Tom Dowling on Pride of Place, public trust and the future of local government

Seán Ó'Riordáin, LGIU’s Commissioning Editor for Ireland, sat down with Tom Dowling, former County Manager and Chief Executive of both Meath and Carlow County Councils, to discuss Pride of Place, the importance of building trust in local leadership, and the lessons he has learned from decades in local government. Content: 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Lessons learned over decades in the sector 02:30 The power of language and transparency in creating trust 03:59 Challenging the word no: finding a reason to say yes 05:42 Creating and delivering Pride of Place 09:40 Why Pride of Place has an All-Island approach 12:13 Rebalancing the relationship between chief execs and councillors 15:58 The need for risk in local government 19:08 The changes needed in Ireland local government 21:10 Building trust in a period of mistrust 22:58 Optimism for the future of Irish local government 24:33 Local government as a career for all