No. 005 · Aug 25, 2026Stop Looking for the Unicorn

The manager hiring crisis makes the headlines. The vacancy that actually hurts is the deputy clerk's desk that's been empty six months.

No. 004 · Aug 18, 2026Right Instinct, Wrong Room

Five hundred residents packed a meeting to protest their taxes. They were right to show up, and talking to the one body that couldn't help them.

No. 003 · Aug 11, 2026Leadership With Perspective

A manager who quietly resented his employees' family obligations — until he had a family of his own.

No. 002 · Aug 6, 2026The Case Against the Council-Manager Form Proves It Works

A Des Moines op-ed wanted accountability and reached for a strong mayor. The argument for abolishing the manager turns out to be an argument for concentrating power.

No. 001 · Jul 28, 2026Passing the Budget Used to Be Tuesday. Now It's Content

On the administrators narrating the job, the coaches mythologizing it, and the residents scrolling past both.