Municipal Equation Podcast

NC League of Municipalities
  • 4.7 (26)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
Municipal Equation Podcast

Municipal Equation is a podcast about cities and towns in changing times. Created by the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Producer/host: Ben Brown.

  1. 6D AGO

    Episode 91: Municipal Community

    With any profession, hobby, cause or life experience, there's community. The NC League of Municipalities itself is an expression of that, and so are the many affiliate groups and friend organizations that seek to advance focus on nuanced issues as specifically understood by, for example, municipal clerks, or local government attorneys, or budget officers, or women serving in public office, or the many other groups that represent distinct communities or expertise. These groups create important opportunities for profession-boosting, idea-sharing and individual input that can enhance group perspective. On this episode, we speak with a North Carolina mayor who was one of just a few mayors from around the world selected for a special peer group and leadership initiative. That mayor, Leonardo Williams of Durham, joins us on this episode to talk about his experience interacting with counterparts from different continents, with different forms of government and different dynamics on the ground, to see what they might have found in common and why it was worth the time.  The NC League of Municipalities is a member-driven organization founded in 1908. .

    24 min

  2. FEB 27

    Episode 90: WNC Recovery Communication

    In mid February, the League and its longtime friends at the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and western North Carolina region Councils of Governments held a second, large convening of governments -- local, state and federal -- in storm-hit Asheville to go over the latest in the post-Helene recovery work for western North Carolina, demonstrating again the power of same-page communication in a shared comeback that ultimately involves the entire state. The multimedia teams from the League and NCACC captured the full day's speakers and panels on video (). The League assembled highlights for a digestible Municipal Equation episode here.

    26 min

  3. JAN 23

    Episode 89: Car-Optional Cities

    It's nice to have a car, for all the practical reasons. But cars can be a bummer, too. They cost a lot up front, need regular maintenance, require insurance, lose on resale value, might have varying degrees of reliability along the way and bring other kinds of risks and exposures.  What if that kind of stress went away for everyday folks? What if your town grew to be car-optional? Greensboro is one U.S. city looking at that possibility -- not as some kind of thought experiment, but as a reality. Two transportation officials with the City of Greensboro join us on this episode of Municipal Equation for a conversation about how the idea formed and how other cities and towns might think about it.

    28 min

  4. 12/19/2024

    Episode 88: The Changing World of Cybersecurity

    There’s always something new with cybercrime – what it looks like, how it’s carried out, what the trends are, who the targets are, and on and on. It’s a full-on industry, and it evolves as such. There is, however, a constant: the fact that letting our guard down online can have enormous costs. Most of us exercise basic internet security smarts, but, with the landscape always changing, how do we keep informed enough to stay ahead of the bad guys? On this episode, we talk with cybersecurity expert Erik Wells from the N.C. League of Municipalities about today’s internet crime scene, how it affects municipal governments, and how we can stay cyber-safe.

    45 min

  5. 11/26/2024

    Episode 87: The Hurricane Helene Recovery Begins

    Aerial views of Hurricane Helene's devastation in western North Carolina are hard enough to process, but imagine being in charge of the actual recovery. On this episode, we're going to hear directly from the leaders of these hard-hit communities about what they've witnessed and what they need right now to position for a comeback -- one that everyone expects will take a long time. But they're on it. Just recently, members of the NC League of Municipalities and the NC Association of County Commissioners grouped with state and federal partners for a daylong discussion, physically in the same room, to get everybody on one page in a real discussion of what's ahead. Municipal Equation was on site to gather the points. Municipal Equation is a production of the N.C. League of Municipalities, https://www.nclm.org. Contact host/producer Ben Brown at bbrown@nclm.org.

    21 min

  6. 10/22/2024

    Episode 86: ARP Deadline Ahead

    We called it once-a-generation legislation when Congress passed it in 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act provided $1.9 trillion across the nation to restrengthen from the global pandemic that hurt so many communities. For their part, the cities and towns of North Carolina got about $1.3 billion -- and there's an important deadline coming up with it, which you can learn more about at arp.nclm.org. We're joined on this episode by NCLM's Stephanie Hughes, who has traveled to various municipalities across the state to see how they've put ARP resources to great use, and advises us on the reporting deadline ahead. Municipal Equation is a production of the N.C. League of Municipalities, https://www.nclm.org. Contact host/producer Ben Brown at .

    32 min

  7. 09/26/2024

    Episode 85: Commit to Civility

    While disagreement is a fact of life, and indeed it happens in the government space, there's a lot of potential in resolution. On this episode, we look at how local governing boards across North Carolina can tap into that together. Commit to Civility is a certification course from the N.C. League of Municipalities that explores the dynamics of discussion and disagreement and provides local leaders with the tools to navigate tense or emotionally charged situations with composure and respect. NCLM's Vickie Miller explains the context in and around the program and how local boards can sign on. That's right after a chat with Civic Credit Union on the how and why of its new campaign, "I Love NC Local Government." Municipal Equation is a production of the N.C. League of Municipalities, https://www.nclm.org. Contact host/producer Ben Brown at .

    37 min

  8. 08/22/2024

    Episode 84: Dangerous Crossroads

    At a recent gathering of North Carolina municipal leaders, discussion briefly fell on a viral form of accountability activism from the public: “First Amendment audits," performed by citizen "auditors," with whom many local governments have had unforgettable experiences. Styles and practices of auditing vary, but generally in this context it’s the term for when private citizens, equipped with recording devices, occupy public spaces and engage with government officials (police officers, mostly) to test or evaluate their conduct. It can get tense. YouTube is bursting with videos uploaded by auditors that appear to show police and other government employees failing their test -- for example, an auditor might use provocative language to get a reaction from the police officer, who is expected to be cool and respectful of the auditor's free speech and other constitutional rights throughout. There are several cases of auditors successfully suing towns or police agencies over how their officers handled encounters, and it's a subject the N.C. League of Municipalities has followed for many years, even offering a course (called “Dangerous Crossroads”) meant to help with awareness of and readiness for peaceful outcomes with auditors, should they come around. On this episode, we talk with expert Scott MacLatchie about the subject and how the course, which he teaches, can help local agencies of any size.

    32 min
See All (137)

4.7
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

Municipal Equation is a podcast about cities and towns in changing times. Created by the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Producer/host: Ben Brown.

Information

  • Creator
    NC League of Municipalities
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    137
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Municipal Equation Podcast

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada