Five Questions With America's Mayors
Another reason to register and vote: Who your mayor is matters.
Depending on where you live, it can matter a lot. Mayors guide city budgets and the services residents need. They control daily operations. They also act as the public face of your city or town—their relationships with others in government and business influence your city in countless ways, and they make the critical day-to-day decisions that have as much, perhaps more, impact on your life as state and federal officials do.
Sometimes, mayoral elections become an afterthought, especially if you aren’t in a major city with a provocative election like Mamdani’s on the ballot. But they’re far too important to take a back seat; in fact, they offer independent reasons for voters who feel disconnected from national politics to register to vote and influence their futures. If you’re talking with someone who doesn’t believe their vote influences Washington, discussing mayoral races may be the best way to convince them to vote.
The mayors who were kind enough to answer my questions for tonight exemplify the best in public service and community commitment. In a moment where our president is less than inspirational—and that’s being kind—we can turn to these top leaders in our communities to remind us what government is supposed to be about.
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