Parsing mayors’ words, study finds economy most common focus
Economic development, infrastructure and public safety were top concerns as U.S. mayors summed up the state of their cities this year, but current events helped frame those longstanding issues in discussions of race and inequality, a new study finds.
Remarks on the economy often included calls for raising the minimum wage, for instance, and talk of public safety often touched on officer-worn body cameras and other measures aimed at building trust between police and citizens, according to a National League of Cities analysis released Thursday of 100 “state of the city” speeches.
Mayors of cities from Seattle to Philadelphia to Grand Rapids, Michigan, alluded to the racial divide spotlighted by deadly police encounters in New York, Ferguson, Missouri and elsewhere.