As national and state politics continue to work against cities either through gridlock or other means, policy change has increasingly become local with mayors often in the drivers seat. Cities such as Cincinnati, which was recently recognized as being one of the greenest cities in the nation, are leading the charge through progressive mayoral leadership. Read more at the Atlantic Cities:
Local leaders also have different motivations than national politicians, glocalists claim. “Mayors are, by definition, non-ideological problem-solvers. They’re pragmatists – they have to be,” Barber says. If cities don’t function smoothly, people’s trash won’t get picked up. Their sewers won’t work. Their kids won’t be able to go to school. Especially in the United States, where national leaders are locked into ideological camps and party-line negotiations, there seems to be a fundamental difference in what national and local leaders can actually accomplish.
