Ep 9: Practical tips for building better committees and volunteerism in your town with Nate Bernitz
Welcome to a special episode of the RETHINK LOCAL podcast.
Alex Torpey's substack
A municipal manager rethinking governance, management, community, mind, and life. Follow the different threads here, from philosophy of governance, Upper Valley happenings, technology, science fiction, photography, nature and more.
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Podcast: Five easy ways to regain attention and agency amidst growing tech dependence
After meeting Beth Malow at a Vermont Town and City Management Association Braver Angel’s workshop last month, we not only brainstormed some ways for me to get more involved with Braver Angels, but talked a lot about how people engage with what’s around them (Beth is a neurologist after all).
Five ways to reset your relationship with your smart devices
This week, I wrote a guest post on the the Together Across Differences Substack on device dependency and reclaiming agency
Congrats to Waterville Valley, NH's new Town Manager, Ed Mullen
A belated congratulations to Ed Mullen, the new Town Manager in Waterville Valley, NH who is just about 30 days into the job and already doing awesome work for the community!
Ep 8: Five things we are missing in the discussion about local government public records
Today I want to talk about public records requests — not from an abstract legal perspective, but from the ground level of actually working in towns across Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
Rethink Local and Alex hired as Interim Municipal Manager in Rockingham and Bellows Falls Vermont
The Rockingham Selectboard and Bellows Falls Trustees unanimously approved a three day per week three-month contract with Rethink Local for Alex Torpey to serve as Municipal Manager.
Episode 7: The high stakes of land use and zoning
Episode 7 of the "Rethink Local" podcast (formerly Upper Valley Vibes) explores some important themes around housing
Rethink Local working with Randolph, VT!
In a new partnership through Rethink Local, I'm serving as Director of Planning, Zoning, and Regional Partnerships on a part-time, multi-year contract with the Town of Randolph
Working with VLCT and Hartford, VT
Taking a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to future work as a Board can net big benefits
Episode 6: Community Nursing in the Upper Valley
Join us over on the Upper Valley Vibes podcast to talk about healthcare, trust, relationships, rural community, and more through conversations with four tremendous nurses, including:
Leadership lessons from Ted Lasso
Over the last 15 years I’ve worked on projects and touched “leadership” from a few different perspectives, as a student, then professor, as a mayor, then as a mentor helping others run for office, as a town manager, and just generally a person in the world wondering what’s happening in our politics and our communities that so often leads to spoiled trust and poor outcomes and how we can do better.
Rethink Local launches New England Municipal Managers email group
The free Google group for municipal managers in New Hampshire and Vermont will help provide collaboration and connection
Alex on the City Manager Unfiltered podcast discussing unique shared services in CT
Alex joins Joe Turner on his City Manager Unfiltered podcast about the unique shared town administrator recruitment w/ three small towns & a regional entity that he's working on at the Collins Center
Upper Valley Vibes Episode 5: "I voted!" Now what?
Last month, millions of people turned out to vote in the 2024 elections. Here are five ways to have an even greater impact around us, for all time/skill levels.
Upper Valley Vibes Episode 4: Education, civility, critical thinking, civil disobedience with Greg Prince of Norwich, VT
In this episode of Upper Valley Vibes we took another visit to Norwich over the summer where I sit down with Greg Prince.
Rethinking Episode 34 - The Allure of Ted Lasso
Why is Ted Lasso just so darn compelling for so many people?
Upper Valley Vibes Ep 3 with the Raymond Voter Information Project discussing Town Meeting, civic engagement and community trust
Hi everyone, Alex Torpey here, your host of Upper Valley Vibes.
Rethinking Repost: Five Minute Book Review - The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
In this month’s Five Minute Book Review, I give a strong recommendation for Aldo Leopold’s The Sand County Almanac.
A few quick hits from ICMA 2024
This past week, the International City/County Management Association hosted their annual conference, which took place in Pittsburgh, PA.
Ep #28: Using AIM to reflect on always-on tech and social norms
Callback to one of my favorite posts