31 May Hamm Consulting Group Attends Release of State of Cities 2018 Report
Today, Ron Hamm attended the National League of Cities (NLC) release of its fifth State of the Cities report at its Washington, D.C. office. The 2018 report summarized an analysis of 160 mayoral speeches delivered between January and April 2018, which provided a view of the most critical issues facing cities. For 2018, the report identified in order, the following as the top ten issues for cities:
- Economic Development
- Infrastructure
- Budgets and Management
- Housing
- Public Safety
- Health and Human Services
- Education
- Energy and Environment
- Government Data & Technology
- Demographics
After receiving an overview of the report, Mayors Daniel Rivera of Lawrence, Massachusetts and Jim Strickland of Memphis, Tennessee provided the opportunities and issues for their respective cities and their efforts advance their cities and the quality of life for their constituents. Both Mayors along with National League of Cities CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony reminded us that local leaders are at the forefront of change for their communities now more than ever because of recent shifts in state and federal policy priorities and responsibilities.
As someone who has worked in city and county government in California and represented local governments, in Washington for almost 26 years, including representing the City of Memphis for 13 of those years, I always welcome the opportunity to collaborate with mayors and their leadership teams and community partners to advance their federal agenda and most of all, the quality of life for their citizens!
Special thanks to NLC for such an informative event that will be useful to cities in building their state and federal legislative agendas.