PSC 102 State and Local Government City Issues Reflection Assignment, POST University, August 2025

                                            What Issues Are Facing City Mayors? 

A Review of a Survey from 2019 

 

Jackie Phillips 

Political Science, Post University  

PSC 102 – State and Local Government  

City Issues Reflection Assignment 

Michael Ferguson 

Due Date: 11:59 p.m. EST, Sunday of Unit 6

 

Instructions:  

You will read the article, The Top Ten Most Important Issues Facing Cities, According To Their Mayors by Brooks Rainwater. The article can be found in the Readings and Resources for Unit 6. The article discusses the top ten issues cities face according to mayors throughout the country who referenced these issues in their annual State of the City Addresses. After reading the article, you are going to reflect on it by providing an overview and addressing the following questions:  

 

* What was your reaction when reading this article?  

My first reaction to this article was the date of the article, which was pre COVID. I would be very interested in seeing their responses after COVID and all the changes that have occurred with that outbreak. I would guess that their priorities have changed quite a bit since 2020. 

My second reaction was that all those issues definitely seemed very important in any urban city or county, at least inside California, where I live.  

 

* Which of the ten issues that you read about do you believe to be the most important issue and why?  

I find them all very important, and as a Criminology major, I would say that #7 Public Safety would fall as an area that affects every person, every day. Every person needs to feel safe inside their home and outside, while they are driving or walking outside their home.  

“7. PUBLIC SAFETY (MENTIONED IN 37% OF SPEECHES)  

Local leaders are starting to use pre-arrest diversion—the deterrence of individuals away from the criminal justice system and toward community-based services—as a public safety strategy. This challenges the more traditional “tough on crime” approaches of the past, and is a growing trend in medium and large cities across the U.S.” ((Rainwater, B.,2019) 

 

* Which of the ten issues that you read about do you believe to be the least important issue and why?  

“8. DEMOGRAPHICS (MENTIONED IN 32% OF SPEECHES) 

Eliminating economic and racial inequities leads to positive outcomes, including better educational achievement, improved public health, and reduced violence.” (Rainwater, B.,2019) 

 

I don’t personally feel that economic and racial inequities exist, and I think that all people should be treated equally, regardless of their background and heritage.  

 

 

* What issue surprised you the most to see make the list? Explain why and if it has made you look differently at the issue.  

“5. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT (MENTIONED IN 41% OF SPEECHES)” 

I was surprised to see number five because I know this is important information, but I didn’t know that city managers also recognized that environmental issues were that important. I am glad to see that these made the list. Living in California, I know that this is a topic that gets discussed a lot, and I am glad to see that this made the top 10 in the country! I am glad to see that more cities and counties are becoming aware of these important issues and helping their citizens live in safe environments for all  

* What issue that was not on the list do you think is important and should be added? Why should it be included?  

I would like to see an acknowledgement that historical preservation of our environment and locations are important, and that some focused energy is being put out to maintain our society’s history as it developed over the last several centuries and before.  

Here in California, there are numerous examples of how our local history and heritage is constantly being preserved and considered important. There are ongoing and constant reminders of the state’s Spanish and Mexican heritage and the waves of immigrants that came to California looking for a better life like Italians. There is also a long list of examples of how the history of wars and preservation of society during those wars are being highlighted. One of the biggest examples here in the Bay Area is how the Presidio in San Francisco was turned into a National Park when it was decommissioned in the 1990’s. So many people have done so much work to preserve the history for the future and to remember the past all at the same time. 

 

* What is your reaction to the list of issues when compared to your community? What, if any, similarities exist between the issues in your community when compared to the list? 

“3. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (MENTIONED IN 46% OF SPEECHES)  

Health and human services jumped in the rankings this year, largely due to an increased focus on parks and recreation. However, mental health and opioids continue to have a significant place in speeches. For instance, there has been an increasing number of mental health emergencies, and local governments are developing crisis intervention and diversion programs to address them. Meanwhile, in 2019, leaders are taking a solutions-based approach to addressing the opioid crisis. ” (Rainwater, B.,2019) 

 

I see a lot of similarities in this list in comparison to what is important here in California. I think that number 3 is extremely important, and I glad to see that this is considered a national issue, and not just one reserved for certain large cities. We have studied this issue in other Criminology classes I have taken, and I am glad to see that it was considered a large enough national issue going back to 2019.  

 

References 

Rainwater, B.,2019, Survey of State of City Speeches, “The 10 biggest issues U.S. mayors say they’re tackling in 2019”