Should cities and counties be addressing national issues? During a conference this month hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration, our panel was asked about the effects of the “nationalization” of local government matters, and, on balance, we felt that it’s a positive phenomenon. While local policy-making may sometimes reflect the conflicts seen at the national level, at least locals are getting to solutions. Read more

Spoiler Alert...Americans Would Prefer to See Neither

Winner of the 2023

All-America Leader Award

Youngest Mayor Keynotes AAC Event

No Labels, a national political organization, has announced it is seeking ballot access for a bipartisan “unity” ticket for president in the 2024 election. Supporters of the effort point to opinion polls that suggest most Americans would prefer to see neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump return to the White House. 

Critics, however, warn that the existence of a strong third-party campaign is likely to have a “spoiler” effect, splitting the vote and tilting the outcome of the election without having a realistic shot at winning. No Labels supporters counter that they will end their campaign if it appears they have no path to victory. 

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Congratulations Olivera Jankovska, the recipient of the 2023 All-America Leader Award! Olivera is the Director of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Office of Education & Youth Engagement (MOEYE) in the City of Houston. Ms. Jankovska joined the National Civic League in Denver to accept her award as part of the 2023 All-America City Award event held in Denver this past June.  

Launched in 2022, the All-America Leader Award was created to celebrate the work of civically engaged community members. The award recognizes individuals who have successfully spearheaded civic engagement efforts in their community. 

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Mayor Jaylen Smith, who at just 18 years old, was elected the youngest mayor in US history gave the keynote speech Saturday night during the

All-America City Award Night of Celebration.

This year’s event was focused on Creating Thriving Communities through Youth Engagement and, at 19 years old, Mayor Smith not only encourages young people to participate in city government so that their voices will be heard, but also inspires them to do so with his actions.

Mayor Smith congratulated all the All-America City Awards finalists for their dedication to building the civic capacity of young people.   

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2023 All-America City Award Presentations

MARC: Regional Governance in Mid-America

 Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings

The recipients of this year’s All-America City Award assembled teams of residents, nonprofits, businesses, government leaders, and young people and presented the story of their work to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders in June 9-11. Efforts highlighted by the communities ranged from increasing youth voice in decision-making processes to meaningfully engaging residents, including youth, to address issues such as mental health, public safety, homelessness, and college and career readiness.

Watch the presentations here

There are many issues facing cities and counties that are regional in nature, yet there are few successful models of regional governance. An exception is the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) in the All-America City of Kansas City, MO, where decision-makers from around the region convene to analyze a wide variety of issues, set goals, and partner. 

While many regional councils focus primarily on land use and transportation planning and allocating federal dollars, MARC works on a broad range of issues. 

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For years, there have been headlines across the country regarding the contentiousness of public meetings. On the one hand, the public is angry and resentful of the limitations of official public processes, and on the other, appointed, and elected officials are equally frustrated with dealing with unstable public environments where disruption and cathartic outbursts are increasingly commonplace. On May 25, the Center for Democracy Innovation hosted a webinar addressing this phenomena. 

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