“There is more and more distrust of government. Public engagement is a way to rebuild that trust.” With these words, Andrea Ringer, a budget analyst with Detroit’s Budget Office, led off a conversation at the Government Finance Officers’ Association conference last week on “Rethinking Public Engagement for Budgeting.” Ringer was part of a conference panel convened by Kyle Bozentko and Sarah Atwood of the Center for Democratic Practices to discuss the GFOA focus on rethinking budgeting, revenue and financial reporting. Read more.

Congratulations to the 2023 All-America City Hall of Fame Inductee

Improving Democracy By Rating it Using the Civic Engagement Scorecard

Sharing in Democracy Amongst Changes in Local Government

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the 2023 All-America City Hall of Fame Inductee. An All-America City in 2014, Fort Lauderdale is being recognized for its collaborative engagement surrounding the May 2022 establishment of the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center in the city's oldest African American community. The award recognizes communities that have implemented a community-driven initiative resulting in local impact. Read more.

The strength of democracy is critical not only to our political future, but to our quality of life. Strong connections between residents, robust relationships between people and public institutions, and positive attachments between community members and the places they live are highly correlated with a range of positive outcomes, from economic vitality to increased public health to greater K-12 student success. Read more.

Rapid political, technological, and social changes are posing challenges for local leaders. A recent conference on “Reimagining Local Government,” hosted by ICMA, provided some perspective on these challenges. These disruptions affect communities at many different levels, but particularly impact how people see and relate to local government and how they identify with shared values of democracy. Read more.

Spring Edition of NCR Now Available

Pillars of Hope:

Youth Pathway to Careers

 Explore the 2023 All-America City Award Agenda

The League’s quarterly journal, the National Civic Review, showcases the latest developments in collaborative problem-solving, civic engagement, local government innovation, and democratic governance. The Spring edition explores the link between civic engagement and democratic innovation and efforts to address the challenges of climate change, the COVID pandemic, community building, political polarization, policing, and aging populations.

To read, use access code NCL23.

On May 18, the All-America City of Rochester, NY, celebrated Pillars Day which is the culminating year-end event to celebrate mentorship for Rochester City School District students at select middle schools. The City of Rochester’s Pillars of Hope program, now in its 17th year, is unique in helping fifth and sixth graders think about their future. Pillars of Hope was started in 2007 by Mayor Bill Johnson and is still going strong under the Administration of Mayor Malik D. Evans. Read more.

This year’s All-America City Award Event in Denver, CO is right around the corner, June 9-11. The event, focused on youth engagement includes workshops, panel discussions, peer learning opportunities, and community presentations to a jury of national experts. Check out the program to meet this year’s jury, explore the agenda, and get excited about this year’s keynote speakers and finalists. There is still time to join us in Denver, or you can catch the livestream on our Facebook page.