{"id":497,"date":"2026-08-05T14:21:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/?p=497"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:21:51","slug":"gfg_ep101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phonelive.io\/blog\/gfg_ep101\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Trust in Local Government (with Lora-Marie Bernard) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode, Lora-Marie Bernard shares her journey from journalism to becoming a public information officer in Lake Jackson, Texas. She discusses the importance of trusted sources in building community relationships and the challenges she faced on her first day in municipal government. Laura highlights the stability of city government careers compared to the private sector and emphasizes the unique dynamics of various city departments. She also addresses the need for trust in local government and shares creative initiatives to engage the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ready to explore your own local government career options?<\/strong> Download this free guide on how to transition into a successful career in local government: <a href=\"https:\/\/icma.org\/documents\/breaking-local-government-guidebook-career-transitions\">https:\/\/icma.org\/documents\/breaking-local-government-guidebook-career-transitions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Trusted sources are crucial for career advancement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transitioning from journalism to government can be rewarding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Day one in municipal government can be chaotic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>City government offers more stability than private sector jobs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Understanding different city departments enhances communication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building trust in local government is essential for community engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creative initiatives can foster community spirit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Engaging with residents through social media is vital.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Local government employees often form a close-knit community.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Effective communication can help alleviate public concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sponsored by <a href=\"https:\/\/switchboard.live\/\">Switchboard.Live<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary In this episode, Lora-Marie Bernard shares her journey from journalism to becoming a public information officer in Lake Jackson, Texas. She discusses the importance of trusted sources in building community relationships and the challenges she faced on her first day in municipal government. Laura highlights the stability of city government careers compared to the [&hellip;]<\/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-497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technolgies","tag-audiopodcast"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Building Trust in Local Government (with Lora-Marie Bernard) | Ground Floor Government Ep. 101 | PhoneLive Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lora-Marie Bernard shares her journey from journalism to becoming a public information officer in Lake Jackson, Texas. 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