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City Manager Unfiltered

City Manager Unfiltered

By: Joe Turner
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About this listen

 City Manager Unfiltered is a podcast by a city manager for city managers. I am your host, Joe Turner, and I’m on a mission to build a community for ambitious city managers. I want to provide you with the career tools and resources to help make you a better executive so you can rack up victories, polish your resume, dominate interviews, land your dream job, and win your contract negotiations. If you are a city manager looking to level up, check out my podcast, City Manager Unfiltered. Hit that subscribe button today so you don’t miss an episode.Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Career Success Economics Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris: In Defense of Howard Chan | Ep. 112

    Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris: In Defense of Howard Chan | Ep. 112
    Jun 25 2025

    Got a unique episode this week. Former Sacramento Councilman Jeff Harris comes on the show to defend his former city manager, Howard Chan. Harris served on the council from 2014-2022 and was on the council when Chan was selected to lead their community. He knows the ins-and-outs of Sacramento politics and the truth behind the motives and machinations of the key players. Most importantly, he knows Chan's record and his accomplishments.

    Over the last two years or so, Howard has been savagely attacked and denigrated by members of his governing body and columnists at the Sacramento Bee. Though I have made some impassioned statements Howard's defense, most notable in Episode 106, I am admittedly biased.

    Jeff sat down with me to clear up the record when it comes to all the smears and dishonest attacks leveled against Howard. Do not miss this one!

    SHOW NOTES

    Jeff Harris' LinkedIn Profile

    AAME JOB BOARD:

    The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/

    AAME Membership Waitlist Sign Up Link: https://app.youform.com/forms/f9ulo0uh

    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    1. Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
    2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
    3. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.

    Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page

    City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!

    Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • We Carry the Trauma to Our Next Job with Tim Rundel | Ep. 111

    We Carry the Trauma to Our Next Job with Tim Rundel | Ep. 111
    Jun 18 2025

    We continue our conversation with the always entertaining Tim Rundel in this second installment.

    Tim has not just seen a thing or two, he has personally endured some incredibly challenging and professionally traumatic situations. In this powerful episode, he talks about how we as city managers carry the trauma of abuse and betrayal to our next position and that it is quite easy to become "gun shy" or lose your self-confidence.

    He opens the interview by recounting a conversation with a peer who has recently experienced a couple of brutal and extremely short tenures. And toward the end of the conversation Tim talks about how we as executives need to value ourselves and appreciate our worth. He says "we're the cookie" and we should not be giving it away.

    If you did not get a chance to catch my first interview with Tim way back in Episode 8 of the podcast, it is a must listen. It is one of the funniest interviews I have ever done and in it we talk about his efforts to get a sitcom about a small town city manager made a la The Office Space. You can check that out here: https://www.citymanagerunfiltered.com/e/city-of-weed-sitcom-about-city-manager-life-tim-rundel-ep-08/

    SHOW NOTES

    Tim Rundel's LinkedIn Profile

    Links to Tim's Documentaries:

    Brother Valentine: Producer/Director An Oklahoma family is ripped apart after their 15-year-old son brutally murders his older sister in 1974. Controversy swirls around the case after his parents decide to hire a prominent defense attorney to keep him out of jail. https://vimeo.com/147941222 Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story. Executive Producer. In the early 1980's a group of Oklahoma teenagers mastered the art of prank phone calls and became legends. : https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2016/10/03/park-grubbs-story/ The B'CATS (Bryan County Alternative Transportation Society): Producer/Director Venturing into the lives of a peculiar subculture in southern Oklahoma, a former city manager encounters a group of locals who have found an unconventional means of transportation through the use of riding lawn mowers. https://youtu.be/VCuR7oWVYVQ AAME Waitlist Sign Up Link: https://app.youform.com/forms/f9ulo0uh

    AAME JOB BOARD:

    The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/

    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    1. Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
    2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
    3. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.

    Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page

    City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!

    Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • It Just Takes One to Ruin It with Tim Rundel | Ep. 110

    It Just Takes One to Ruin It with Tim Rundel | Ep. 110
    Jun 11 2025

    One new council member can turn everything on its head and send you heading for the exits when you are a city manager. Tim Rundel, the former city manager for the City of Weed, recounts his experience with this elected official who also happened to be married to one of his employees.

    We talk about the importance of building relationships with your governing body, how elected officials need to police themselves and call out bad behavior in the name of defending their city manager, and how city attorneys are not your friend.

    This is part one of a two part series.

    If you did not get a chance to catch my first interview with Tim way back in Episode 8 of the podcast, it is a must listen. It is one of the funniest interviews I have ever done and in it we talk about his efforts to get a sitcom about a small town city manager made a la The Office Space. You can check that out here: https://www.citymanagerunfiltered.com/e/city-of-weed-sitcom-about-city-manager-life-tim-rundel-ep-08/

    SHOW NOTES

    Tim Rundel's LinkedIn Profile

    Links to Tim's Documentaries:

    Brother Valentine: Producer/Director An Oklahoma family is ripped apart after their 15-year-old son brutally murders his older sister in 1974. Controversy swirls around the case after his parents decide to hire a prominent defense attorney to keep him out of jail. https://vimeo.com/147941222 Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story. Executive Producer. In the early 1980's a group of Oklahoma teenagers mastered the art of prank phone calls and became legends. : https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2016/10/03/park-grubbs-story/ The B'CATS (Bryan County Alternative Transportation Society): Producer/Director Venturing into the lives of a peculiar subculture in southern Oklahoma, a former city manager encounters a group of locals who have found an unconventional means of transportation through the use of riding lawn mowers. https://youtu.be/VCuR7oWVYVQ AAME Waitlist Sign Up Link: https://app.youform.com/forms/f9ulo0uh

    AAME JOB BOARD:

    The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/

    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    1. Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/
    2. If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link.
    3. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms.

    Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page

    City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today!

    Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins
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So glad that Joe has taken the time to start this podcast... I have been following Joe Turner on LinkedIn for about 8 months now, and I constantly find myself saying... finally, someone gets me! This is exactly what this career field needs, someone to reach into the depths of despair that many of our colleagues are in and help them all see that they are not alone! Good luck, Joe! You keep producing them, I will continue to listen!

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