Erica Spell Wolf is a councilmember for Ward 5 in Hyattsville, Maryland “I always knew I would run for elected office. I just didn’t know it would be this soon.” I was first elected to the Hyattsville City Council in 2017. And while I was involved in my community, I recalled while canvassing during my
This off-year election day, citizens of Kentucky and Mississippi will choose governors, while in big cities, including Philadelphia, Houston and San Francisco, they’ll select mayors and other local representatives. But as voters head to the polls in a slew of important local races, municipalities must consider the impact of voter roll purges, voter I.D. requirements, and poll shutdowns on residents of color. Voting in
By Cory Poris Plasch, Dr. Michael Adams, and Carroll G. Robinson How can we encourage young adults – particularly those of color, an often underrepresented demographic – to engage in the election process? That was the question researchers from Texas Southern University (TSU) and Polco sought to answer. TSU, a Historically Black College or University
By Bill Eller, vice president of Business Development at HomeServe. Americans 65 and older will make up 19 percent of the population by 2030 and approximately 10,000 baby boomers are eligible to retire daily. Many older adults would like to stay in their own homes, aging in place and in familiar surroundings. This is a
When it comes time to begin the development of your jurisdiction’s annual budget, which song immediately pops into your head: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” or “Don’t Cry Out Loud”? We suspect that the answer to this question will be the same whether asked of staff or elected officials. For most, the budget
As a Cities of Opportunity pilot city, Rancho Cucamonga, California is seeking to enhance its community engagement efforts and formalize its best practices to bring all voices into the decision-making processes. The National League of Cities (NLC) spoke with Erika Lewis-Huntley, management analyst for the City of Rancho Cucamonga, about the city’s goals and efforts
I am the immediate past vice-mayor and current city councilman in Charlottesville, Virginia. The home of Thomas Jefferson (whose birthday we no longer celebrate), the place where white people dressed up in white and carried tiki torches, and where our African American community was decimated for urban renewal, is still—in my opinion—the greatest city in
Regardless of where you sit within a municipality, be it on the frontlines or in the City Manager’s office, you will inevitably find yourself in a position of responding to human needs. Isn’t that what public service is all about? Isn’t this what we signed up for? Of course, it is not always easy to
Whenever I talk about organizational plans, I ask the audience to quote, verbatim (and without looking at their city’s website or their business card) their city’s vision statement, or mission, or set of core values. This evokes bemused laughter. I’ll often get partial answers: “There’s something about service.” “Quality . . . I think.” “Umm
Big cities and big data tend to get most of the attention in publications and on industry panels. Rapid urbanization and the explosion of data are headlining trends. In reality, however, the United States is a nation of small towns. According to Census Bureau information, the median American lives in a city with a population
