As part of its devolution agenda, the government is deepening and extending the mayoral model across England. Fourteen regional mayors are now in office, holding powers over transport, skills, housing and planning, economic growth and more. The government eventually wants every region of England to be led by a mayor.

But what are the characteristics of effective mayoral leadership? How should existing and new mayors use their powers and their platform to bring benefits to their regions? And what lessons can England’s mayors learn from international experience?

We held a discussion of these themes, informed by insights from the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University and its director, Professor Jorrit de Jong, who was in conversation with Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government, and Akash Paun, Programme Director for Devolution.

Effective urban leadership: What are the international lessons for England’s mayors?

Jimmie Wilson Jr. joned EMu Historic Preseervation graduate student Kat Hacanyan in the EMU Aerie to talk about his contributions to Ypsilanti and the broader district he serves, including Ypsilati Township, Superior Township, Van Buren Township, and Pittsfield Township. Wilson describes the reasons for his decision to put down roots in Ypsilanti after growing up in West Willow and living in Florida for a time before returning to Michigan to be wth family. 

Robert Anschuetz, Oral History Interview, 2023

Council held their monthly Council Meeting at the Council Chambers.




Council Meeting - 23 June 2025 - Audio Recording

Council held their monthly Council Meeting at the Council Chambers

Council Meeting - 21 July 2025 - Audio Recording

Today's guest is Richard E. Farley, author of Drop Dead, a history of how the richest city in America got addicted to spending, saturated in debt, and crashed the municipal bond market—and then managed to get a federal bailout in the nick of time.

In 1975, New York City almost went bankrupt. Farley argues that the same conditions are reemerging today: runaway budgets, gimmicky accounting, overpromised entitlements, and politicians more interested in ideology than arithmetic. He wrote all this before the rise of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who promises to blow spending through the roof, enact new taxes, and create masses of new regulations.

If you want to understand what it takes to bankrupt a city, listen up. New York might be sleepwalking into another fiscal disaster, and this time, there might not be a bailout waiting.

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Could New York Go Bankrupt Again?

Tonight Council held their monthly Meeting in the Council Chambers.

Council Meeting - 18 August 2025 - Audio Recording

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie goes deep with the artists, entrepreneurs, and politicians who are making the 21st century more libertarian—or at least more interesting—by challenging old, worn-out ideas and orthodoxies.

Today's guest is best known by his pro wrestling name: Kane.

But Glenn Jacobs isn't just a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. Since 2018, he's served as the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, where he has beat down tax increases and mask and vaccine mandates while pushing school choice and private sector solutions to social problems such as addiction.

Jacobs tells Nick Gillespie how Ron Paul inspired him, why he believes President Donald Trump is disrupting the administrative state, and why live-and-let-live is the best life philosophy.

How can we make The Reason Interview better? Take our listener survey for a chance to win a $300 gift card: http://reason.com/podsurvey

0:00—Intro

0:50—Paul's influence on Jacobs

3:52—The appeal of Ronald Reagan

6:26—Trump and the administrative state

9:45—Responsibilities as mayor of Knox County

11:45—Taxes and public services

18:32—Pushing back on COVID-19 mandates

25:35—LGBTQ issues

29:26—Vocational training

32:57—Libertarianism inside the GOP

34:38—Which pro wrestlers embody these politicians?

36:00—What's next for Jacobs?

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Glenn Jacobs Body-Slams Big Government

Welcome to The Procurement Lobby Podcast—the podcast that demystifies government contracting and turns the complexities of public procurement into a roadmap for business growth.

In this first episode, host "The Procurement Lobbyist" introduces the world of government procurement, a powerful but often-overlooked market worth trillions of dollars. Whether you’re a business owner looking to land your first contract or a government employee involved in the procurement process, this show is for you.

The Procurement Lobby Podcast peels back the layers of bureaucracy and red tape to give you the practical, actionable steps you need to succeed. Get ready to learn how to:

Find and win government contracts

Administer contracts and maintain public sector client relationships

Stay current on new regulations and trends

Implement innovative procurement strategies

Stop missing public sector business opportunities and quit leaving money on the table. It's time to make the government your biggest client.

The Procurement Lobby Podcast, Episode 1: The Introduction

Curtis Sliwa became famous by stepping in where the government was falling short. As the New York mayoral candidate told Reason's Jesse Walker, the Guardian Angels—the anti-crime patrols that Sliwa launched in New York City in 1979—were born because "the government completely failed us….We filled the gap."

In the years since then, Sliwa has expanded the Guardian Angels to cities around the world, launched a multidecade career in talk radio, confessed that some of his organization's early crime-fighting exploits were hoaxes, and survived a very real assassination attempt allegedly ordered by the Gotti family. Now he's aiming to be mayor, running both as a Republican and on an independent Protect Animals ballot line against the self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the scandal-plagued incumbent, Eric Adams.

Sliwa's thoughts don't always follow predictable lines. On immigration, he cheers crackdowns on "the bad hombres, the drug dealers, [and] the gangbangers" but warns that "everybody should be afforded due process….You don't just pick them up, put them on Air Con, and take them to that gulag in El Salvador. That's not the American way." He shrugs at market solutions for housing—"I don't trust the developers, I don't trust the realtors"—while blasting the city for mothballing thousands of public apartments. He thinks marijuana should be legal and fast food should be more tightly regulated. He's fine with President Donald Trump sending the National Guard to police D.C., but "if he would've tried to do it in New York City, I'd say, 'Whoa.'"

Walker interviewed Sliwa twice in August for a Reason profile—once while Sliwa was campaigning on the subway and in East Harlem, and once in the Manhattan building that houses the candidate's campaign HQ. This is the second of those conversations.

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If You Don't Like Socialism or the Establishment, Curtis Sliwa Wants Your Vote

Hustle & Heart brings you stories of public service professionals who turn passion into impact.

In this episode, host Roberto Ayala interviews Brandy Orange, Assistant District Manager of Brooklyn Community Board 2, and Isatou Fatty, a Coro intern, to discuss the future of community engagement, civic leadership, and public service careers.

Brandy shares her journey working in local government in Brooklyn, the role of Community Boards in shaping neighborhoods, her roles prior to the Community Board, and shares some of her best lessons. Isatou reflects on her experience as a young leader entering the public service field through her Coro summer internship, offering insights into youth leadership, and the next generation of changemakers.

If you’re interested in civic engagement, local politics, youth leadership, or building a career in public service, this episode offers valuable lessons and inspiration.

Episode 001: “Dancing Through the Red Tape”

The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective. 

Stay up to date with all of our commentary, analysis and events by visiting our website and subscribing to our newsletter.

Founded in 1968, Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Our podcast offerings include:

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Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”—Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman—discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

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Want to know what comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century.

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New tracks tagged #Local Government