Project management is the backbone of any successful project. That may sound obvious, but it’s worth saying out loud. Good project management can be the difference between a successful project and a poorly executed one. Throughout my career, I’ve seen both sides of it. In the municipal consulting world, projects come in all shapes and sizes. Strategic plans, governance reviews, compensation studies, policy development and community engagement. These aren’t simple tasks you kn

Some thoughts on mentorship, municipal life, and the people who answer the phone Municipal work is hard, even if it doesn’t always look that way from the outside. Decisions are public. Relationships matter. Governance lines have to be respected every single day. And when things go wrong, there’s usually very little room for error and not much time to recover. For many people, it can feel like there’s no pause button. After spending a good part of my career in the municipal se

There is a well‑worn adage that there is always more work to do than resources available to do it. Local governments are no exception. Councils, administrations, and even citizens often want to do more, but municipal budgets rarely allow us to be everything to everybody. There are a few common ways governments try to resolve this tension, many of which are unpalatable. Increasing capacity by raising taxes typically meets strong resistance, and the same is true for increasing