For most of our lives, the 4th of July has been a mid-summer celebration bookmarked by parades and picnics. This year, it’s no question, our celebrations will not look the same. We face considerable challenges as a country. A global pandemic and a country facing the realities of our long history of racism, fueled by
When I was officially elected President of the National League of Cities at City Summit in November, I spoke to you and my fellow local leaders about my presidential platform: Leading with Urgency. The foundation for my vision for cities, towns and villages this year was meant to drive our communities forward on key areas, including infrastructure, housing instability, and partnerships between levels of government.
COVID-19 has reached every community – small, large, rural, urban, and metropolitan. In the bustling western state of Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock has been concerned with the unsheltered and those experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Keeping them safe has been a top priority. In the wake of more than 30,000 infections, Mayor Hancock adopted a
The unprecedented public health emergency caused by the novel Coronavirus has created tremendous challenges for cities across the country. In March, over 124,000 U.S. public and private K-12 schools closed their buildings impacting at least 55.1 million children and youth who were sent home to transition to virtual/distance learning. While every school district across the
When 2020 began, we could not have imagined what would have transpired in just a few short months. From health and economic crisis to resounding calls to address systemic racism, the state of our nation’s cities has changed dramatically. It has become abundantly clear that this year is unlike any other. It has also become
Located on the Gulf Coast, Sarasota County, Florida is home to about 415,000 people —roughly 56,000 in the city of Sarasota. The county has a median age of 56.5—one of the highest concentrations of older residents in the country, with 27 percent aged 65 or older. It joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in 2015.
Seeding Hope and Belonging As a public leader, it can be daunting to consider how to adequately address the factors driving increases in deaths of despair. With so much at stake for individuals and their communities, it is essential to seed hope and to foster belonging. Gary Gunderson, Vice President for Faith and Health at
With over 2.3 million cases and 120,000 deaths, the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact every state and community across this country. These are unprecedented times. A group of local leaders through the National League of Cities Race, Equity and Leadership (REAL) Council raised their voices among their peers that it is important to Prioritize Equity
We are living in trying times. First Covid-19, now the righteous upswell of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to police brutality and generations of institutional and structural racism. Our cities will be in crisis for the foreseeable future. As mayors, your residents are looking to you to lead, to listen, and chart a
What do smartphones, GPS, and Internet search algorithms have in common? If you’re like us, then each has fundamentally transformed how you live, work, and play. Beyond that, they have something else in common: each relies on technology developed with research funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that supports foundational
