We’ve been trying for half a century to bring simple language to government communications, without much success. Speaking to people in language they understand is a high-return, low-cost investment.
A lot of cities have tried doing away with the fare box. Most of them have run into problems of one kind or another.
The explosive growth of data centers, fueled partly by the AI race, has some states scrambling for a piece of the action and some localities trying to pump the brakes.
The U.S. homeland is out of range of military strikes, but state and local governments could see cyber attacks, cloud service disruptions and rising supply costs.
Between 2023 and 2025, the city cleared encampments and quickly built new shelters. It reduced the unsheltered homeless population by 45 percent, even as the total number of homeless people in Denver has increased.
Milwaukee’s mayor grew up in the city’s poorest ZIP code and inherited deep fiscal and public safety challenges. Four years later, he’s cut the deficit, reduced crime and earned overwhelming voter support.
Whether it’s political polarization, ruthless social media or federal interference, this is a particularly tough time to be in elected office in a city or a state.
State and local governments have been issuing record amounts of debt, mostly to maintain and expand infrastructure. Will the surge continue?
A proposed bill would clarify when conversations outside public meetings violate the state’s open government law.
It provides a natural space where identities overlap, reducing partisan prejudices. It could be key to easing our fierce divisions.
It’s all too easy to deploy a system that does more harm than good, undermining public trust.
Some mayors openly challenge federal actions while others pursue quiet cooperation to protect resources for their constituents.
The circumstances have to be right, and real urban change agents know not to promise the impossible.
Outdated assessment systems are opaque and structurally biased, leading to “data rot.” Local governments should invest in tools that make it easier for taxpayers to understand how their property is valued.
What happens when familiar words of government are blended to take on new meanings? Perhaps a chortle or two.
How people feel about where they live is an overlooked factor in engaging them in civic life. There are ways to boost those feelings.
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