An unprecedented 80 percent or 16 out of the 20 finalists for the coveted All-America Cities (AAC) Award are communities that operate under the council-manager form of government with a highly trained, nonpartisan professional manager at the helm. These impressive statistics are the result of an analysis of the list of AAC Award finalists issued…

Eureka: Blazing a Trail to Community Success through Local Government Collaboration

At Life, Well Run. we tend to believe that the best careers out there are in local government…but we also have to admit that the second best job – is bragging about those dedicated professionals who serve our communities.  Looking back on 2017 it’s easy to be inspired by, grateful towards, and hopeful for the…

A quick and easy-to-understand introduction to the roles, responsibilities, and relationships of local elected officials.

By supporting the arts and encouraging renovations, the city of Colquitt revived its community and economy.

A number of form-of-government initiatives were included on ballots in May and November 2017. Some are still being decided.

You know, it’s strange. I’ve been working in the community development field for almost ten years and yet, I’m not actuallysure when I first became aware of local government. I remember calling the Mayor’s office in fourth grade to advocate for a snow day (ironically, I was told that the city did not determine such…

Wheaton, Illinois<br />Since 2007 upwards of 14,000 households in Wheaton paid for their curbside collection of solid waste and recycling by purchasing “stickers” and attaching them to containers of garbage and yard waste. While stickers were not required for recycling, the cost of collecting and processing recyclables was built into the total sticker price. The lack…

I’m sure that some of us can recall moments in life when we stop and think “Wow, that’s how this works? How have I gone so long without knowing that?”  Perhaps sitting down to do your taxes for the first time dispels some of the “mystery” behind that withholding line on your paycheck. Maybe you…