Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 2/8/2021

DMO Update

• Early registration now open – Join DMO on March 8th at 6:30pm ET for our Spring “Oh So Blue” Celebration, featuring DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

• Help the Biden Administration pass the American Rescue Plan to bring financial assistance to local government.

• Do renters and leasers in your city need financial support? Pass this sample resolution and call on the federal government to support the rental housing market.

Quick Links

• Someone tried to poison Oldsmar’s water supply during hack, sheriff says

• When QAnon Stormed City Hall – Local elected officials must stay vigilant to keep QAnon adherents from building a base in municipal government, or risk them becoming the next Tea Party.

• DMO President Derek Green Joins Philadelphia Teachers in response to city’s plan to return to classrooms later this month.

Ideas for Cities

• Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair – Pass a natural hair ordinance like this one from Kansas City, MO.

• Review Rochester, NY’s Person in Crisis Pilot Executive Summary

• An Atlanta Neighborhood Will Finally Own Property as a Community

News for Democrats 

• Anyone involved with Democratic campaigns should register for the DNC’s upcoming Best Practices Institute Train the Trainer series.

• How Democrats Found Thousands Of New Voters And Flipped Georgia’s Senate Seats

• Tracking Executive Orders Critical to Cities, Towns and Villages

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 2/1/2021

DMO Update

• Mark Your Calendars – Join DMO on March 8th at 6:30pm ET for our Spring “Oh So Blue” Celebration, featuring DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

• Join DMO on February 8th for a Municipal Monday looking at how state preemption will impact cities in 2021. Register now to submit your question.

• Read DMO’s statement welcoming Jamie Harrison and the incoming DNC officers.

Quick Links

• City of Rochester launches 24/7 Person In Crisis team for mental health assistance

• Louisville’s Mayor on What President Biden Means For Cities

• Austin Will Use Money Cut From Police Budgets To Buy Supportive Housing

Ideas for Cities

• Futuristic sleeping pods for homeless people installed in German city

• How Five Cities Tackled Eviction Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

• How Cities Are Reimagining Our Local Economies

Advisory Board Updates

• Comcast Provides Update on Decade-Long Commitment to Digital Equity; Announces Plans to Accelerate Efforts in 2021 – View the social media toolkit.

• Honor National Gun Violence Survivors Week by amplifying on social media, sharing stories through Moments That Survive, or passing a resolution in your city.

• Westfield is offering their shopping centers to host COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

News for Democrats 

• Biden Revokes Trump Abortion Policy, Takes Steps To Shore Up Affordable Care Act

• Biden’s “all of government” plan for climate, explained

• Biden Lays Out His Blueprint for Fair Housing

Pic of the Week

“My job as his chairman of the Democratic Party is to make sure we take his successes, the promises he has made, that we make sure the folks down in small towns, in the cities, on dirt roads understand those are promises that are kept. It is also my mission to make sure that Democrats build back better, and we have a strengthened party in all 50 states and our territories, and that we can give him more help in terms of the House, the Senate, in governors’ mansions and state legislatures across the country. So I’m looking forward to doing that. And we’re already getting to work.”

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 1/25/2021

DMO Update

• Save the Date – Join DMO on February 8th for a Municipal Monday looking at how state preemption will impact cities in 2021. Register now to submit your question.

• Watch the first Municipal Monday of 2021 – Meeting the Biden-Harris IGA Team and Preparing for the Inauguration

• Have you contributed your annual membership dues for 2021? Check it off your list at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• Trump Made the Ultimate Case for D.C. Statehood

• The Architecture of Mass Vaccine Distribution

• Buttigieg Emphasizes He’ll Bring Local Perspective to Top Transportation Job

Ideas for Cities

• Albuquerque’s Quest to Buy Local Everything

• Why Local Leaders Are Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis

• Can We Find a Better Way to Melt Snow?

News for Democrats 

• Report: Biden Admin Discovers Trump Had Zero Plans For COVID Vaccine Distribution

• Biden signs series of executive orders aimed at racial equity

• Biden’s 17 Executive Orders and Other Directives in Detail

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 1/18/2021

DMO Update

• Watch the first Municipal Monday of 2021 – Meeting the Biden-Harris IGA Team and Preparing for the Inauguration

• DMO Statement on the Ongoing Threat of Political Violence

• DMO joins our partners in organized labor requesting state and local aid from Speaker Pelosi & Leader Schumer.

Quick Links

• Biden Calls for $350 Billion in State and Local Aid as Part of Massive Stimulus

• Which Cities Are On the Climate “A-List”?

• Three dozen mayors ask Biden for direct shipments of COVID-19 vaccine

Ideas for Cities

• Six Solutions to Watch for 2021

• Make Way for the ‘One-Minute City’

• Two Mayors Envision the Future of Public Transit

Advisory Board Updates

• SWANA Urges CDC to Explicitly Identify Waste & Recycling Workers as Frontline Essential for COVID-19 Vaccine

• Instacart – Introducing New Vaccine Support Stipend for Shoppers

• Everytown for Gun Safety hiring Manager for Local Campaigns

News for Democrats 

• What’s in Biden’s $1.9 trillion emergency coronavirus plan

• Tracking the Trump Administration’s “Midnight Regulations”

• Schedule for the 59th Presidential Inauguration

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 1/11/2021

DMO Update

• DMO Statement on the Ongoing Threat of Political Violence

• DMO is searching for a Director of Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to share this job posting with your networks.

• DMO joins our partners in organized labor requesting state and local aid from Speaker Pelosi & Leader Schumer.

Quick Links

• FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests next week

• Newark cops, with reform, didn’t fire a single shot in 2020

• Biden Taps Boston Mayor Marty Walsh As Labor Secretary

Ideas for Cities

• The 20 Best Solutions of 2020

• 2021 Will Be the Year of Guaranteed Income Experiments

• Sample mask ordinance from Brookings, SD

Advisory Board Updates

• Green Infrastructure: Three Ways To Partner With Residents

• CVS Health begins administering COVID-19 vaccines in long-term care facilities

• Emergency Rental Assistance Program

News for Democrats 

• D.C. lockdown for inauguration to start Wednesday

• Schumer Says $2,000 Checks Will Be Top Priority for Democratic-Controlled Senate – Let your constituents know that Democrats are fighting for them.

• House pushes for Trump’s removal after deadly Capitol riot

Pic of the Week

Man prepared with zip ties photographed in Senate chamber, one of many now in custody.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 1/4/2021

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director of Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to share this job posting with your networks.

• Join the Presidential Inaugural Committee on January 18th for the MLK Day of Service.

• Has your city signed up to participate in the January 19th COVID Memorial Tribute?

Quick Links

• Researchers Examining Covid Vaccine Barriers, Skepticism in Five Communities

• 2020 Was the Year of Demystifying Money for Cities

• What Cities Need From the Biden Administration in the First 100 Days

Ideas for Cities

• How Chief Equity Officers Helped Address Inequity During Two Pandemics

• Four innovations state and local governments spawned during the pandemic

• This Is How Singapore Keeps Its Cool as the City Heats Up

News for Democrats 

• GOP seize control of Pennsylvania Senate floor and block Jim Brewster from being sworn in

• Ted Cruz will object when Congress certifies Joe Biden’s election, as 11 GOP senators demand ‘audit’ and 10-day delay

• Trump And The Military: What An Erratic Commander In Chief Leaves Behind

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 12/14/2020

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director of Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to share this job posting with your networks.

• Have you made a membership contribution to DMO this year? We ask that you consider giving at the $50, $100, or $250 amount to help us continue supporting your work.

• Are you seeking an appointment or other position within the Biden-Harris Administration? Let DMO know so we can support you.

Quick Links

• Detroit water shutoff protections extended through 2022, permanent stop planned – Thank you to DMO President Emeritus Scott Benson for his work promoting water security. To learn more, visit nationaldmo.org/watersecurity.

• East Point city council, local churches, and food banks have teamed up to combat food scarcity 

• Pennsylvania legalizes autonomous delivery robots, classifies them as pedestrians

Ideas for Cities

• Spokane City Council members look outside borders for tax revenue

• DC uses remaining CARES Act funds to help some landlords cancel back rent

• San Francisco launches street crisis team to respond to 911 mental health, addiction calls

News for Democrats 

• What Joe Biden Can (And Can’t) Do To Stimulate This Pandemic Economy On His Own

• How Joe Biden’s Digital Team Tamed the MAGA Internet

• Warnock And Ossoff Are Testing A New Strategy For Democrats In The South

Pic of the Week

DMO Board members Van Johnson (Mayor, Savannah) and Wendy Davis (Commissioner, Rome) serving as Georgia electors for President elect Joe Biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 12/7/2020

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director of Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to share this job posting with your networks.

• Have you made a membership contribution to DMO this year? We ask that you consider giving at the $50, $100, or $250 amount to help us continue supporting your work.

• Are you seeking an appointment or other position within the Biden-Harris Administration? Let DMO know so we can support you.

Quick Links

• A growing number of Americans are going hungry

• Join Shannon Watts and Gun Violence Survivors for a Special Briefing for First Spouses on Keeping Children Safe – Today at 2pm EST / 11am PST

• Get America Covered During Open Enrollment – ACA coverage talking points

Ideas for Cities

• Electric Cargo Bikes Are Debuting in City Fleets

• A Desert City Tries to Save Itself With Rain

• ‘Mobility Hubs’ Become Community Anchors in Minneapolis

News for Democrats 

• Biden Names Health Secretary, COVID Czar, Other Key Members To Health Team

• President-elect Biden Announces Key Members of Economic Team

• How Democrats Suffered Crushing Down-Ballot Losses Across America

Pic of the Week

Americans are going hungry. Food assistance must extend past the holidays, until the end of this crisis.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 11/30/2020

DMO Update

• Have you made a membership contribution to DMO this year? We ask that you consider giving at the $50, $100, or $250 amount to help us continue supporting your work.

• Are you seeking an appointment or other position within the Biden-Harris Administration? Let DMO know so we can support you.

• The DMO booth is still open in the NLC Exhibit Hall. Drop by for a visit!

Quick Links

• Arctic methane deposits ‘starting to release’, scientists say

• More Crucial Than Ever, EMS Agencies Are Short Staffed and Overworked

• Severe Transit Cuts Would Cripple U.S. Economy, Experts Warn

Ideas for Cities

• Three Alternatives to the Usual Strategies for Collecting Fines and Fees

• Norfolk to Build a More Tech, Climate Resilient Waterfront

• Giving Closed Movie Theaters a Second Act

News for Democrats 

• Meet Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks

• Biden: It Would Be ‘Difficult’ To Lose Sanders, Warren From Senate For Cabinet

• In Georgia Senate runoffs, the focus — and the fire — is on Raphael Warnock

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 11/16/2020

DMO Update

• Today – It’s not too late to register for the “Oh So Blue” Celebration featuring Keynote Speaker Rep. Adam Schiff.

• Please join DMO in welcoming our new President, Philadelphia Council Member Derek Green. President Emeritus and Detroit Councilman Scott Benson will remain on the Board as Fundraising Chair.

• DMO welcomes two new Board members this November – College Park, MD Council Member Denise Mitchell and Warren, MI Councilmember Angela Rogensues.

• We also bid a very warm farwell to Northfield, MN Council Member Suzie Nakasian, who is stepping down from our Board after years of dedicated service.

Quick Links

• What Mayors Are Saying about City Budgets and Essential City Services

• More people than ever are hospitalized with COVID-19. Health-care workers can’t go on like this.

• Pennsylvania nurses plan to go on strike as coronavirus surge

Ideas for Cities

• Medical Experts, Not NYPD, Will Respond to 911 Mental Health Calls as Part of Pilot – Incorporating mental health experts in 911 response provides better care to those in need, while freeing up police to tackle violent crime.

• Chicago Group Piloting Overdose-Reversal Vending Machines

• DC Will Give Businesses $6,000 Grants to Winterize Their Outdoor Dining Spaces

News for Democrats 

• Republicans seek to batter Warnock ahead of Georgia runoff

• Grassroots Organizers Flipped Georgia Blue. Here’s How They Did It. – Want to flip more states blue? It takes consistent organizing efforts, specific to each community’s values and needs.

• How The Navajo Nation Helped Flip Arizona For Democrats