EDITOR’S VIEWPOINT/Navigating the new look
Remember when you had to do more with less? Those were the good old days. Today, we are asked to do more with nothing.
The sagging economy has led to revenue and budget cuts and, in some cases, layoffs, all of which translates into more work for you. Knowing that more work means less time for everything else — including reading magazines — we have created a more accessible American City & County.
Our audience, a blend of elected and career local government officials, remains the same, as does our core purpose: to select the most useful and timely information to help you do your job better. However, the format for our analysis, features, case studies and departments has changed and expanded.
The newly restructured and redesigned pages of American City & County follow. In addition to the familiar areas of the magazine — such as our Financial Management, Government Technology and Inside Washington columns, and our finely tuned features — we’ve added three new sections including:
-
Issues & Trends. This section features a concise look at some of the issues faced by local governments, as well as some of the trends we see occurring. Several new items are woven through Issues & Trends, such as Platform (recent reader survey results); the Tally (facts and figures about local governments); Extra, Extra (a miscellaneous mixture of interesting items); On the Record (a Q&A with a notable figure); Roll Call (changes in the status of local government officials and suppliers); and Dotted Line (awards, contracts and other business news).
-
Ways & Means. This section presents case studies on topics ranging from water supply and snow and ice control to GIS/GPS and alternative fuels. Our Buyer’s Index also is part of Ways & Means and includes products and services from suppliers to local governments.
-
Across America. The magazine’s final section showcases some old favorites, such as Postcards, Trivia and the Municipal Cost Index, but it also includes two new columns: Now & Then (stories about the changes to a community over time); and Local Color (articles featuring local governments’ involvement in public projects).
-
Allow me to thank the people who both conceived and created the new American City & County, including Managing Editor Lindsay Isaacs, Associate Editor Stephen Ursery, Assistant Editor Erin Spinka and Editorial Intern Leslie Harrison. Significant credit is also due Wes Clark, our art director and Alan Alpanian, corporate creative director.
Consider our efforts a version of a public works project: you are our public and we really hope it works for you.