NLC’s Anthony: Now’s the time for local leaders to stand up

Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of the National League of Cities, urged local leaders to rise up and meet the challenges facing cities and towns during his keynote appearance at Connect 351 on Jan. 24 in Boston.

In a conversation with journalist Crystal Haynes, Anthony covered a range of topics facing municipal leaders, including fiscal challenges, incivility in public life, the growing influence of artificial intelligence, and the housing crisis.

Given the uncertainty about federal policies and their downstream effects on local services, Anthony told leaders to transcend the partisanship that is bogging down other levels of government and embrace their unique power — that they know their community’s needs better than anyone — when advocating for more resources from state and federal officials.

“We need to stand up,” Anthony said. “We need to be stronger about what we do and why we do it. We need to tell the stories that we see in our communities. We need to tell that on Beacon Hill, as well as in Washington, D.C., because sometimes, when we don’t tell our story of what we see, they don’t even know about it.”

One of the nation’s top municipal advocates, Anthony has been the NLC’s executive director since 2013, but got his start at the local level. At age 24, he was elected mayor of South Bay, Florida, serving for 24 years there. While mayor, he was the NLC’s president in 1999.

Speaking at a Boston convention center named for the late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Anthony recalled working with the mayor on an initiative at the NLC. He said the organization’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families was Menino’s brainchild and remains part of his legacy.

Anthony urged leaders to understand and examine the “why” of their public service. Rather than focusing on rubbing elbows with the powerful, he said, they should maintain their passion and intellectual energy for the work.

“That’s what we need right now, empowered leaders who understand their role, who have studied what they need in their communities,” he said, “and making sure that when you go in rooms and advocate, you go in there with power. You don’t go in there just taking pictures.”

Anthony discussed the financial pressures facing municipalities, and applauded two recent MMA reports — “A Perfect Storm,” and “Navigating the Storm” — that analyze the forces threatening the delivery of local services and outline policy recommendations for addressing municipal budget shortfalls.

“It’s just important to put data to issues,” he said, “and then the navigation piece really shows a vision on how you can get there.”

Saying he wished he could “give you a silver bullet around these times of fiscal responsibility,” Anthony advised municipal officials to set priorities, tighten budgets, get creative, and find ways to become more self-sustaining. In this new reality, they might still get some money from the federal government, but they shouldn’t count on it.

“So a comprehensive vision for your community, and how you are going to fund that, is going to be important for the future,” he said. “Because I don’t want to tell you somebody is going to come to save you. We’re going to save ourselves.”

Anthony acknowledged that officials confront increasing hostility, and the erosion of boundaries between their public and private lives. He noted that 79% of local elected officials in America have reported being harassed, or have witnessed their kids being bullied through social media. Local leaders must model civility and inclusivity for their residents, he said.

Anthony and Haynes discussed the rise of AI and its effects on governments. Anthony advised municipal leaders to embrace AI, but proceed with caution — adopt clear and transparent policies, communicate those policies to the public, and prioritize efficiency and innovation in delivering services.

“We have no choice, y’all,” he said. “We have to jump on board, and we need to put policies in place in our communities around AI, or we’re going to fall further behind.”

On the housing affordability crisis, Anthony reassured local leaders that Massachusetts isn’t alone. He urged them to be creative in encouraging more housing production, which might involve better ways of using municipal bonds and other financial techniques.

“We have to figure something out, because you and I are losing our future leaders and graduates from colleges to other communities because they can’t live in your community,” Anthony said. “Each of you have to focus on ways in which to address that issue that works for your community.”

As municipal leaders navigate all of these complex challenges, Anthony had a closing message for them.

“Keep fighting,” he said.