OPENING LINES Source: https://www.americancityandcounty.com/, Ryan Kushner, First published 04th November 2024 Political polarization is having a substantially negative impact on the nation, according to 87% of local government leaders recently surveyed by CivicPulse and Carnegie Corporation of New York. However, only 31% of those same city and county leaders felt that polarization was seriously impacting their local communities. In a politically divisive time nationwide, the limited negative impact of political polarization on local governments was a “surprising” discovery, according to Nathan Lee, founder and managing director of CivicPulse, a nonprofit research organization. “We find compelling evidence that the majority of local governments remain a haven for cooperative politics,” Lee said in a statement. The survey, conducted between August and September 2024 and published Oct. 23, polled 727 local civil service leaders and 685 local elected policymakers. “We are encouraged to see that in many respects, local government is navigating political polarization much better than federal government,” added Louise Richardson, head of Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic foundation. “Clearly there is much to learn from local leaders about how to make government work for all of us.” THE SMALLER THE LOCAL, THE LESS THE DIVIDE Population played a large role in polarization’s negative impact, according to the survey results. In communities of 50,000 or more, 46% of respondents viewed “substantial” negative impacts of polarization. In communities with LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE LESS IMPACTED BY POLARIZATION, SURVEY FINDS 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11
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