Every two weeks, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) posts a new “Management Matters” podcast, which features NAPA President and CEO James-Christian Blockwood’s interviews with public sector office holders, appointees and government observers.

The current podcast – posted on October 5 – delivers an excellent conversation about the importance of collaboration, and cross-sector partnerships in delivering community services and promoting a region’s strength. The two guests were Matt Chase, CEO of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and Andrew Ginther, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and Governing’s 2026 Public Official of the Year. 

An astounding number of topics were touched on in this 30-minute conversation, but the overriding theme was the importance of cities, counties, nonprofits and the private sector working together.  At center stage in the podcast is the way that multi-level partnerships have worked for Columbus and the central Ohio region and for the successful prioritization of housing, transit and economic development. 

Below, readers will find a taste of the issues that came up in the “Embracing Regionalism” discussion. (Note that the quotes are not necessarily in the order they occurred during the interview.) 

To listen to the podcast, click here. 

A challenging time

Early in the conversation, NACO CEO Chase complimented NAPA on its role in looking at the complexities of federalism and intergovernmental affairs. “Cities and counties are having to navigate a time when we’re declining in public trust; we’re dealing with an affordability crisis of the average American, and we’re living in a clickbait, attention-based economy where the economic incentives of media and social media are to play gotcha,” he said.

Chase also noted the political and policy environment that local governments currently confront. “At the federal political level, obviously every policy is on the table. There’s no such thing as status quo and we are living through an era of disruption. Some embrace it; some are fighting it, but it’s just the reality for city and county leaders that their federal funding might not be flowing like it was.”

“I have a lot of empathy for mayors and county commissioners and other elected officials trying to bring people together at a time when the political incentives and the economic incentives are working against them.”

To Chase’s comments, Mayor Ginther also noted the pullback of federal government investing alongside city and county partners. “And so nobody (is) coming to save us right now. . . Cities and counties have to work closer together than ever before.”

City-County relations

As Ginther explained in the conversation, the vast majority of counties in Ohio have three commissioners “and it’s really important for mayors to have strong relationships, personal and professional, with their county commissioners.”

“Columbus counts for about 40% of the land area in the county and about 65% of the population of Franklin County. . . The commissioners and I serve the same people overwhelmingly, and those people really could care less whether or not it’s a city or a county initiative. They want to see their city and county working closer together to make their lives better, more affordable, safer, more prosperous. And so, our challenges are their challenges. Our successes are their successes.”

Bipartisan action

The importance of working across the political aisle came across vividly. Particularly at the local level, many of the policies that ignite partisan fury at the national or even state level, are removed from the actual workings of government. “There’s not a Republican way or a Democratic way to pick up the trash, plow the streets of snow, fix potholes, make communities safer and create jobs and economic opportunity,” said Ginther.

Dealing with very concrete local needs creates a strong focus on working together to solve problems. “The best politics is get results,” said Chase.

An example from central Ohio demonstrated Chase’s point. Ginther, a democrat, described how he and Jeff Fix, a republican commissioner in neighboring Fairfield County have been working together on the area’s housing supply crisis. While Fix was the former chair of the Republican Party in Fairfield County, Ginther describes himself as a “dyed in the wool Democrat, but Jeff and I are working together on growth and housing,” he said.

The regional housing collaboration involves other partners as well, including major employers, and other mayors and county commissioners. “We have a supply crisis here in central Ohio,” said Ginther. “We need 200,000 units at every price point in the marketplace over the next 10 years.” The approach and needs of a large city and of rural areas are different, but a strategic and adequately funded approach to dramatic housing needs and carefully considered land-use policies benefit the region as a whole.

Moving forward

The interview raised many of the challenges facing local governments, including the pullback in federal funding that came with the budget bill in July. “Right now, we have a laundry list of federal policy issues . . . that’s moving a trillion dollars from the federal balance sheet onto state and locals,” said Chase. But his philosophy is to focus on the outcomes that are desired and to avoid whining about the burdens faced by local governments. “If you’re going (to) come with a problem, bring a solution,” he said.

“It’s been over 250 years that federal and state problems get thrown on our lap. It’s not new. Now, what’s new is the speed and scale.”

With that mindset, disruption brings with it “opportunities to improve collaboration with an eye on improving our communities – not protecting institutional power; not protecting the power of the city or the county but making life in the community better.”

For readers interested in hearings other conversations hosted and moderated by Blockwood, they are usually published biweekly on Mondays and in the last several months have covered public service education, the future of public service, and the U.S. Mint. Two podcasts focused on state/local government during summer 2026, were “The Ten Texas Traits of Good Government” and a crossover Governance Matters podcast about local charters (with an emphasis on Los Angeles).

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