It’s not often in local government that you have the chance to define an entirely new role for a City. This is exactly what Chris Shorter is doing in Baltimore as its first ever City Administrator. Working closely with Mayor Brandon Scott, Chris is responsible for turning vision into reality and figuring out the nuts and bolts of creating a world-class city.

Making this even more challenging is the history of Baltimore itself - having a checkered history of under-investment and mismanagement.

To begin, Chris is listening - to both employees and residents. At the same time, he and Mayor Scott have a concrete Action Plan they’re implementing, refusing to accept the status quo as good enough.

Please enjoy my conversation with Chris Shorter.