Episode 4: 4. Saline County, Phillip Smith-Hanes | The first step towards creating equity is getting data

Steve Jobs' quote "You can't connect the dots looking forward", is one of Phil Smith-Hanes's favorites and one of the mottos he's operated by in his 25+ years working in local government. Phil has been the County Administrator in Saline County, Kansas since 2019 and has been a forward-thinking government leader with a commitment to advancing DEI work and much more. Phil is a true local hero with over 25 years of experience working in local governments in California and Kansas.Listen to learn about:How Saline County now has to focus on spending dollars and not only saving dollars due to the new influx of federal funds such as the CARES Act and ARPALessons learned from the CARES Act and how it impacted the County's work with ARPA fundsSteps government officials can take to increase equity in their jurisdictionSaline County's current projects and prioritiesTips for recent college graduates starting a job in local government or looking to start a job in local government.