This past fall, I had the honor of visiting the White House as part of a delegation of locally elected leaders from across the country. To my surprise, our delegation spent much of this day being briefed not on national initiatives, but on the Obama administration’s many efforts to support progress and innovation at municipal levels.
It really struck me. Here these presidential staffers were, aware that their days in this magnificent building were numbered—(a deputy actually called out at one point, “Fourteen months and two days left!”)—yet they wanted to talk about how cities can get some of this nation’s most important work done. It felt ironic being at the mothership of national and international politics and having the team there tell us, in so many words, that they envied our ability as local leaders to impact communities so directly.
In the midst of this presidential election season—when it seems as though everyone is busy rooting for one side or against the other—it’s still important to pause and take stock of our own little corner of the world. As important as this election is, I’m
reminded that, for as much as national and state politics will impact our lives, we Madisonians really do have a great deal of agency and responsibility to shape our own destiny as a city. And we owe it to ourselves to not squander a single moment holding our breath to see how the political conditions might change.
My experience at the White House inspires me to make a difference in my role on the Madison City Council. While people’s mindsets may have shifted from politics being a noble cause to a waste of time, I can see clearly how the local level is still the best place to be able to see government in action, working on behalf of its people.
I’m always surprised when I learn that some people view city-level politics as boring, tedious or even burdensome. Or as a fallback career move, or as a way to have influence through formal power. That is not what I see. And that is, of course, not why nationally elected leaders would envy our work. I recognize that if we are sufficiently ambitious in pursuing our goals here at home, we can do wonders to shape our own destiny and set an example for the rest of the nation of what it looks like to live out our vision for a future of progress.
As we create a path forward, we cannot be lulled into being content with the historic accomplishments of previous generations. Madison is a place with a storied past and a progressive legacy that rightfully makes people proud. In many ways, we are great because we’ve already tackled some of the issues that cities of similar size wish they had been able to solve in the last century. Yet, I am more confident than ever that the future is the most important lens through which to look at our city.
Our city is rapidly growing and diversifying. Many in our community don’t have the privilege of taking comfort in nostalgia. And, speaking as a millennial, I can tell you that many of us simply don’t want to rest on anyone else’s laurels.
As a city, our progress depends on believing that our best days are ahead of us. We already have amazing local food, a world-class university, above-average safety statistics, beautiful parks and more. It would be easy to pat ourselves on the back for the areas in which we currently or historically excel, but complacency would not only place those successes at risk, it would deny us opportunities to address our shortcomings by dismissing them simply as local examples of national trends.
Just as we spend a ton of energy and interest during this presidential campaign season to hold national figures to high standards for what they can do for our country, we need to do the same here at home for our local community.
It’s true that modern challenges face many cities: dreadful educational achievement gaps along racial lines, multifaceted challenges around housing affordability, a widening gap between low- and high-income households, hurdles to providing modern regional transportation. These are all hard problems. Yet, while these problems may be common across the country, if any place should be actively rejecting national trends it should be our little progressive bastion of hope.
Being the national leader for overcoming today’s social and economic hurdles is how we can honor our city’s history.
As our city grapples with 21st-century problems, we must all refrain from feeling content to give or receive 20th-century answers. Committing to do things the way they’ve always been done is a recipe for dire disappointment in our fast-changing world.
Here’s a short list of some areas where Madison could lead the nation: We can innovate to provide modern voter registration options to our residents; provide structured college-bound paths for all youth in our city; fund universal municipal internet; create robust regional transportation; develop creative policies to support equitable hiring practices and allow for innovative, digital public-participation policies. I plan to do my part by pushing for these efforts when and where I can.
Of course, there are many more policies worthy of pursuit. None of them will matter, though, if we are not determined to be a place where there is opportunity for all. That is the mark of a great city, and it can be our mark.
