From NLC President Mayor Steve Patterson of Athens, Ohio:
This year, the National League of Cities begins its second century of service to America’s cities, towns and villages. As the world grows more and more interconnected, local leaders are working together to ensure that communities are ready and resilient for the future, and that no city, town or village gets left behind in the process. We do that by building partnerships and finding innovative solutions to address all of the challenges our communities face – whether it’s waning housing supply, increasing incivility, economic challenges, or the growing threat of extreme weather.
As the mayor of Athens, Ohio, with big ambitions for my own city, I understand just how incredible our visions for our communities can be. I also know that it is impossible for us to do this work alone, which is where NLC comes in. No one can predict what the next few years or decades will look like for our cities, but we can do our best to prepare for whatever challenges or opportunities come our way — together. Our success requires partnering with each other to ensure every community is ready and resilient for the future that lies ahead, doing the work together to build better cities, towns and villages.
Lifting Up Small and Underserved Communities
As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, we will ensure that no city, town or village feels left behind, overlooked or underestimated. With more than 60% of U.S. residents living in a municipality with a population of less than 50,000 people, it is safe to say that many of the places we call home sometimes feel like they have been forgotten by decision-makers in Washington.
This year, we will build on our recent success and continue to focus on providing the technical assistance that small towns and cities need to help them compete. The free trainings that the Local Infrastructure Hub has provided for the last several years are immensely popular, because they help communities that have previously been overlooked for federal grants win and utilize them effectively today (including in my own city of Athens, where we won a $16.7 grant to increase electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the region). The next step is to ensure that every community that has won a federal grant now has the tools and resources it needs to successfully manage it, implementing federally-funded projects as effectively as possible, ensuring they break ground and deliver the promises of prosperity.
Furthermore, residents in small towns across America are looking for economic investment and assistance to help get their transformative business ideas off the ground. NLC already has proven programming in place to help support those efforts — in programs like the Southern Cities Economic Initiative and the Economic Mobility Rapid Grant Program, which both work to overcome poverty, increase economic mobility and promote business development.
Cultivating the Next Generation of Local Leaders
Since leaving my position as a professor at Ohio University to become the mayor of Athens, people often ask me if I miss teaching. What I usually say in response is that I just teach differently now. As local elected officials, we are chosen to lead our communities and to do the work to make them better places to live. A huge part of that responsibility is to help grow and shape the youth in our communities. Collectively, we need to both mentor the young people in our cities and to model the kind of civil leadership that that brings communities together. This year, I’m excited to uplift and support programs that help us build the bench of the next generation of local leaders and pay it forward — which you’ll hear a lot more about at this March’s Congressional City Conference.
Collaborating on Local Solutions to Global Challenges
Finally, throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to live and to spend time in cities and towns not just throughout America, but across the entire world. When I interact with local leaders from other cities around the globe, what astounds me the most is just how common all of our challenges are. As both a former college professor and an NLC veteran, I know exactly the power that exchanging knowledge and sharing best practices can have in finding solutions to our toughest challenges. This year, we’re going to focus on building out a strategy that allows us to take this kind of knowledge-sharing and convening power — NLC’s bread and butter — across borders.
In this next year as president of the National League of Cities, I cannot wait to see all that we can accomplish together as we embark on our next century of service to America’s communities. This year, we will continue to grow NLC’s influence as the leading voice for local leaders and to develop the innovative solutions that our communities need, so they are ready and resilient for the future. I am so thrilled to get to work on this together.
Learn More
Mayor Steve Patterson joined NLC for our most recent CitiesSpeak podcast. Listen now to learn more about his presidential platform for 2025.
About the Author
2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture Local Government Priorities in the 100 days
2025 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Local Government Priorities in the 100 days
2025 U.S. Department of Energy Local Government Priorities in the 100 days
2025 US Department of the Interior Local Government Priorities in the 100 days
2025 US Environmental Protection Agency Local Government Priorities in the 100 days
