“Ready and Resilient” was the theme set by the National League of Cities at the start of 2025. But city leaders have frequently cited another word in NLC surveys this year, according to CEO Clarence Anthony. That word is “uncertainty.”
City leaders convened in Salt Lake City, Utah, last week for NLC City Summit 2025, in the midst of a national housing crisis, increasing impacts of climate change, a mounting artificial intelligence revolution and continued ambiguity about the future of federal aid — all one week removed from a 43-day federal government shutdown.
“I’ve been around public policy and public service for over 40 years,” Anthony told the crowd during the summit’s opening general session Nov. 20. “I have never seen a moment as unfamiliar and unpredictable as these times.”
But with that uncertainty comes opportunity, Anthony said.
“It pushes you out of your comfort zone into courage,” he said. “Because you figure out a way to get it done.”
Steve Patterson, NLC president and mayor of Athens, Ohio, told attendees he traveled across the globe to meet with city leaders this year and witnessed myriad shared challenges, from efforts to build more affordable housing to the impacts of climate change.
“I saw resolve,” he said.
During the federal government shutdown, Anthony said he was reminded of the pandemic, when cities and towns continued to operate despite mass closures and disruption.
“Local government leaders, you don’t have the luxury to shut down,” Anthony said. He called out the work of Central Falls, Rhode Island, Mayor Maria Rivera, who helped organize a pop-up food pantry as SNAP benefits dwindled during the federal government closure in October.
NLC leadership also cited increasing polarization as an ongoing challenge for local governments, and much of the summit was dedicated to helping improve civil discourse.
“We have a responsibility that we do not talk about enough: That is setting the example of leadership and civility for the next generation of local leaders,” Patterson said, drawing applause from attendees.
Patterson and Anthony both stressed the importance of local governments working together to solve today’s issues.
“As leaders, we can’t control the chaos, but we can learn how to make sense out of it together,” Anthony said.
In his years as NLC CEO, Anthony said he’s learned three main things about local leadership: that the ordinary work of local government “is extraordinary,” that local leaders are stronger together and that “your superpower is your proximity.”
“You see your residents every day,” Anthony said. “That empowers you to do the most good because you are the closest. That proximity is the kryptonite to the polarization we are feeling in America.”
The NLC City Summit expected to draw more than 3,000 representatives from 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to Anthony.
