HaltingWinter

10/09/2026

"Our job isn't to make the political call. Our job is to give elected officials the best information possible to make that call."

Jennifer Miller calls it: “Enable informed decision-making.”

Leadership in local government often means providing your professional expertise without needing your preferred outcome to win.

Give them accurate information.�Give them the trade-offs.�Give them your professional recommendation.

Then when the elected body makes its decision, lead your organization in executing it well.

This deeply matters, especially in an environment where almost everything seems to be getting more political.

Jennifer Miller has worked inside incredibly complex organizations throughout her career, from the federal government and military to now serving as Deputy County Executive for Fairfax County, Virginia.

There is a lot of wisdom in this conversation.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/Lk3byGLcLp8?si=xbePAATh2K2IUzMW
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Jennifer Miller: “No” Is the Lazy AnswerEpisode 395 of The Halting...

10/08/2026

“It’s so much easier to say ‘No.’ But that is such a lazy answer.”

That line from Jennifer Miller gets to the heart of today's podcast episode. Local government is full of legitimate constraints, but great leaders don’t simply explain why something can’t be done. They help their people figure out what can be done.

How do we move from “No, because…” to “Yes, if…”?

How do we break down silos instead of allowing the organizational chart to dictate how problems get solved?

And how do we create cultures where employees are willing to bring forward new ideas?

Jennifer Miller, Deputy County Executive for Fairfax County, Virginia, joins Seth for a fantastic conversation about building organizations that solve problems.

Listen Here: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-jennifer-miller/
Going to ICMA Long Beach? Jennifer is also presenting “Mission Driven Leadership: Veterans Building Trust and Integrity in Local Government” on Sunday, October 18th.
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
Better technology should mean less time managing systems and more time serving people. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments put AI to work in practical ways at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Halting Winter

10/07/2026

Melissa Marsh didn’t grow up dreaming about becoming a city manager. In fact, she started in accounting.

What I found fascinating about her career is that there wasn’t some perfectly mapped-out path from finance to the city manager’s office.

Instead, she kept getting curious.

She learned HR. Took on IT. Got involved with the library. Learned more about operations. Stepped into problems that weren’t necessarily hers to solve.

And eventually all of those seemingly disconnected experiences created something incredibly valuable:

She understood the organization.

I think we sometimes put too much pressure on emerging leaders to know exactly where they want their careers to end.

Maybe a better question is: What can you learn where you are right now that will make you a better leader wherever you go next?

Melissa’s path from accounting to the city manager’s office is just one part of a fascinating conversation in Episode 394 of The HaltingWinter Podcast.

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/jNPbLGqkdRY?si=WuNKYZgHtNvI6Lt1
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

10/06/2026

The people who rise in local government are often the ones who keep raising their hands.

Another project? They’ll take it.

A problem outside their job description? They’ll figure it out.

More responsibility? Give it to them.

That willingness to step up can build a career. But eventually, capable leaders have to learn another skill: knowing what they shouldn’t keep carrying.

Today, Melissa Marsh, City Manager of Madison Heights, Michigan, joins Seth for a conversation about stepping up, advocating for your value, and protecting your capacity as your leadership responsibilities grow.

Listen to Episode 394: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-melissa-marsh/

And if you’ll be at the ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach, catch Melissa’s education session, “The Road to Trust: How a Business Bus Tour Built Collaboration and Community,” on Monday, October 19th.
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
There's plenty of hype around AI. But where can it actually make the work of local government better? Explore practical AI resources built specifically for the public sector at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Halting Winter

10/05/2026

Person or problem?

It sounds simple, and yet it quietly decides how every hard conversation goes. The one with the council member. The one with the employee who keeps missing deadlines. The one at 9 p.m. during public comment.

That's the opening idea in “The Anatomy of Peace,” our MLDC Book of the Week.

Read more here: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc-the-anatomy-of-peace/
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Applications for the 2027 MLDC Masterminds are Open: haltingwinter.com/mldc

Halting Winter

10/01/2026

What happens when your commitment to excellence starts getting in the way of leading well?

That's at the heart of Episode 392 of The HaltingWinter Podcast with Meredith Reynolds, Deputy City Manager for the City of Long Beach, California.

Meredith is a self-described gold-star, straight-A person. But as her responsibilities have grown, she's had to learn one of the hardest lessons for high-achieving leaders:

Not everything requires an A.

Sometimes leadership means knowing what deserves your very best and what simply needs to be good enough to move forward.

It doesn't mean lowering your standards. It means recognizing that your time, energy, and attention are limited, and leadership requires deciding where they matter most.

It's a great conversation about perfectionism, career growth, vulnerability, boundaries, and learning to let go without caring less.

Episode 392: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-meredith-reynolds/
Heading to ICMA Long Beach? Meredith will also be presenting an education session, “Don’t Ask Alice: Advice from Leaders Who Have Learned to Let Go and Not Give AF.”
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Halting Winter

09/30/2026

One of the most interesting transitions in local government leadership happens when your job stops being primarily about doing the work.

Makenzie Lyons experienced that when she moved from City Secretary to City Administrator. The work became less linear, and the answers weren’t always sitting in a task list waiting to be completed.

Now it was about relationships. Strategy. Influence. Bringing people with her.

That transition can be difficult for high-performing people because doing something yourself is often faster. You see the answer. You know what needs to happen. You can get it done. But executive leadership asks something different of you.

Can you slow down enough to ask the question?
Can you create space for someone else’s perspective?
Can you bring people with you instead of simply arriving first?

That part of my conversation with Makenzie really stood out.

If you’re making the transition from department head to executive leadership, or from being a great “doer” to leading an organization, there’s a lot in this episode for you.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o9vdSr2ulyw?si=AHW5BJv_lNfHDDtD
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Sponsored by Tyler Technologies, Inc.
Learn how communities are using AI to reduce repetitive work at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Makenzie Lyons: When Your Strengths Become Your WeaknessesEpisode ...

09/29/2026

What happens when the strengths that helped you succeed start getting in the way of your leadership?

That’s at the heart of Episode 391 of The HaltingWinter Podcast with Makenzie Lyons, City Administrator of Winnsboro, Texas.

Makenzie’s story is one of resilience, independence, and determination. But as her responsibilities grew, she discovered that leadership required more than relying on the behaviors that had always worked for her.

Sometimes growth means recognizing what you need to learn.
Sometimes it means recognizing what you need to unlearn.

Episode 391: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-makenzie-lyons/
And if you’re headed to ICMA Long Beach, Makenzie will dig even deeper during her Skill-Building Workshop: “Control + ALT + Delete: Leadership Reboot.”
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
There's plenty of hype around AI. But where can it actually make the work of local government better? Explore practical AI resources built specifically for the public sector at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Halting Winter

09/28/2026

MLDC Book of the Week: “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer

Have you ever had a conversation go sideways with a colleague and you couldn't quite explain why?

It's rarely a personality clash. It's usually a culture clash, and in local government, these aren’t rare anomalies. Career staff and political appointees. Departments with entirely different norms. Residents who expect to be heard their way, not yours.

This week, MLDC members are working through five specific takeaways from Erin Meyer's “The Culture Map,” giving you insights translated for the municipal world you live in.

Read it here: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc-the-culture-map/
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Applications for the 2027 MLDC Masterminds are Open: haltingwinter.com/mldc

Halting Winter

09/25/2026

Local government is full of good reasons for doing things the way they've always been done.

But every once in a while, someone needs to ask:

Who says we have to do it that way?

That question runs throughout my conversation with Marketa Oliver, City Administrator of Bondurant, Iowa.

We talk about what happens when leaders give their teams permission to experiment, why mistakes are part of innovation, how Bondurant is using creative economic development to navigate tremendous growth, and why local government leaders need to pay attention to tools like AI rather than fear them.

Marketa is one of those leaders who seems to constantly be asking, “What could this become?”

And I think we need more of that thinking in local government.

Watch Episode 389:

Marketa Oliver: Who Says We Have to Do It That Way?Episode 389 of ...