City leaders from across Indiana and the country all say bipartisanship is critical to implementing solutions for the challenges their communities face.
The National League of Cities – a municipal lobbying organization – meets in Indianapolis this week.
Huntingburg, Indiana, Mayor Denny Spinner works with the NLC, which Spinner says magnifies the voices of local leaders to Congress and the federal government. Spinner says the league also allows those city and town heads to share ideas.
“It’s easy to read books and articles that have theories and potential solutions," Spinner says. "But I find having a few days in a room with my peers is far more informative and helpful to me in my job as mayor.”
Each of the mayors emphasized similar challenges, infrastructure and housing chief among them. And League of Cities CEO Clarence Anthony – himself a former mayor – says partisanship is far from their minds.
“When a fire truck drives up when you have a fire at your home, they don’t ask whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat … police service is not Democratic or Republican," Anthony says. "A pothole is not Democrat or Republican.”
The League is also developing a platform it wants presidential candidates to address over the next year.