AuthentiCity FM, Episode 32: Chutes, Ladders, and the Right Seat with Cori Burbach
AuthentiCity FM, Episode 32: Chutes, Ladders, and the Right Seat with Cori Burbach  
Podcast: AuthentiCity FM | Real Stories. Bold Ideas. Better Communities.
Published On: Tue Apr 14 2026
Description: What does it mean to be successful in local government? Not the version the profession has been selling for decades, the linear path from small city to bigger city to biggest chair, but the one that actually fits the life you are building and the work you want to do.Cori Burbach has been asking that question out loud, which takes more courage than it sounds. As Assistant City Manager in Dubuque, Iowa, a local government management fellow turned sustainability director turned ACM, and a first year ICMA board member, she joins us this episode to talk about what happens when the ladder stops being the point and what you find when you stop climbing long enough to ask what you actually need right now.The conversation moves through the mentorship relationships that shaped her, what it looks like to mentor others without becoming the person with all the answers, and why the peer who frustrated her most early in her career turned out to be teaching her the most important thing. We get into what Dubuque's size and geography make possible, the cross-border thinking her sustainability work demanded, and what the ICMA board experience looks like from inside the first year when you are still figuring out what you signed up for.The conversation also goes broader. Who isn't at the table in this profession yet, and what would it actually take to change that? What the pipeline conversation looks like when you strip away the campaigns with nifty names and say the obvious thing out loud. And what it means to build a support network of people who understand the work in a moment when the work is harder than it has been in a long time.Cori closes with something quiet and generous. She hopes something in the conversation helps someone find the next right thing.03:08 The Fellowship Experience and Career Development05:55 Navigating Gender Dynamics in Leadership08:53 The Importance of Mentorship in Local Government11:46 Community Dynamics and the Role of Local Government14:54 ICMA Board Experience and Professional Growth17:47 International Perspectives on Local Governance20:38 The Value of Smaller Communities in Public Service23:35 Reflections on Career Paths and Success in City Management46:04 The Value of the Second Chair49:59 Finding Fulfillment in Career Choices51:50 The Joy of Food and Community56:47 Travel Tales: The Journey to DC01:11:11 Diverse Perspectives in Public Service