Why are local leaders and philanthropists making investments in early childhood to build equitable communities? The National League of Cities reached out to the City of Albuquerque Mayor and Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to ask why local leaders and philanthropists are making investments in early childhood to build equitable communities. Mayor Tim […]

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For the last 50 years the Supreme Court has leaned right. But there has always been an unreliable conservative “swing” Justice at the center of the Court. First, Justice Powell, then Justice O’Connor, next Justice Kennedy, and most recently (and very briefly) Chief Justice Roberts.  If Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed the Court is […]

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2020 has been a tough year for all of us. Cities in America are facing several crises at once – the COVID-19 pandemic, the corresponding economic recession, and the tension and uprisings due to the systemic racism that plagues this country. Local leaders know that overcoming these crises and re-imagining a future of more just […]

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Political action in our country often appears to move in a trickle-down direction: The Supreme Court issues a decision that affects changes in every state; Congress passes a law that applies to all Americans; the President signs an Executive Order that can change national policy the moment ink touches paper.  In reality, everything that happens […]

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As our country faces an unprecedented public health crisis, local leaders are implementing new procedures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of residents. These new procedures are necessary so development and construction can continue in jurisdictions across the country. This includes permits which need to be reviewed and approved […]

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I was appointed to the Mesa City Council in September of 2013, filling a vacant seat in District 5 and becoming the first Hispanic to serve on the City Council in the process. While this was a significant event for a city with a large Hispanic population, being formally elected to the seat in August […]

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Last week, President Trump issued two Executive Orders to further his environmental agenda. Focusing on our nation’s tree canopy and forest health and improving water infrastructure and water supply, the Executive Orders build on ongoing environmental protection actions. Each creates a new federal interagency group to carry out the orders. The Executive Order on Establishing […]

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With Congress still playing politics with COVID relief to cities and states, the deepest cuts from this pandemic are not showing on the stock market but on the Main Streets of cities and towns across America and their 2021 budgets. As the lost economic productivity during COVID-19 takes root, city and town finances headed into […]

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COVID-19 continues to spread across the country. More than half of the states are seeing persistently higher numbers of new cases. Cities and states that have flattened the curve have new surges in certain neighborhoods (e.g., New York City, New Hampshire). Now, as at the beginning of the pandemic, everyday health practices continue to be […]

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This has been a year of unprecedented challenges and few are scarier than the repercussions of COVID-19. As Halloween and other fall gatherings are quickly approaching, city leaders are once again torn between the traditional role of supporting access to activities that bring their communities together and the need to keep residents safe and healthy […]

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