James_Jan-Feb_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 34
Why This Matters to Policy
As the legislative session begins
and the 2026 campaign season
nears, many of the debates shaping Georgia will sharpen. Cities
offer a needed contrast. They
remind us that government, at its
best, is close to the people, and
that decisions made locally are
more efficient, more accountable,
and more trusted.
Georgia voters have approved
95 percent of SPLOST referenda
over the years, and last year 32
of 36 counties adopted a Floating
Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) for
property-tax relief. In places where
FLOST didn’t pass, voters simply
opted for a different approach.
That’s the strength of local decision-making; communities choose
what works for them.
As lawmakers return to Atlanta, that same sense of partnership
and trust can guide how the state
works with its cities.
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The municipal elections we
just concluded are a good reminder of why non-partisan city
elections matter. Candidates don’t
run as Democrats or Republicans;
they run as neighbors with ideas
for making their hometown better. I’ve never seen a Republican
pothole or a Democrat streetlight.
That reality keeps the focus where
it belongs: on solving problems.
At its heart, local government is
about service, not partisanship.
And as Kageyama reminds us,
residents aren’t just consumers of
city services; they’re co-creators of
civic life. City government can’t do
everything. But when businesses
invest in downtowns, when churches partner with city hall, when
neighbors take pride in their block,
that’s when a city truly thrives.
Community Engagement
Georgia’s future won’t be written only under the Gold Dome or
corporate boardrooms. It will be
written in city halls, town squares,
and neighborhoods. If we want
stronger communities, healthier
civic life, and a more prosperous
state, we need to recover the idea
that cities aren’t just places we
live; they’re places we love.
And love means action, investment, and civility. It means choosing
to build up rather than tear down.
We face a simple choice: treat
our cities as disposable or steward
them so the next generation inherits something stronger. Each of us—
residents, business leaders, voters,
neighbors— can choose to engage
with, support, and love our cities.
When we do, Georgia’s best
days, and the work of shaping
them, begin right now.
Larry Hanson became the CEO and executive
director of the Georgia Municipal Association in 2017 after serving as Valdosta’s city
manager for 22 years.
