Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 10/26/2020

DMO Update

• Thank you for all the work you are doing to Get Out The Vote between now and Election Day!

• Register today for our “Oh So Blue” Celebration on Monday, November 16th. Don’t miss this chance to interact with other DMOs and hear from our guest speakers!

• Help DMO bring you more events like our National Breakfasts, DNC coverage, and Virtual Retreat. Support our work with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States – See how your city will be impacted over the next few decades.

• SCOTUS and the Seismic Shift: What Might it Mean for States and Local Governments?

• Local and State Governments Spent $9 Billion on Small Business Aid

Ideas for Cities

• The Office of Neighborhood Safety: How Governments Can Support Community-Driven Solutions

• Living Building Challenge

• Entrepreneurship Is the Vaccine for Urban Economies

Advisory Board Updates

• CVS Health to Partner with Long-term Care Facilities When COVID-19 Vaccine is Available

• Instacart, in partnership with ALDI, will support SNAP EBT for online groceries

• Fighting Privatization in a Time of Crisis – Join the National Education Association for this important discussion.

News for Democrats 

• Lawyers say they can’t find the parents of 545 migrant children separated by Trump administration

• The Issues That Divide People Within Each Party

• Senate Republicans Poised To Advance Barrett’s Nomination To The Supreme Court

Pic of the Week

We are fast approaching a cascade of tipping points that would herald a worst case climate change scenario.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 10/19/2020

DMO Update

• What are you doing locally to help Get Out The Vote? Email Nils.Robbins@NationalDMO.org with your best practices so we can promote your work!

• Register today for our “Oh So Blue” Celebration on Monday, November 16th. Don’t miss this chance to interact with other DMOs and hear from our guest speakers!

• Help DMO bring you more events like our National Breakfasts, DNC coverage, and Virtual Retreat. Support our work with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• Man upset with mask mandate threatened Wichita mayor

• St. Paul, Duluth mayors lead widespread Biden endorsement from elected officials – DMO Board Member and Eagan Council Member Gary Hansen championed the effort to organize local officials in Minnesota to sign on to the letter.

• Climate Concerns Are Starting to Impact Florida’s Real Estate Markets

Ideas for Cities

• Bill in New York City Aims to Stop Police From Collecting Minors’ DNA

• Covid-19 Cases Dropped by 75% in One State After Local Leaders Were Allowed to Require Masks

• What We Can Learn About Reform From ‘America’s Most Corrupt Police Squad’

News for Democrats 

• Across the country, Democratic enthusiasm is propelling an enormous wave of early voting

• With Debate Canceled, Trump And Biden Appear In Dueling Town Halls

• Why These Voters Rejected Hillary Clinton but Are Backing Joe Biden

Pic of the Week

DMO President and Detroit Councilman Scott Benson (safely) meeting Vice President Biden at an event in Michigan over the weekend.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 9/28/2020

DMO Update

• Does your next campaign need a boost? Check out the DMO Political Vendor Marketplace.

• Next Wednesday – Join the DMO Policy Council call as we discuss DMO’s approach to reforming the police.

• Help DMO bring you more events like our National Breakfasts, DNC coverage, and Virtual Retreat. Support our work with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• NLC Responds to the Presidential Memorandum on Defunding Cities

• Strained Rural Water Utilities Buckle Under Pandemic Pressure

• Who are the Proud Boys?

Ideas for Cities

• Birmingham’s Service Corps Puts People Back to Work For Now and For the Long Haul

• How to Make Sure City Budgets Prioritize Racial Equity

• These Mayors Say This Is Universal Basic Income’s Moment – Missed our Policy Council call on local guaranteed incomes? You can email Sukhi Samra at the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration for more information.

Advisory Board Updates

• First full at-home COVID-19 test

• Statement of UAW Ford Vice President Gerald Kariem on the Groundbreaking for the New Rouge All Electric F-150 Plant

• Generating Power with Municipal Utilities

News for Democrats 

• Asked to Denounce White Supremacists, President Trump Tells Far-Right Extremist Group to “Stand By”

• Black Voters’ Mail-Ballot Rejections Are a Warning for Democrats

• Senate Dems ready tactics to muck up Supreme Court confirmation

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 9/21/2020

DMO Update

• Thank you to all the DMO members who joined us last week for our Virtual Retreat!

• Watch Securing Water Security, then join the DMO campaign to bring water to every household in America.

• Help DMO bring you more events like our National Breakfasts, DNC coverage, and Virtual Retreat. Support our work with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• Essential workers get new bikes as a ‘thank you’ for those providing ‘vital services’

• Justice Dept. deems New York City, Portland and Seattle ‘anarchist jurisdictions’

• Trump’s hostility to cities threatens to worsen the recession

Ideas for Cities

• How We Survive the Winter

• Join The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for webinars on voter suppression (Wed 9/23) and election communications (Tues 9/29).

• Birmingham’s Service Corps Puts People Back to Work For Now and For the Long Haul

News for Democrats 

• What Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death Could Mean For 2020 And The Supreme Court

• Share the new IWillVote.com with your network.

• Take action on 9/22 for National Voter Registration Day

Pic of the Week

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court’s Feminist Icon, Is Dead at 87.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 9/14/2020

DMO Update

• You still have time to register for the DMO Virtual Retreat this week. We have unique streaming options for DMOs, members of the Washington State Chapter, Alumni DMOs, and Party Leaders.

• Watch Democrats and the 2020 Workers

• Enjoyed our programming during the Democratic National Convention? Help us do more for you, with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?

• There’s a Movement to Defund School Police, Too

• Strained Rural Water Utilities Buckle Under Pandemic Pressure

Ideas for Cities

• It’s Not Too Late! 3 Ways Your City Can Still Get an Accurate Census Count

• The End Loneliness Initiative is keeping seniors connected during quarantine

• People With Mental Heath Disabilities Have Ideas on How to Prevent More Police Shootings – “One reason police encounters can go wrong, I’ve learned, is that people with intellectual disabilities often struggle to comprehend spoken instructions – particularly in a high-stress situation.”

News for Democrats 

• National League of Cities is asking local leaders to remind the Biden campaign of their commitment to the Leading Together Cities Agenda, and share this letter with the campaign.

• The Drop Box Rises As a Compromise Between the Mail and the Voting Booth

• How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election—and Shaking the Foundation of American Democracy – Lurid conspiracies have not only infected a significant number of voters, but have inoculated their minds against the fact-based responses Democrats rely on.

Pic of the Week

33% of polled Republicans believe the QAnon theory is “mostly true”, with another 23% believing it is “partly true”. While QAnon can mean many different things to different people, longtime Republican messaging about “elites” has likely primed Republicans to believe the wilder claims of this myth.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 9/7/2020

DMO Update

• The DMO Board Retreat is going virtual this year. Register as a Democratic Municipal Official to gain access to events with our leaders, Advisory Board members, and policy experts.

• Watch Live From Milwaukee, with Congresswoman Gwen Moore.

• Enjoyed our programming during the Democratic National Convention? Help us do more for you, with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• Laid off and now evicted amid Covid-19, a Houston father contemplates homelessness in a pandemic

• These Cities Are About to Make It Harder for Landlords to Evict People

• How Hunger Persists in a Rich Country Like America

Ideas for Cities

• Protecting Renter and Homeowner Rights During Our National Health Crisis

• Expert tips on writing text messages that get attention

• Lasting Affordability in Housing Now: Our Path to Racial Equity

Advisory Board Updates

• Service Line Warranty Association Annual Cities Report.

• Watch SEIU’s Honor Essential Workers Tribute

• Join AFSCME’s Fund the Front Lines Day of Action – September 17th

News for Democrats 

• CDC issues sweeping temporary halt on evictions. Here’s what that means for renters

• Northam pushes for overdue electric bill forgiveness

• Gain access to the DNC’s Best Practices Institute Victory Vault

Pic of the Week

This baby stroller holds everything the Rodriguez family owns after being evicted.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 8/31/2020

DMO Update

• Register for Wednesday’s 3pm ET / 12pm PT Policy Council call with Paulo Machado and Mayrav Saar from the End Loneliness Initiative.

• Missed our opening event of the DNC? Watch the recording of Welcome to the Party, with Whip Jim Clyburn.

• Enjoyed our programming during the Democratic National Convention? Help us do more for you, with a monthly contribution of any amount at NationalDMO.org/donate.

Quick Links

• Ransomware Attacks Demanding Larger Payouts from Local Governments

• Check out Gain Power, a networking and resource center for those in Democratic politics

• America’s College Towns Are Facing an Economic Reckoning

Ideas for Cities

• To Get People to Wear Masks, Try Comparing Them to Seatbelts and Helmets

• Millennials Could Be a Boon to Smaller Communities. How Can Those Towns Attract Younger Workers?

• How to Get the Most from Rental Assistance Programs – Try out the Emergency Rental Assistance Priority Index tool

News for Democrats 

• Worried about the USPS? Here are your in-person ballot return options.

• The Democrats Are United to Fight Trump, but Policy Fights Are Looming

• Could A Backlash Against Black Lives Matter Hurt Biden? The Two Don’t Appear Linked So Far.