2020 Azbee Awards of Excellence

Category

All Content > Editorial/Editor's Letter > Southeast

Awarded to

Jason Axelrod, Associate Editor

Entry details

"Full Speed Ahead," and "Power to the People"

Issue or publication date: Oct. 2019; Nov./Dec. 2019
Publication name: American City & County
Publishing company: Informa
Website home page: www.americancityandcounty.com

Please describe the publication's mission and readership:

American City & County has been the voice of state and local government since 1909. The magazine serves a powerful audience of city, county and state officials who are charged with developing and implementing government policy, programs and projects. The magazine is a tool for elected and appointed public servants providing them with relevant news, government trends, policy alternatives and operational solutions.

Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

Using personal experience, humor and critical thinking, Associate Editor Jason Axelrod examines two emerging trends in local governance — autonomous/connected vehicle testing and participatory budgeting in this entry’s two editorials. He argues in favor of their adoption, offering readers a more conversational and personal account to complement the reported articles that originally inspired these editorials.

In “Full Speed Ahead,” Axelrod argues that more cities should partner with companies in testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) and connected vehicles (CVs). He centers the argument on comparing riding in an AV during a press event in September to watching the iPhone’s unveiling in 2007. In both instances, he recalls a premonitory feeling that each technology was “a really big deal” that would change the world.

Reporting an article on two cities working with AV/CV companies informed this editorial’s narrative. Based on those two cities’ experiences, Axelrod opines that cities partnering with these companies can push innovation forward while reaping their own benefits.

In “Power to the People,” Axelrod uses his experience of reporting on two cities adopting participatory budgeting (PB) to argue the benefits in doing so. After explaining the concept, Axelrod recounts how PB made more sense as his reporting ensued and ultimately concluding that all cities should adopt PB.

Using statistics and an interview with a city official, Axelrod illustrates why U.S. cities would benefit from adopting PB. Steeped in fact like the previous editorial, this piece gives readers a different take on local issues that still informs them.

Links to entry URLs

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
https://www.americancityandcounty.com/2019/10/25/full-speed-ahead/
https://www.americancityandcounty.com/2020/01/06/power-to-the-people-2/

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