Engaging Local Government Leaders
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We engage the brightest minds in local government. You may know us from GovLove Podcast, Top Influencers in Local Gov, and #CityHallSelfie Day: Aug. 12, 2025.
No one leads alone. 🏛️ 👁️ 👄 👁️ 🤳
Not the city manager trying to navigate impossible budgets.
Not the comms person answering comments at 10 p.m.
Not the planner juggling growth, housing and “one more quick question.”
Not the intern wondering if they belong in hashtag .
That’s why ELGL exists.
We’re a community built on connection, creativity and unapologetic joy in public service. We are the place where people share ideas, celebrate wins, ask hard questions and remind each other that local government is still one of the coolest ways to make a difference.
Whether you’re new to local gov or decades into the work, there’s a seat for you here.
🚂 Hop on the Joy Train.
🏁 Join the Government Grand Prix crowd.
🤝 Find your people.
Because no one leads alone.
05/21/2026
The rusty, old filing cabinet could become you next IT Department project!
Today's from Jorge Valens, MPA, Innovation & AI manager for Miami-Dade County, is a must-read for anyone trying to figure out what AI actually means for local government beyond the hype cycle.
The big takeaway? Your SOPs, policy manuals, workflows, FAQs, and “tribal knowledge” aren’t just dusty documents anymore… they’re becoming the building blocks for AI-powered systems. 🤯
Turns out the future of innovation might not start with coding. It might start with finally updating that 94-page PDF everyone avoids opening.
This article does a great job explaining how:
📂 Documentation becomes infrastructure
🤖 AI thrives on clarity and process
🏛️ Local governments may already have more AI-ready assets than they realize
Also, shoutout to every frontline employee who has ever said: “Well… the process technically says this, but what we ACTUALLY do is…”
Congrats. You are now part of the system architecture. 😂
Excellent read from Jorge on practical, grounded AI implementation in .
05/14/2026
At some point in every local government career, you wake up and realize you somehow became the keeper of institutional knowledge. The unofficial historian of old photos. The person who remembers when we clipped newspaper articles by hand!
Today’s from Jennifer Preston, public information officer for Town of Collierville, TN, is a thoughtful reminder that staying relevant in isn’t about chasing every shiny new trend — it’s about staying grounded in your mission while evolving your tools, your team, and your approach.
Also: “the newspaper clippings eventually all turn into pixels” is going to emotionally devastate at least 37% of local gov communicators today. 😅
A great read about leadership, institutional knowledge, mentorship and adapting without losing sight of why we do this work in the first place.
🌇 As Public Service Recognition Week comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who Supper Clubbed, Coffee Chatted, Pen Pal-ed and celebrated our Top Influencers in Local Government! 🙌
We hope that it brought A LOT of joy and few new connections to your family.
We have ONE LAST special message from 2026 Top Influencer Jim Schutz.
'Song to My Local Government People'
You are my people:
local government toilers,
wicked problem foilers.
I’ll take ten of you randomly
and we can crack any crisis,
slash the tangled forest of discord.
Instead of machetes, we’ll use a whiteboard.
We the unsung
but never unstung,
persisting and forging forward
to help, to solve, to innovate.
Together we will celebrate.
We are seldom seen but always see —
what does the community want to be?
We are not expectant spectators.
We are in the arena,
sometimes warrior,
sometimes ballerina.
My people — sister, brother,
truly known,
only to each other.
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