Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

From recovery to reinvention: How America’s cities can lead the way

In the early part of my career, I had the incredible privilege to work for a local government,...

Helping the hidden: Technology connects incarcerated mothers during COVID-19 pandemic

If you've spent any time working with incarcerated women, then you’ve seen a heartbreaking...

Mayors and electric utilities: natural partners in the COVID-19 crisis

The short-term impacts of the new Coronavirus for 2019 (COVID-19) are rippling through our...

Commentary

Budget planning at the height of uncertainty

For many working in the public sector, budgeting for an upcoming fiscal year is well underway. Has there ever been a more challenging time to account for future unknowns than the current crisis we find ourselves working to overcome? Budget planning during a “normal” fiscal year is difficult enough, as unknowns and what-ifs are a […]

Commentary

The art of a graffiti-free city

Cities across America are struggling with the effects of graffiti at an annual cost to taxpayers of billions of dollars, according to a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. To exasperate the problem, some areas of the country are actually embracing “graffiti art.” Are these cities throwing […]

Mayors and electric utilities: natural partners in the COVID-19 crisis

The short-term impacts of the new Coronavirus for 2019 (COVID-19) are rippling through our communities and economy. Communities are facing unemployment at levels higher than the Great Recession, business and societal disruption, and some businesses that may never to return. This crisis calls for strong and compassionate leadership that brings all segments of the community […]

Commentary

3 ways to make clean water affordable in America’s smallest communities

Water might not seem like a scarce resource, but drinking water is becoming a serious financial hardship for Americans in small towns across the country. Consider Martin County, Kentucky, where roughly half the citizens lack affordable, reliable water service. Despite residents suffering multiday water outages and quality issues, the average water bill was among the […]

Article

Post-COVID-19 property maintenance responsibility

Who is your neighbor? This is a very important question for those in the community development field. The foreclosure crisis in the first decade of the 21st century taught us neighbors are not only the person residing in the property, but also the mortgage lien holder. With the great unknown of what will be the […]

Person holding a smartphone while wearing a COVID-19 mask

Commentary

How cities can react and protect residents and small businesses from coronavirus

Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic — and as coronavirus affects every aspect of our society, changing the way people everywhere live and work — government officials on the federal, state and city levels across a wide spectrum of technological sophistication are working to comprehend and combat the severe negative effects […]

Commentary

GIS for smart cities: Turning data into action

To keep your municipality running smoothly, it’s useful to have a large team of public works employees in the field at all times, keeping an eye out for road obstructions and clogged storm drains. But what if instead of a hundred or so people keeping an eye out, you could mobilize an army of 50,000? […]

Commentary

Helping vulnerable populations in the face of pandemic

Public safety, health and emergency management agencies don’t always know where vulnerable populations live in their communities, making it difficult to proactively identify those at risk and respond to their needs appropriately. Especially in crises, such as the current coronavirus pandemic, knowing who and where those people are can be extra critical as public safety […]

Commentary

Cities and counties face fiscal challenges in the pandemic era

Even prior to widespread recognition that the Coronavirus pandemic is likely to wreck economic devastation on the national and global economies, there were many cities and counties throughout the country facing significant financial challenges. Some of these pre-existing problems included: insufficient liquidity; excessive debt burdens; inadequate reserves; declining revenues; and unsustainable employee retirement and health […]

Exclusive

Equal opportunity for the American Dream

Election season is upon us and the mayors of America have a challenging idea perfect for engineers to lead on. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has proposed an election-year policy agenda called Mayors’ Vision for America: A 2020 Call for Action. The mayors want bipartisan solutions for some of the greatest challenges facing our nation […]

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Commentaries

Commentaries are contributed, non-commercial and educational articles that subject matter experts write for American City & County. If you would like to submit an exclusive commentary, click here to view our guidelines.

Highlights

From recovery to reinvention: How America’s cities can lead the way

Helping the hidden: Technology connects incarcerated mothers during COVID-19 pandemic

Mayors and electric utilities: natural partners in the COVID-19 crisis

Commentary

Budget planning at the height of uncertainty

Commentary

The art of a graffiti-free city

Mayors and electric utilities: natural partners in the COVID-19 crisis

Commentary

3 ways to make clean water affordable in America’s smallest communities

Article

Post-COVID-19 property maintenance responsibility

Commentary

How cities can react and protect residents and small businesses from coronavirus

Commentary

GIS for smart cities: Turning data into action

Commentary

Helping vulnerable populations in the face of pandemic

Commentary

Cities and counties face fiscal challenges in the pandemic era

Exclusive

Equal opportunity for the American Dream

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Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

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