How Local Government Works
School Boards Explained: How They Work and How to Run for One
How do school boards work? Elected vs. appointed boards, their power over budgets and curriculum, public comment rules, and how to run for school board.
Blog & analysis
Local government, explained and argued
Explainers, documented success stories, issue deep dives, step-by-step guides and current analysis — all sourced, all non-partisan.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Short-Term Rentals: How Cities Regulate Airbnb and Vrbo
How cities regulate short-term rentals: registration, caps and bans, what NYC's Local Law 18 changed, effects on housing and tourism, and both sides.
Success Stories
How Two Neighbors Saved the High Line — And What Came After
How two Manhattan residents founded Friends of the High Line, stopped demolition of an abandoned rail viaduct, and sparked a debate about gentrification.
Guides
How to Find Your Representatives by ZIP Code or Address
Find my representative by zip code: official tools for your U.S. House member, senators, state legislators and council district — and why ZIP codes mislead.
Local Issue Deep Dives
Zoning Reform and Housing Affordability: What the Evidence Shows
A balanced look at zoning reform and housing affordability: single-family zoning, ADUs, parking minimums, real city results, and how to weigh in locally.
Guides
How to Start a Petition: Local and State Rules Explained
How to start a petition in your state or city: informal vs. legally binding petitions, initiative states, signature validation, and a step-by-step checklist.
How Local Government Works
County Government Explained: Boards, Row Officers and What Counties Do
What does county government do? A guide to boards of supervisors and commissioners, row officers like the sheriff and assessor, and where county money goes.
Guides
How to Speak at a City Council Meeting: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to speak at city council meeting: find the agenda, sign up for public comment, know your time limit, and deliver a two-minute script that lands.
Success Stories
How New York City Let Residents Vote on Part of the City Budget
How NYC participatory budgeting grew from four council districts in 2011 to the citywide People's Money — how it works, what it funded, and its limits.
How Local Government Works
Mayor-Council vs. Council-Manager: Forms of City Government Compared
Council-manager form of government vs. mayor-council: how strong mayor, weak mayor, commission and town meeting systems work, with real city examples.
Success Stories
How Flint Residents Used Citizen Water Testing to Force Action on Lead
How Flint residents, led by LeeAnne Walters, teamed with Virginia Tech scientists to test tap water, prove a lead crisis, and change water policy.
Success Stories
How Austin Voters Used a Citizen Initiative to Save Barton Springs
How Austin's Save Our Springs movement turned an all-night 1990 council hearing into a 1992 citizen-initiated ordinance protecting Barton Springs.
Browse by series
How Local Government Works
Plain-English explainers on cities, counties, school boards, budgets and the rules that decide who can do what.
5 articles
Success Stories
Documented cases where organized residents changed a local decision — what they did, and what it cost them.
5 articles
Local Issue Deep Dives
Balanced analysis of the issues that dominate council agendas: housing, transit, policing, heat, short-term rentals.
5 articles
Guides
Step-by-step instructions with copy-ready templates: speaking at a meeting, starting a petition, filing records requests.
5 articles
News & Analysis
What is happening in American local government right now, with sources and without spin.
5 articles