Claim OwnershipCitiesSpeak With Clarence Anthony
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© 2026 CitiesSpeak With Clarence Anthony
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CitiesSpeak with Clarence Anthony, a podcast from the National League of Cities, gives listeners an insider’s view of what local leadership in America means today. Featuring conversations between NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony and city leaders, policy experts and other guests, the show gets into the biggest issues, challenges and topics facing America’s cities, towns and villages today. Whether it’s talking about what it’s like to have residents protesting on their front lawn or discussing the creative things local governments are doing with their infrastructure dollars, CitiesSpeak gives listeners insight into what’s on the minds of mayors and council members across the country.
56 Episodes
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Send a text Nicole Handy, Executive Director of America 250 Utah, joins CitiesSpeak to talk about America’s Potluck and how local leaders can bring the celebration to their community. On July 5, 2026, neighbors will sit down for America’s Potluck to share a fun, communal meal, creating a sense of connection and belonging and fostering interactions among people from all walks of life. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text John McArdle, was the mayor of Independence, Oregon, a city of 10,000 in Western Oregon, for 26 years before retiring in 2024. During his time as mayor, he was known as a leader who tackled tough issues and set ambitious goals. He was also a convener who brought together local leaders from across Oregon as president of both the Oregon Mayors Association and the Oregon League of Cities. He has another title: U.S. track & field Olympian for the hammer throw. For more information...
Send a text Melissa Scott, the Chief Information Officer for the City of Philadelphia, joins CitiesSpeak to discuss implementation in local government. As the CIO for Philadelphia, she plays a critical role in the city’s information technology strategy, infrastructure and operations. She is also responsible for ensuring that all technology initiatives align with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s goals. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text At City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City, Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, sat down with Republican Governor Spencer Cox of Utah and Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. The three former local leaders engaged in a conversation about polarization and strategies they personally used to bring their communities together after tragedies. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text At City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City, Louisville Councilmember Kevin Kramer addressed local leaders as the incoming NLC president. Councilmember Kramer shared his experience as a teacher, Councilmember, and growing up in Louisville – as well as where we’re headed in 2026. He also outlines his platform for NLC in the coming year. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text Clarence Anthony, NLC CEO & Executive Director, joined his friend, Adam Chapdelaine, CEO of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, on The 351 Podcast, for an engaging conversation about the commitment that local leaders must have in the face of a changing federal partnership, how to stay motivated and inspired in this important work, and the biggest challenges facing cities that we're focusing on today. The 351 Podcast is the official podcast of the Massachusetts Municipal A...
Send a text At City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City, Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, addressed local leaders on creating opportunities in uncertain times. During his remarks, Clarence highlighted the close relationship of local leaders to their residents as their true superpower in developing innovative solutions. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text At City Summit 2025 in Salt Lake City, Mayor Steve Patterson, from Athens, Ohio, shared remarks and reflections from his year as NLC president. His speech from the mainstage focuses on his platform of building ready and resilient cities, towns and villages for the future. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text In a special episode recorded from City Hall in Salt Lake City, Clarence speaks with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall in the days leading up to City Summit 2025. Hear from Mayor Mendenhall on how the city first received a global view during the 2002 Olympics and has only continued to strengthen in the following years. From enhanced transit to a bustling sports scene to a diverse city council, Mayor Mendenhall shares many of her favorite things about SLC and even clears up many...
Send a text As a bonus episode, we are sharing a timely conversation for local leaders about the month-long federal government shutdown. NLC's Mike Wallace, Legislative Director for Community and Economic Development, joined Todd Glover and Erica Wright from the Municipal Association of South Carolina on their podcast, SCDC. Together, they discuss how we got to this point, the impacts of delaying a funding bill and what local elected officials can expect as they continue leading their communi...
Send a text Angela Williams joins CitiesSpeak to discuss leadership in a fast-changing world that can feel out of control, finding common ground, and staying grounded to your values and what is important. She is the CEO of United Way Worldwide, a role in which she seems to be everywhere, all at once. Angela Williams is continuing the United Way tradition of acting as an invaluable partner and team member to cities during crises and helping local leaders build for the future. Her career stretc...
Send a text As a bonus episode, we are sharing a timely conversation between Irma Esparza Diggs, NLC’s Senior Executive for Federal Advocacy, and the Municipal Association of South Carolina, on their podcast SCDC. Irma reflects on the importance of creating partnerships, including how NLC’s federal advocacy team works with Congress and the administration to meet the needs of local governments as a potential federal government shutdown looms.
Send a text Crystal Washington is known for her work helping organizations get the information they need to become “future-proof.” She is an indispensable guide to our digital future, an author, and a hall-of-fame speaker. Last November in Tampa, Crystal enchanted attendees at NLC’s City Summit conference as she engaged members in conversation about how to prepare for the future. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott's experience growing up in the Park Heights neighborhood informs his approach to crime prevention, youth services, and other city programs. Clarence and Mayor Scott sit down to discuss Baltimore's focus on disrupting cycles of violence, as well as the lessons he learned about intergovernmental response and resilience leading his city through the 2023 Key Bridge collapse. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text As a bonus episode this month, we are sharing an episode of the Chief Influencer podcast, which features an interview with NLC CEO and Executive Director, Clarence Anthony. The Chief Influencer podcast spotlights leaders who have figured out how to break through in today’s fragmented and noisy world. Clarence discusses the importance of inclusive leadership, the lessons from his early mayoral career, and his strategies in navigating complex political landscapes. For more informati...
Send a text Promoting economic mobility and ensuring this generation is better off than the last starts at the local level, because local leaders are closest to the issues and the solutions. Allan Golston from the Gates Foundation joins Clarence Anthony to discuss why economic mobility is so critical to our future and the foundation's goals for the next twenty years as they wind down their operations. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text Social isolation and loneliness were issues that really came to the forefront during the pandemic. When everything shut down five years ago, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi took it upon himself to look for creative ways to grow connections between residents and build a sense of community, which is how the One Thousand Gatherings initiative was created. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text When Mayor Muriel Bowser began her second term in 2019, she set an ambitious goal of creating 36,000 new housing units in Washington, DC by 2025. Six years later, the city has exceeded that goal, and today, Mayor Bowser co-chairs NLC's America's Housing Comeback Advisory Group: a leadership table for housing policy leaders and innovators in the public and private sectors to meet the moment for housing together. In this episode, Mayor Bowser explains why the moment to address housi...
Send a text Rep. Greg Stanton represents Arizona's 4th District in Congress, and as a former Phoenix councilmember and mayor, he co-chairs the Former Local Elected Leaders Caucus in the House of Representatives. Rep. Stanton joined the main stage at the 2025 Congressional City Conference for a conversation with Clarence Anthony about infrastructure, federal funding and why local leaders bring an especially important voice to Congress. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
Send a text As the National League of Cities begins its second century of service to America's cities, towns and villages, in this episode, we share a conversation with three former NLC leaders about their unique perspectives on municipal leadership and NLC's impact over the years. This conversation was recorded at NLC's Centennial City Summit in Tampa, Florida in November 2024. For more information, visit us at nlc.org.
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