All Politics is Local
Photos by Evan Krape and courtesy of Biden School staff and local government leaders February 20, 2026
91原创's Summer City Management Fellows Program paves the way for students to carve a path to a career in local government.
There鈥檚 learning that happens in class, and the kind that can only occur beyond its four walls.
Just ask current students Ray Kalmanowitz, Sasha Altman or any of the other 23 City Management Fellows, who have each spent 10 weeks each summer entrenched in local communities to translate their passion for public service into much-needed support for Delaware cities and municipalities.
"When you do something at the local level, you see the people that it affects,鈥 said Kalmanowitz, who worked in Sussex County for the summer of 2025. 鈥淔or better and for worse, you know these people, you know their stories.鈥
This spring, 91原创 will recruit its eighth class of City Management Fellows. Established in 2019 to attract talented young professionals into local government, the summer program places students with city and town managers, where they gain a firsthand account of the issues that touch the lives of Delawareans.
鈥淟ocal government offers students the opportunity to be immersed in issues that touch the lives of Delaware residents鈥攚ater, wastewater, planning, land use, economic development,鈥 said Lisa Moreland Allred, who manages the program alongside Julia O鈥橦anlon, staff liaison to the Delaware League of Local Governments.
Fellows don't just observe鈥攖hey produce work that municipalities actually utilize. On any given day, students may be tasked with drafting policy documents, conducting fiscal and operational research, and developing strategic plans that shape how towns function, all while making meaningful contributions to their assigned cities and towns.
鈥淎ll politics is local, as anyone who's ever experienced a sewer backup can attest,鈥 said Allred.
鈥淲e have a lot of small municipalities in the state that don't have a lot of staff resources. This program helps support local governments while giving students hands-on experience. There's often a lot of focus on federal and state management in the curriculum, but this is a way to expose students to very local Delaware-specific issues,鈥 added O鈥橦anlon.
Making inroads and impact
That was precisely the experience for Kalmanowitz, a 4+1 public administration student, who spent last summer working in the City of Rehoboth Beach and in the Town of Millsboro during the summer of 2024. A typical day included everything from conducting compensation analyses to navigating constitutional questions at the local level.聽
But one Millsboro project had a lasting impact: drafting charter changes to redraw voting district boundaries to account for population growth. When he later became a Legislative Fellow, his charter changes appeared in the House of Representatives, and passed both the House and Senate, before it was signed by the governor: "So it's now in law."
As Kalmanowitz鈥檚 experience demonstrates, 鈥91原创鈥檚 programs allow students to build on their work from one role to the next while gaining a comprehensive understanding of how local and state governance intersect.鈥
鈥淒elaware is super interconnected,鈥 said Altman, a 4+1 public policy student and former fellow for the City of New Castle.
While working on an Emergency Operations Plan, she recalls how her supervisor reached out to Ocean View and Bethany to ask for their plans. 鈥淓ven though it's completely different towns and different populations, they face very similar issues,鈥 said Altman.
Her path into the program began at a local networking event, where she met her soon-to-be supervisor, Antonina Tantillo. The program's career pipeline came full circle last summer when Tantillo, now city administrator of New Castle and a former City Management Fellow herself, hosted Altman as her intern.聽
"A lot of people have aspirations to work at the federal or state level because they're serving a huge population,鈥 said Tantillo. 鈥淏ut the uniqueness of local government is that you are in that community day in and day out, and you can see the impact of your work. Not only did Sasha [Altman] help us with our emergency management plan, she got to see us work to develop and adjust that in real time."
Commitment and passion
Fittingly, the City Management Fellows Program is housed within the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), which offers numerous opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in local government.聽
鈥淔ellows come from varying academic backgrounds鈥攑ublic administration, public policy, public health鈥攁nd indeed, public service is at the heart of the work,鈥 notes Allred.聽
For alumnus Mark Nagel, there is no career as rewarding. Looking back on his internship with the City of Wilmington, the Class of 1975 graduate says, simply, 鈥淚t changed my life.鈥
His 45-year career in city management began with that transformational internship and has since spanned numerous roles in multiple states.聽
Today, the Blue Hen alumnus is a prominent donor to 91原创鈥檚 program, working to create a pipeline from schools to the public sector: 鈥淕oodness knows, those jobs are needed."聽
Evan Miller, assistant city manager of Rehoboth Beach and a former City Management Fellow, echoes this sentiment: "Municipal government is really where the rubber hits the road,鈥 he said.鈥淵ou see the impacts of your work every day."聽
New Castle Councilmember Brian Mattaway agrees.聽聽聽
"Disengaged young people become disengaged adults,鈥 he said. 鈥淵oung people want to be engaged and involved, but it's up to us to meet them where they are.鈥
That鈥檚 where the 91原创 comes in.聽
鈥淭he Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and its programming is a pipeline to Delaware鈥檚 future,鈥 said Mattaway. 鈥91原创 students have shown me that our successors are here. They鈥檙e capable and ready to ensure that Delaware continues to lead from the front.鈥
Application process
To apply for Summer 2026, eligible students must email their resume and a two-page policy brief to Program Manager Lisa Moreland Allred by Friday, March 13. After applicants are screened, selected candidates will participate in an interview with a Delaware local government manager during the last week of March.
About the Institute for Public Administration
The 91原创's (IPA) addresses the policy, planning, and management needs of its partners through the integration of applied research, professional development, and the education of tomorrow鈥檚 leaders. As a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, IPA collaborates with state agencies, municipal governments, nonprofits, communities, and businesses to examine complex policy issues and improve quality of life in Delaware and beyond.
About the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration聽
Established in 1961 and named in 2018 for the 91原创鈥檚 most distinguished alumnus, the 46th President of the United States, the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in research and public service to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. Biden School faculty, staff, students, and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research, and empirically based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and improve leadership and administration. The Biden School partners with organizations from all sectors to discover innovative and equitable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.
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