Michael Kovacs: Growth Isn't Free
The Infrastructure Bill Your City Is Quietly Building

Episode 398 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Sponsored by Tyler Technologies

Growth can look like success. New homes. New businesses. New roads. A growing tax base. But every piece of infrastructure a city builds today creates an obligation someone will have to pay for tomorrow.

In this episode, Seth sits down with Michael Kovacs, City Manager of Fate, Texas, to talk about what it means to build a city that can actually afford its future. Michael shares lessons from a career that has taken him from a small, financially distressed border community to resort towns, coastal communities, disaster recovery in Galveston, and now one of the fastest-growing areas of North Texas. Along the way, he has developed a very different way of thinking about growth, development, infrastructure, and the long-term financial health of a city.

Michael also shares hard-earned lessons from disaster recovery, including why local governments must be prepared to take ownership of the long road back after the immediate response is over.

At the center of the conversation is a bigger question for every local government leader: Are we building communities that future generations can actually afford to maintain?

Michael will be part of the ICMA education session "Maintaining, Replacing, and Funding Roads: How Much Is Enough?" The session will explore the true long-term cost of maintaining and replacing municipal streets and how communities can begin preparing today for infrastructure expenses that may still be decades away.

About Michael Kovacs
Michael Kovacs is the City Manager of Fate, Texas, where he has served for more than a decade during a period of extraordinary community growth. His experience spans small-town administration, tourism and resort communities, rapid growth, emergency management, disaster recovery, infrastructure, development, and long-term municipal financial planning. Today, Michael is helping Fate think beyond the traditional suburban growth model by focusing on development patterns, infrastructure costs, fiscal sustainability, and what it will take to build a community where people can live for every stage of their lives.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software and technology solutions built specifically for local government. From artificial intelligence and resident engagement to budgeting, planning, and public service delivery, Tyler helps communities operate more efficiently and serve residents more effectively. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC): Leadership shouldn't be carried alone. The MLDC is evolving in 2027 with practical leadership development and new, role-specific Mastermind cohorts designed to build trusted relationships with municipal leaders who understand your challenges. Mastermind applications are open now at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect With Seth Winterhalter
Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker, storyteller, and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com

Deborah Stuart: Are You Developing Leaders or Just Promoting Employees?
Rethinking the Leadership Pipeline in Local Government

Episode 397 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
Sponsored by Tyler Technologies

What if the biggest challenge in your leadership pipeline isn't finding better people but preparing the people you already have?

In Episode 397 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Deborah Stuart, City Manager of Mason, Michigan, to explore what it takes to intentionally develop the next generation of municipal leaders.

Deborah shares how "stay" interviews helped her uncover what employees actually wanted from their careers and where the organization was unintentionally setting talented people up for failure. Being technically excellent at a job doesn't automatically prepare someone to manage people, navigate conflict, oversee budgets, or lead a team.

That realization led Mason to rethink its approach to employee development, creating clearer pathways for advancement and giving employees opportunities to build leadership skills before the next position opens.

Seth and Deborah also discuss why people sometimes need someone else to help them see what's possible, the importance of mentorship in city management, and why economic development is ultimately about relationships, not simply incentives, projects, and data.

Deb's commitment to developing and supporting others has also earned her the Christine Burns Award from Michigan Municipal Executives two years in a row, recognizing her work to support and advance women in the municipal management profession.

About Deborah Stuart
Deborah Stuart serves as City Manager for the City of Mason, Michigan, a role she has held since 2016. Her career includes extensive experience in downtown and economic development at both the local and state levels before moving into city management. She is passionate about developing people from within, creating visible pathways for employee growth, and helping emerging leaders recognize opportunities they may not yet see for themselves.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software and technology solutions built specifically for local government. From artificial intelligence and resident engagement to budgeting, planning, and public service delivery, Tyler helps communities operate more efficiently and serve residents more effectively. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC): Leadership shouldn't be carried alone. The MLDC is evolving in 2027 with practical leadership development and new, role-specific Mastermind cohorts designed to build trusted relationships with municipal leaders who understand your challenges. Mastermind applications are open now: https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC

Connect With Seth Winterhalter
Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker, storyteller, and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week: The Motive
Episode 396 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

This week in the MLDC, Seth Winterhalter explores The Motive by Patrick Lencioni, a leadership fable built around two rival CEOs, one struggling and one quietly thriving, and the uncomfortable conversation that reveals why. Lencioni draws a sharp distinction between leaders who take the top job as a reward for hard work, and leaders who take it as a responsibility to do the difficult, unglamorous work their organization actually needs.

Seth breaks down why this question hits differently for local government leaders than it does in the private sector, as many city managers, county administrators, and department heads didn't arrive in leadership through pure ambition, but through tenure, reliability, or simply being next in line. That path makes it easy to never stop and ask which motive is actually driving you.

Inside MLDC this week, members are working through five specific takeaways from the book and applying them to their local government context.

The MLDC
Leadership in local government doesn't get easier as you move up. The decisions get harder. The expectations get higher. And the number of people you can openly process those challenges with gets smaller.

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) gives local government leaders a place to keep growing alongside other professionals who understand the complexity of leading in local government.

Inside the MLDC, you'll sharpen how you think, strengthen how you lead, and turn leadership ideas into practical action through:

• Monthly Mastermind Sessions with municipal leaders from across North America
• Leadership Development built specifically around the realities of local government
• Practical Tools & Resources you can immediately apply with your team and organization
• Ongoing Learning designed to keep you growing throughout the year

You spend every day developing your organization, your employees, and your community.

The MLDC is an investment in developing you.

→ Explore the Municipal Leadership Development Circle: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc/

Connect With Seth Winterhalter
Seth Winterhalter is a keynote speaker and President of HaltingWinter, a national media company dedicated to telling the stories of local government. Through The HaltingWinter Podcast and the nationwide HaltingWinter Tour, he highlights the people and communities shaping America from the ground up, celebrating public servants, strengthening the profession, and inspiring the next generation to pursue lives of purpose and impact through local government.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com