A bipartisan gripe targeted on state governments — notably legislatures — interfering with how cities spend their cash, a long-running stress magnified by the large inflow of federal pandemic reduction {dollars} and, in some locations, a spike in finances surpluses. Many stated they might slightly see the federal authorities wire cash on to native governments.
“We should additionally improve direct distribution of federal funds to cities, and take away states because the middlemen,” stated Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat. “Mayors perceive what it means to be accountable and are targeted on motion, making us the best stewards of federal funding.”
Wrestling with the coverage fallout
Almost two years after Covid-19 despatched leaders in any respect ranges of presidency into emergency mode, mayors are nonetheless juggling their ambitions with pressing wants like defending residents’ well being, preserving hungry households fed and preserving fundamental metropolis companies operating.
Mayors are making headway in getting their economies and their massive initiatives again on observe. However every pandemic wave brings renewed challenges. Mayors opened up about what plans are nonetheless paused as the general public well being disaster continues.
In your metropolis, what’s the greatest subject or agenda merchandise that acquired misplaced in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic?
“Management of our funds.” — Pat Furey, Torrence, Calif.
“Decreasing violent crime. We have now seen staggering will increase in violent crime in Kansas Metropolis — final yr, there have been practically 8,000 incidents of violent crime (a ten% improve from the earlier yr). And for every incident, there are ripples all through our neighborhood that hurt all of us.” — Quinton Lucas, Kansas Metropolis, Mo.
“We needed to pause on a few of our infrastructure spending, however that has come again and has elevated to document excessive ranges. Now our greatest subject is workforce.” — Thomas Henry, Fort Wayne, Ind.
“Enhancing profession alternatives and job high quality for our tourism-based trade and cultural financial system. We have now been persevering with to assist these staff and tradition bearers all through these tough instances, however a bigger dialog about what these jobs present (or do not present) was overshadowed by the necessity to deal with survival of our individuals, companies, and traditions.” — LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans, La.
“The continued enchancment of instruction in our faculties.” — Jon Mitchell, New Bedford, Mass.
“We have been on the cusp of a serious funding to redevelop our waterfront and convey Main League Soccer to Sacramento. Each have been delayed indefinitely.” — Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento.
“Passing a neighborhood minimal wage.” — Greg Fischer, Louisville, Ky.
What retains you up at evening? What worries you probably the most about your cityʼs future?
It’s not simply the pandemic anymore. Mayors are shedding sleep over every part from crime to jobs to fears of a crumbling republic.
“The potential of our democracy failing.” — Aaron Brockett, Boulder, Colo.
“How can we prioritize the calls to [simultaneously] tackle Covid-19ʼs well being and financial impacts, inexpensive housing and homelessness, local weather change and surroundings, systemic racism and rising violent crimes, and the anticipated wave of psychological and behavioral well being wants we count on within the month to return? As a metropolis, we have now finite assets to deal with this broad number of important wants.” — Victoria Woodards, Tacoma, Wash.
“The shortage of assist from the federal authorities and state to deal with the intractable nature of habit, homelessness and the psychological well being disaster.” — Joseph Petty, Worcester, Mass.
“The chance of serious adjustments in our native financial system.” — Christina Marie Muryn, Findlay, Ohio
The demand for housing
Cities have been struggling to keep up or increase inexpensive housing choices earlier than the pandemic rattled the financial system, and the problem has solely worsened over the previous two years, notably as eviction moratoriums are lifted and rents climb. These prices are additionally a big contributor to rising inflation. Mayors have been specific about how severe the issue is: Nineteen out of the 25 mayors who responded stated their cities are experiencing a housing disaster.
In addition they have loads of concepts about what’s wanted from the federal authorities, nonprofits and the personal sector to assist present extra Individuals with a protected, inexpensive place to reside.
What can cities do to assist create extra inexpensive housing?
“The difficulty must be addressed each inside and with out the geographic boundaries of cities. The duty must be shared within the rich surrounding communities who largely favor single household houses and exclusionary zoning course of.” — Joseph Petty, Worcester, Mass.
“The inexpensive housing disaster is greatest thought to be a subset of the broader problem of housing undersupply. Cities can play a key position in addressing this precedence by encouraging transit-oriented improvement in compact, walkable areas. … Ahead-looking planning and zoning are highly effective, efficient instruments for fostering housing progress, particularly when paired with inclusionary inexpensive housing necessities.” — Noam Bramson, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“Leverage current property. Like many older cities, Kansas Metropolis has quite a lot of vacant or underutilized properties proper in our city core. We have now been exploring methods to return the worth of those assets to our residents — from focused infrastructure improvement, to redevelopment of vacant and deserted tons, and changing lodge rooms to emergency and transitional housing.” — Quinton Lucas, Kansas Metropolis, Mo.
“Our inexpensive housing just isn’t protected and is owned by absent landlords. New housing being constructed just isn’t inexpensive for all. Our greatest subject with the housing first mannequin is we do not have sufficient housing.” — Thomas Henry, Fort Wayne, Ind.
“Rising wages for our present workforce will increase affordability too, and we can’t neglect the significance of a dwelling wage on the housing disaster.” — LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans
“Motels-to-housing has been very efficient in Phoenix. In partnership with U.S. VETS, town bought a former lodge which has now been refurbished and offers housing, meals, and companies to previously homeless navy veterans. The town additionally partnered with a neighborhood nonprofit to create Haven Home — lodge rooms that have been made accessible to seniors going through housing insecurity.” — Kate Gallego, Phoenix
“[W]hat cities want most is an engaged and dedicated federal associate. Adjusted for inflation, the Metropolis of Philadelphia spends 80% extra on non-homeless inexpensive housing than it did in 1980. The federal authorities offers us 73% much less funding than it did in 1980. … Native governments can and do create initiatives tailor-made to their particular wants. And people applications make an actual distinction. However we want a federal associate too.” — Jim Kenney, Philadelphia
“The query is admittedly what is going to different communities do to extend inexpensive housing. The cities have already got the very best focus of inexpensive housing, and thus the very best focus of generational poverty. Generational poverty results in crime and violence and trauma. … Full neighborhood developments with facilities and companies and transportation to employment ought to be constructed within the suburbs and rural areas the place youngsters can expertise fields and bushes, and never be stacked on prime of one another. … Persevering with to pay attention low-income people into the already most densely populated areas is a positive method for failure.” — Michael Helfrich, York, Pa.
What is the greatest subject we did not ask about?
A 3rd of the mayors who responded to POLITICO’s survey volunteered that shootings or violent crime amongst their prime considerations.
The pandemic — alongside its isolation and financial challenges — spurred a spike in homicides and violent crime in lots of cities throughout the nation. Gun violence specifically dominated local discourse final yr from metropolis halls to marketing campaign trails.
Gunfire retains mayors up at evening.
“Fairly actually, itʼs the gunshots that my son and I hear after we go to mattress. I’m the primary mayor in 20 years to be born, raised, and nonetheless reside on the North aspect of the Metropolis of St. Louis, the place many years of intentional, racialized disinvestment allowed the drivers of crime — poverty, housing instability, and the like — to fester.” — Tishaura Jones, St. Louis
“I fear that our most susceptible younger individuals, flooded with easy accessibility to weapons and with out course or hope, will proceed to shoot and kill one another in sickening numbers.” — Tim Kelly, Chattanooga, Tenn.
And mayors have put curbing gun violence excessive on their agendas.
“Louisville, like many cities throughout the nation, is experiencing an unacceptable improve in gun violence, a problem weʼre addressing with a whole-of-government method that goes past regulation enforcement to incorporate neighborhood mobilization, prevention, intervention, organizational change & improvement, and reentry. We’re investing in every space and quadrupling our funding in violence prevention to deal with the foundation causes of violence and create alternatives for everybody to achieve their full potential.” — Greg Fischer, Louisville, Ky.
“We have now seen staggering will increase in violent crime in Kansas Metropolis — final yr, there have been practically 8,000 incidents of violent crime (a ten% improve from the earlier yr). … Addressing the violence requires higher public security instruments and ways to diffuse heated circumstances and construct neighborhood belief.” — Quinton Lucas, Kansas Metropolis, Mo.
Thanks for the money. Now butt out.
Many mayors wish to be left alone.
Throughout the map, metropolis leaders informed POLITICO they know what’s greatest for his or her communities and that they wish to reduce a few of the strings hooked up to state and federal help.
Some mayors lauded their states’ governors. Some decried their legislatures, who they accused of preempting native priorities, handing down unfunded mandates or governing extra by politics than science in the course of the pandemic.
Others, like Oklahoma Metropolis Mayor David Holt, cited the inflow of federal help as a boon for his or her communities. And a few even requested for extra, notably with regards to infrastructure investments.
“The final yr has been a watershed for cities, with direct assist via CARES and ARPA, plus the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure invoice,” Holt stated. “We may hardly ask for a greater surroundings.”
How can your state authorities higher assist cities?
“Cut back the frequency and scope of state preemption of native ordinances; particularly unfunded mandates.” — Buddy Dyer, Orlando, Fla.
“The State ought to disperse Covid reduction cash on to the cities and to not county authorities. There was an unbelievable quantity of mismanagement in my county and county authorities officers elected to maintain a disproportionate amount of cash for their very own company.” — Robert Patrick O’Dekirk, Joliet, In poor health.
“[T]he Commonwealth has been sluggish to spend its allocation of State Fiscal Restoration Funds from the American Rescue Plan, whilst pressing wants go unmet. These funds may very well be used to assist crucial efforts akin to Covid-19 response and containment, enlargement of inexpensive digital entry applications, or rental help, amongst others.” — Jim Kenney, Philadelphia
“State pre-emption of native authorities is at an all-time excessive. Covid-19 is a painful instance: Cities which have effectively thought out applications to scale back threat, and encourage or require vaccination — each with a big margin of public assist — have been thwarted by state executives who try to insert themselves into points which are clearly issues of native management.” — Kate Gallego, Phoenix
How can the federal authorities higher assist cities?
“Present much less restrictions on the funding they supply us. If we may have flexibility of funding (current and new) to greatest make investments it in our neighborhood I consider we’d see greater charges of financial return inside our communities.” — Christina Marie Muryn, Findlay, Ohio
“Basically, the extra they go away us alone the higher we do.” — Dan Pope, Lubbock, Texas
“Enable us extra flexibility to tailor federal funding to satisfy native wants. … Housing, violence prevention and transportation are three areas the place extra funding, and extra versatile funding, is especially wanted.” — Quinton Lucas, Kansas Metropolis, Mo.
Taking part mayors included Noam Bramson, New Rochelle, N.Y.; Aaron Brockett, Boulder, Colo.; LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans; Buddy Dyer, Orlando, Fla.; Greg Fischer, Louisville, Ky.; Pat Furey, Torrance, Calif.; Kate Gallego, Phoenix; Michael R. Helfrich, York, Penn.; Thomas C. Henry, Fort Wayne, Ind.; David Holt, Oklahoma Metropolis, Okla.; Tishaura O. Jones, Saint Louis, Mo.; Tim Kelly, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Jim Kenney, Philadelphia, Penn.; Quinton D. Lucas, Kansas Metropolis, Mo.; Robert H. McConnell, Vallejo, Calif.; Jon Mitchell, New Bedford, Mass.; Christina Marie Muryn, Findlay, Ohio; Robert Patrick O’Dekirk, Joliet, In poor health.; Joseph Petty, Worcester, Mass.; Dan Pope, Lubbock, Texas; Robert Restaino, Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Libby Schaaf, Oakland, Calif.; Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento, Calif.; George Van Dusen, Skokie, In poor health.; Victoria Woodards, Tacoma, Wash.
