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The city’s new podcast, “78621 Live,” invited interim City Manager Isaac Turner as its first guest last month for a quick discussion on council dynamics.
Turner, who stepped into the interim role in January, has worked in city management for more than 40 years across Texas and Florida. In the eight-minute episode, he addressed his goals, Elgin’s nine-member council structure and the importance of public service.
“I want to make a difference while I’m here — I don’t want to just keep a seat warm,” he said. “This is the fourth interim assignment I’ve done. Elgin has some very good people in the community, some very good staff members — which is really good.”
Turner described his role as one of support, both to the council and to residents.
“The council is the boss of me, and there’s probably 12 or 13,000 citizens that are the boss of me,” he said. “I want them to miss me when I’m gone.”
Mayor Theresa McShan, who co-hosts the podcast alongside acting Public Information Officer Stacey Osborne, echoed the sentiment.
“He’s doing wonderful. We don’t want him to leave,” McShan said. “He runs day-today — he takes care of all the ins and outs. The council and myself will give the direction of where we want to go and what we want done, and it’s his job to get it done.”
Turner said the council’s deep roots in the community have helped him transition into the role.
“There are a number of council members who were either born in Elgin or nearby or have lived here for a substantial amount of time, so they have a real good pulse for the community,” he said. “They’ve been very supportive of staff and the city manager.”
The podcast also revisited Elgin’s unique council structure, which McShan said originated from a 1977 lawsuit over inadequate representation for people of color.
“They felt very strongly that having two council members per ward was how it needed to work, and it has worked very well,” McShan said. “It brings more to the table than if you only have five. It brings more ideas, more ways to work through things.”
She acknowledged some criticism of the council’s size but said her experience has been positive. Turner said he was initially unsure how the system would function but found the council professional and engaged.
“They’ve been straightforward — no political games,” he said.
The city launched “78621 Live” in May as a way to connect with residents and make local government more accessible and human, according to Osborne.
Despite minor inconsistencies with camera and mic transitions, the second episode ran smoothly and retained its conversational tone. Future episodes will cover the council’s strategic planning goals and feature interviews with additional city staff, Osborne said.
Episodes are available at youtube.com/@cit yofelgin-texas3271 and are planned for biweekly release.
