Municipal Leaders: Develop Faster, Lead Stronger, Build Better
Every week, you’ll get insights and actionable steps to help you navigate personal growth and professional success.
Why Trust Is the Infrastructure Local Government Can’t Afford to Ignore
At HaltingWinter, we believe leadership isn’t just about processes or policies—it’s about people. And when it comes to people, trust is everything.
When Jennifer Poirrier joined the City of Clearwater as an HR director, becoming city manager wasn’t remotely on her radar. In fact, she explicitly told mentors throughout her career: “I do not want to be a city manager.”
Yet today, she leads one of Florida’s premier tourism destinations through recovery from devastating hurricanes and manages the complex dance between 15 million annual visitors and residents who cherish their “small town feel.”
When Kevin Phelps arrived in Glendale, Arizona in 2016, he inherited a city the Wall Street Journal had described as in “worse financial straits than any city except Detroit.” Today, Glendale boasts nearly $300 million in reserves, hasn’t raised property taxes in eight years, and is home to a booming entertainment district featuring some of the Southwest’s most exciting developments.
How did this remarkable transformation happen?
You didn’t step into municipal leadership to feel stuck, drained, or defined solely by your role. But too often, that’s exactly what happens.
Long hours. Constant crises. Endless expectations. Somewhere in the middle of serving your city, it’s easy to forget that you’re more than a leader—you’re a human being with passions, creativity, and purpose that reaches far beyond the boundaries of city hall.
In the latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with Dawn Peters, a transformative figure in municipal leadership development who serves as Executive Director for both the Illinois and Wisconsin City and County Management Associations.
In this week’s episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of a leader who transformed county government in Maine and built a legacy of collaboration spanning four decades.
Many great municipal leaders trace their path back to a defining childhood moment. For Peter Crichton, it was attending town meetings in Mars Hill, Maine (population under 2,000) with his father at the tender age of eight. These early exposures to local democracy planted seeds that would flourish into a remarkable 40-year career in public service.
As a city manager, you’ve felt it before: that moment in a council meeting when the quietest person in the room finally speaks and cuts through hours of circular discussion with unexpected clarity.
In this week’s MLDC book of the week, Susan Cain’s “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” examines why these moments happen and how municipal leaders can intentionally create more of them. Her work challenges the unspoken assumption that the best ideas come from the loudest voices in the room—a revelation with immediate applications for your council chambers, staff meetings, and community forums.
In the latest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with Shawna Davis, City Administrator of Odessa, Missouri, for a conversation that reveals both the challenges and rewards of municipal leadership in small communities.
In episode 166 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, host Seth Winterhalter sits down with David Cline, whose extraordinary career in municipal leadership includes surprising encounters with undercover operations and transforming some of Washington state’s most challenged neighborhoods.
When was the last time you heard someone describe their visit to City Hall as “delightful”?
For most municipal leaders, this question might draw a wry smile. Local government has many well-earned accolades—efficiency, fairness, and stability among them—but “exceptional hospitality” rarely makes the list. Instead, citizens often approach government interactions with a sense of resignation, expecting bureaucratic hurdles rather than helpful guidance.
But what if it could be different? What if your municipality became known not as an obstacle to navigate but as an unexpected ally in helping citizens achieve their goals?
