIP:

To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/

The AAME 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:

1. 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/
2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
3. 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

Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.