City clerks are often seen as formal and distant, yet behind those desks are leaders transforming their communities. Hugh Plappert sits down with Dayna Williams-Hunter to explore her unexpected path from entrepreneurship and drone photography to public service.

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Dayna shares how one conversation led her to run for city clerk and discover her calling in local government. She talks about bringing technology and heart together — from digitizing a century of city records to running large-scale food drives. With humor, honesty, and determination, Dayna reflects on serving with neutrality, handling criticism, and leading change with compassion. Her story shows how curiosity, community, and technology can come together to shape better local government.

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👤 Guest Bio

Dayna Williams-Hunter is an elected city clerk whose career began through entrepreneurship and community partnerships. A certified drone pilot and longtime advocate for public service, she combines technology and social responsibility to enhance communication, transparency, and service in her city.

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📌 What We Cover

• How a marketing and drone project led to running for city clerk
• Balancing technology adoption with public service and community impact
• The influence of African American innovators in everyday life and infrastructure
• Navigating communication, neutrality, and public trust as a city clerk
• Lessons from leading food drives and nonprofit initiatives for community support
• Overcoming pushback when modernizing processes and replacing paper binders
• Managing major technology projects, including agenda software migration
• Digitizing more than 100 years of city records for a new, efficient future
• Mentorship, learning from peers, and advice for new clerks entering the profession
• Encouragement for residents to get involved and understand their local government

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• California Municipal Clerk Association (CMCA)
• The Brown Act
• California Public Records Act (CPRA)
• “Black People Invented Everything” (book referenced by Dayna)

Ground Floor Government is hosted by Hugh Plappert and produced by PhoneLive.io.