{"id":339,"date":"2026-05-11T10:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.phonelive.io\/?p=339"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:39:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:39:57","slug":"gfg_ep64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/","title":{"rendered":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this conversation, James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Local government allows you to leave a lasting impact on communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Starting in small towns provides a comprehensive understanding of local government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Financial management is a constant challenge in local government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Educating the public on how tax dollars are used is crucial.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Leadership requires the ability to listen and understand others’ perspectives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Empowering employees to take risks fosters innovation and growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Navigating challenges requires quick decision-making and adaptability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Building trust among departments is essential for collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Local government offers diverse career opportunities for various skill sets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Making a difference in people’s lives is a rewarding aspect of public service.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Summary In this conversation, James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technolgies","tag-audiopodcast"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 | PhoneLive Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ep. 64\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PhoneLive Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhoneLive.io\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PL_Site.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hugh Plappert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PhoneLive_io\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PhoneLive_io\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hugh Plappert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hugh Plappert\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f45f58a0a738f6be4e4ef0519f99d117\"},\"headline\":\"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\"},\"wordCount\":182,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Podcast\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Technologies\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\",\"name\":\"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 | PhoneLive Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"PhoneLive.io Church Tech Blog\",\"description\":\"Turn your live stream into a phone call. Phone streaming for churches and local governments \u2014 reach seniors and offline members, no internet needed.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"PL - Church Tech Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PhoneLive.io\",\"alternateName\":\"PL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/New-Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/New-Logo.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"PhoneLive.io\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhoneLive.io\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PhoneLive_io\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/72555498\/admin\/feed\/posts\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@PhoneLive\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f45f58a0a738f6be4e4ef0519f99d117\",\"name\":\"Hugh Plappert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32555a63035a9b779ebc61330c883b660034bf089be5a5d0cac05919ea27b117?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32555a63035a9b779ebc61330c883b660034bf089be5a5d0cac05919ea27b117?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hugh Plappert\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 | PhoneLive Blog","description":"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ep. 64","og_description":"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.","og_url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/","og_site_name":"PhoneLive Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhoneLive.io","article_published_time":"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/PL_Site.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Hugh Plappert","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64","twitter_creator":"@PhoneLive_io","twitter_site":"@PhoneLive_io","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hugh Plappert","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/"},"author":{"name":"Hugh Plappert","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f45f58a0a738f6be4e4ef0519f99d117"},"headline":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64","datePublished":"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/"},"wordCount":182,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Podcast"],"articleSection":["Technologies"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/","url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/","name":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64 | PhoneLive Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-11T15:37:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-11T15:39:57+00:00","description":"James Fisher, a city manager with over 35 years of experience in local government, shares his journey from being a lifeguard to leading communities. He discusses the importance of local government in making a positive impact, the challenges of financial management, and the essential people skills needed for effective leadership. Fisher emphasizes the diverse opportunities available in local government and the significance of community service.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep64\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Journey of a City Manager (with James Fisher) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 64"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/","name":"PhoneLive.io Church Tech Blog","description":"Turn your live stream into a phone call. Phone streaming for churches and local governments \u2014 reach seniors and offline members, no internet needed.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization"},"alternateName":"PL - Church Tech Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#organization","name":"PhoneLive.io","alternateName":"PL","url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/New-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/New-Logo.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"PhoneLive.io"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PhoneLive.io","https:\/\/x.com\/PhoneLive_io","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/72555498\/admin\/feed\/posts\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@PhoneLive"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f45f58a0a738f6be4e4ef0519f99d117","name":"Hugh Plappert","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32555a63035a9b779ebc61330c883b660034bf089be5a5d0cac05919ea27b117?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32555a63035a9b779ebc61330c883b660034bf089be5a5d0cac05919ea27b117?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hugh Plappert"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}