217: Jeff Meisel: From Embezzlement to Empowerment: Building a City That Trusts Again

Show Notes: Jeff Meisel-From Embezzlement to Empowerment: Building a City That Trusts Again Episode 217 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Zencity Overview In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Jeff Meisel, City Manager of Bowling Green, Kentucky, for one of the most powerful and transparent leadership conversations to date. Jeff’s story isn’t polished—it’s lived. Born and raised in Bowling Green, Jeff never planned to lead the city he grew up in. But after uncovering a major embezzlement scandal inside city hall, he chose to stay. He chose to lead. And he’s been rebuilding trust and momentum ever since. From his beginnings as a CPA to his decade-long tenure as CFO, and now as City Manager of Kentucky’s third-largest city, Jeff reflects on leadership through crisis, building a dream team, the emotional cost of public service, and how to lead with calm, clarity, and character—even in the public eye. This is a masterclass in resilience, community-rooted leadership, and what it takes to serve a city that raised you. Episode Highlights: “The FBI Was Called—And I Had to Stay” Jeff shares how he uncovered fraud at the highest levels, reported it, and chose to remain and lead the cleanup. Built by Bowling Green, Leading for Bowling Green A rare look at what it means to serve the city that shaped you and the weight of leading your friends and neighbors. Crisis Leadership, Up Close What it was like to manage a team through public scandal, staff distrust, and personal exhaustion, all while raising five-month-old twins. From Finance to the Frontlines How a CPA learned to lead people, manage politics, and build citywide strategy without losing himself. How to Build a Dream Team When 7 of 9 department heads retired early in his tenure, Jeff saw opportunity and rebuilt a leadership team from the ground up. The Power of Quiet Rhythms Jeff shares how mowing his own lawn, playing lunch-hour basketball, and walking with his wife have kept him grounded and healthy, despite a chronic illness diagnosis. Connect with Jeff Meisel LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-meisel About Our Sponsor: Zencity This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is made possible by Zencity—a trusted partner to hundreds of local governments around the world. Zencity is a software that enables local government leaders to gather, understand, and act on resident feedback, going beyond the "same ten people" to actually reach residents where they're at, and incorporate that feedback into decisions large and small. To learn more about how Zencity is helping turn data into action and insight into impact: Learn more at Zencity.io Connect with Seth Winterhalter: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Municipal Leadership. Learn more at HaltingWinter.com Seth's Upcoming Keynotes: 2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 23-26 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC ELGL 2025 Conference | Camp Govlife October 1-3 | Santa Rose, CA Details at ELGL 2025 City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar November 12-14 | Los Angeles, CA Details at CalCities 2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 3-5 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA