The first trend is that local leaders are meeting national needs with local solutions. There's a story about a new Congressman who returned to his home district for his first town meeting. One citizen stood up and complained about the trash collection on her street. I didn't want to start that high up. Today, in this era of balanced budgets and a smaller federal government, some of the best solutions are coming not from Washington but from local leaders, local partners and local solutions backed by private investment.
Communities are the new national laboratories for ideas and innovation.
We are seeing tailor-made solutions that really work, and more reaching out to private sector partners like Fannie Mae, especially when it comes to housing and community development. The role of Mayors is ascending in the American leadership community. The Fannie Mae Foundation's national housing survey has found a sharp upswing in people's desire to live in or closer to cities. They're beginning to view cities as centers of progress rather than problems. You can see this every day in Washington, DC, Fannie Mae's hometown and my home for most of the past 22 years.