Before the COVID-19 pandemic, mayors and city council members were taking on equity challenges such as housing affordability, homelessness, and unequal access to jobs and economic opportunity. But, the current public health emergency has worsened these challenges, particularly for people of color. Add to that pandemic-related revenue shortfalls, calls to defund the police, and long-standing constraints on local authority and access to direct federal aid, and city leaders must make even tougher budget and policy choices. During this conversation, current and former city leaders and policy experts will discuss how large and small communities are coping with the pandemic and what that could mean for services, jobs, and an inclusive economic recovery.
Speakers
- Andy Berke, Mayor, City of Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Carolyn Coleman, Executive Director, League of California Cities
- Tracy Gordon, Senior Fellow, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
- Michael Nutter, former Mayor, City of Philadelphia
- Kim Rueben, Sol Price Fellow, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center; Director, State and Local Finance Initiative, Urban Institute