CitiesSpeak With Clarence Anthony
CitiesSpeak with Clarence Anthony, a podcast from the National League of Cities, gives listeners an insider’s view of what local leadership in America means today. Featuring conversations between NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony and city leaders, policy experts and other guests, the show gets into the biggest issues, challenges and topics facing America’s cities, towns and villages today. Whether it’s talking about what it’s like to have residents protesting on their front lawn or discussing the creative things local governments are doing with their infrastructure dollars, CitiesSpeak gives listeners insight into what’s on the minds of mayors and council members across the country.
Episodes
88 episodes
Applying for NLC Leadership with Mayor Jodi Miller, Councilmember Bradley Carter & Clarence E. Anthony
NLC leadership applications are open until September 28. That means anyone interested in serving on NLC’s Board of Directors or applying for a leadership role with our constituency groups, member councils, or federal advocacy committees should ...
Debating Data Center Development with Kate Stoll, Councilmember Nikki Lee & Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell
Data centers have quickly become one of the most consequential local issues in the country. More than 3,000 currently operate in the United States, and over half of the world’s hyperscale, or AI data centers, are located here. A recent Gallup P...
Growing Urban Agriculture with Brad Gaolach
Brad Gaolach is Director of the National Urban Research and Extension Center, or NUREC. He also leads the Building Integrated Agriculture (BIA) Academy, a NUREC initiative in partnership with the National League of Cities University, which supp...
Redeveloping Empty Faith Properties with Rick Reinhard
For the past five years, Rick Reinhard has been a consultant and thought leader on the issue of the reuse and redevelopment of empty faith properties. He’s leading a new course with NLC University called “Spiritual Brownfields: How Can Ci...
Evaluating the Recent Supreme Court Term with Amanda Karras
The Supreme Court wrapped up a memorable term in July, and their decisions will have big impacts for America’s cities, towns and villages. We saw rulings on local government tax foreclosure and the amount of equity that is due back to a homeown...
NLC's Guide for Making the Most of August Recess
NLC Legislative Director, Brittney Kohler, discusses what the Congressional August recess means and how local leaders can make the most of it with NLC's Director of Federal Advocacy, Irma Esparza Diggs.For more informati...
Avoiding a Census Undercount with Mayor Pro Tem Alejandra Chavez
Mayor Pro Tem Alejandra Chávez from the City of El Paso, TX, discusses the consequences of a Census undercount and how cities can prepare ahead of 2030.For more information, visit us at nlc.org<...
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Explained with Mike Wallace and Jason Jordan
Explaining the New Housing Act with Mike Wallace and Jason JordanIn this episode, Lauren Lowery, Director, Housing and Community Development, National League of Cities, is in conversation with Mike Wallace, Legislative Dire...
Federal Grant Changes Impacting Local Governments with Mayor Toby Barker
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed substantial changes to the Uniform Guidance, which governs federal grants and other forms of federal financial assistance. Toby Barker, Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and NLC Bo...
National Arts & Health Day with Amanda Lovelee
Amanda Lovelee is an artist who works in civic systems as a translator between government and community with the goal of building places where everyone belongs. She creates bright, joyful, engaging and complex large-scale public art projects, p...
Financing Municipal Infrastructure with Seán McCarthy, CEO, Build America Mutual (BAM)
Seán McCarthy, CEO of Build America Mutual, works with cities, town and villages preparing to sell municipal bonds to finance their infrastructure plans for decades into the future, and it’s fair to say that every municipality in America...
Closing the Digital Divide with Angelina Panettieri
This episode dives deep into a prominent local-federal issue that has touched every aspect of daily life: digital access. Reliable internet and accessible online platforms are no longer simply optional for thriving communities; they are essenti...
Sitting Down for America’s Potluck
Nicole Handy, Executive Director of America 250 Utah, joins CitiesSpeak to talk about America’s Potluck and how local leaders can bring the celebration to their community. On July 5, 2026, neighbors will sit down for America’s Potluck ...
The Science of Arts & Health with Dr. Jill Sonke
Dr. Jill Sonke, a research professor and research director at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine, is a leader in arts and health research and policy advocacy nationally and internationally. Her research focuses on populatio...
Dissecting Proposed Changes to Federal Assistance with Mayor Bianca Motley Broom
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed substantial changes to the Uniform Guidance, which governs federal grants and other forms of federal financial assistance. Bianca Motley Broom, Mayor of College Park, Georgia, and P...
Fatherhood & Public Service with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Council President Zeke Cohen
Father’s Day is this weekend and we’re focusing on leadership and fatherhood, and how they shape outcomes for early childhood and serve the children and families in our cities, towns, and villages across America. Mayor Brandon Scott and Council...
Reimagining Local Government, Democracy and Trust with Julia Novak, CEO, ICMA
Julia Novak, CEO & Executive Director of ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, brings together city and county managers, the people who get the work done alongside mayors and councilmembers. Which is why NLC’s partners...
Kicking Off Small Cities Month in Wyoming with Ashley Harpstreith
June is Small Cities Month at NLC! With 40% of the National population coming from cities with a population of 50,000 or less, small cities play a significant role in strengthening local government and shaping NLC’s initiatives, opportunities a...
The Impact of Arts with Mayor Michael Vargas
National Arts & Health Day – NLC’s annual celebration of the impact the arts have on public health around our country. It’s coming up later this summer on July 25th, and her...
Turning Ideas into Policy with Tacoma Councilmember Kristina Walker
What does it take to turn a good idea into real policy that improves people’s lives? As anyone in local government knows, the path from identifying a problem to passing meaningful legislation can be complicated.For more information, visi...
America250 Starts with Local Leaders
Today, we are sharing a panel discussion about America 250 from our 2026 Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. On the conference stage, NLC President Kevin Kramer moderated a discussion with local leaders from Harrisonburg, Virginia...
Breaking Down the Homeland Security Funding Deal with Yucel Ors
NLC public safety legislative director Yucel Ors breaks down what the recently ended Department of Homeland Security (DHS) federal shutdown means for local government. The DHS shutdown began on February 15th after Congress failed to pass a fund...
Achieving Affordable Clean Monthly Electric Bills in Athens, OH
NLC Immediate Past President, Mayor Steve Patterson from Athens, Ohio, joins CitiesSpeak to discuss his city’s community choice aggregation green power program. The electric program helps residents use clean energy and save money on th...
Local Governments Deliver Hope
At Congressional City Conference 2026 in Washington, D.C., Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, made the case for all the ways local governments deliver every day. During his address to conference atten...
Ayesha Rascoe and Vincent Evans Engage in Conversation
Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, sat down for a fireside chat at the NBC-LEO membership meeting with Vincent Evans, Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, engaged in conversation at the 2026 Congressional City...