A large number of local leaders are leaving office ahead of schedule; many report Covid burnout as the cause of their departure.

"It has been an exhausting season for America’s mayors," writes Ellen Barry. The story is exemplified by the experience of Donna Holaday, four-term mayor of Newburyport, Masachusetts, who recently announced that she would not be pursuing a fifth term as originally planned. The previous business of the job—the events, problem solving, and other challenging but ultimately rewarding day-today activities—has given way to empty calendars and a never ending stream of unsolvable grief.
“It was so traumatic, with people calling us crying, distressed,” said Ms. Holaday, who has announced she will not run for a fifth term. “I was sitting in my corner office feeling quite alone, there is no question about it.”
Holaday is far from alone in making the choice to leave office, according to the article by Barry. The most recent edition of an annual survey of mayors conducted by Boston University’s Initiative on Cities reveals the foul mood of the nation's local leaders.
"Mayors surveyed last summer expressed deep anxiety about the effects of lost tax revenue on their budgets, as they juggled the pandemic, economic recovery and their core responsibilities," writes Barry.
There's a lack of direct evidence to support the assumption that the trauma and grief of the pandemic has led to a higher-than-normal turnover among the nation's mayors, Barry admits. Still, there are plenty of examples of mayor leaving office to choose from. "In Massachusetts, nearly a fifth of the state’s mayors have announced they will not run again, as CommonWealth, a politics journal, reported, but that is not an unusual portion, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association," writes Barry.
Some mayors have offered explanations for leaving office, providing a steady stream of anecdotes and soundbites to further explain the experience of public service in a most difficult year.
FULL STORY: Drained by a Year of Covid, Many Mayors Head for the Exit

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

Off-Peak is the New On-Peak
Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are starting to focus on non-rush hour travelers as pre-pandemic commuting patterns shift and transportation needs change.

Tacoma Coalition Calls for ‘Tenants’ Bill of Rights’
The group wants to put more power in the hands of tenants, but the city has its own, competing proposal for addressing the housing crisis.

New Power Transmission Line Approved in the Southwest
The proposed transmission line will transfer wind-produced power from New Mexico to cities in Arizona and California.

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’
The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Code Studio
TAG Associates, Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Knox County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.