Wide Open S1 E3 | City Manager Explained: Upholding Trust and Expertise

Who leads a city when leadership is shared?  

In Episode three of Wide Open, we turn our attention to the council-manager model, a system built on professional expertise to run the daily operations of a city while elected leaders set direction and represent the community. With insights from our experts, we look at why many cities rely on this approach, what strengths it offers, and where tension can emerge when authority is distributed.  

Does this model risk placing leadership too far from the people it serves? Or has it proven itself over the last 100 years, solidifying its place as the best model to lead us into the future?