Brian F. Kelcey
@stateofthecity.bsky.social
Was @stateofthecity on Twitter. Veteran of a B-Grade, Film Noir genre of politics known as "local government." Current gig: second tour of duty in the Winnipeg Mayor's Office. Hometowns: Victoria, Winnipeg, Toronto. Working on 'Debt City' (see debt.city)
Hell of a Northern Ontario anecdote here.
On the other side of Whitefish Bay, my mother remembers the Safeway supermarket sign in the Sault swaying wildly on its pole that night in 1975.
November 11, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Hell of a Northern Ontario anecdote here.
Denver transit policy
Denver area transit agency bans advertising covering windows.
www-denverpost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.denv...
www-denverpost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.denv...
RTD bans ads covering windows of metro Denver buses and trains
The prohibition means losing revenue at a time when agency officials are grappling with financial constraints.
www-denverpost-com.cdn.ampproject.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Denver transit policy
I would not have handled it way.
November 11, 2025 at 2:48 AM
I would not have handled it way.
footnotin' a chapter of the book, old school
like household chores only far worse
like household chores only far worse
November 11, 2025 at 1:03 AM
footnotin' a chapter of the book, old school
like household chores only far worse
like household chores only far worse
Current mood:
The past is myth.
The future is myth.
Futurism is the industrialization of pre-fabricated myths.
The Junior Chicken sandwich is a myth.
The very concept of a sandwich is a mythical social construct.
The past is myth.
The future is myth.
Futurism is the industrialization of pre-fabricated myths.
The Junior Chicken sandwich is a myth.
The very concept of a sandwich is a mythical social construct.
November 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Current mood:
The past is myth.
The future is myth.
Futurism is the industrialization of pre-fabricated myths.
The Junior Chicken sandwich is a myth.
The very concept of a sandwich is a mythical social construct.
The past is myth.
The future is myth.
Futurism is the industrialization of pre-fabricated myths.
The Junior Chicken sandwich is a myth.
The very concept of a sandwich is a mythical social construct.
Transit, in Prague
Prague's Metro Plan is released - one outlet say 150km of new tram lines are planned - iprpraha.cz/metropolitni... It's a cool map and interactive website. Can translate to English using Google.
Metropolitní plán
Metropolitní plán jako nový územní plán pro Prahu brání nekontrolovanému rozšiřování města do okolní krajiny. Stanovuje jasné limity pro výšku budov, chrání ty stávající a navrhuje nová veřejná prostr...
iprpraha.cz
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Transit, in Prague
London, and urban history. Thinking of my grandmother - who lived in London through the Blitz - today.
'A House Collapsing on Two Firemen, Shoe Lane, London, EC4'
(1940) by Leonard Henry Rosoman
(Imperial War Museums)
(1940) by Leonard Henry Rosoman
(Imperial War Museums)
November 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
London, and urban history. Thinking of my grandmother - who lived in London through the Blitz - today.
Toronto, h/t @blairscorgie.bsky.social. This is the second time - or is it the third? - that I've seen a "let's basically invent ward-based zoning to outflank resistance" proposal in TO. And it's crazy, even if it is for a good cause. Consider, just for starters, the problem that wards... *change.*
so @joshmatlow.bsky.social has posted a motion that allows councillors to adopt neighbourhood retail in their own wards, effectively allowing the removed attachment to be adopted on a ward-by-ward basis. it's not perfect but it's something!!!
November 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Toronto, h/t @blairscorgie.bsky.social. This is the second time - or is it the third? - that I've seen a "let's basically invent ward-based zoning to outflank resistance" proposal in TO. And it's crazy, even if it is for a good cause. Consider, just for starters, the problem that wards... *change.*
New York City
The days may be numbered for the Elizabeth Street Garden: https://gothamist.visitlink.me/XKt-40
November 10, 2025 at 6:16 PM
New York City
"Four months before the municipal elections, two polls have been stirring up the Marseille campaign lately" (owing to a strong showing by the Le Penistas).
Marseille local elxns (en Francais):
Marseille local elxns (en Francais):
🗳️ Municipales : à Marseille, un sondage donne le RN en tête du premier tour du scrutin de mars. Bien qu’à relativiser, cette perspective met la pression sur une gauche partagée entre le sortant Benoît Payan et son probable challenger insoumis.
Lire ⤵️
Lire ⤵️
Municipales : à Marseille, la menace RN pèse sur une gauche divisée
Un sondage donne le parti lepéniste en tête du premier tour du scrutin de mars. Bien qu’à relativiser, cette perspective met la pression sur une gauche partagée entre le sortant Benoît Payan et son probable challenger insoumis.
www.liberation.fr
November 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
"Four months before the municipal elections, two polls have been stirring up the Marseille campaign lately" (owing to a strong showing by the Le Penistas).
Marseille local elxns (en Francais):
Marseille local elxns (en Francais):
New York City mayoral transition
New: Zohran Mamdani's expected to later this morning announce he plans to appoint Dean Fuleihan as his first deputy mayor, per sources.
Fuleihan served in the same role under Bill de Blasio.
Fuleihan served in the same role under Bill de Blasio.
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
New York City mayoral transition
Council tax policy, in the UK.
Labour MPs warn council tax is “driving poverty” as analysis shows some of the most deprived areas are paying the highest rates
The analysis revealed a strong relationship: the more deprived a local authority, the higher its CT as a percentage of house prices
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
The analysis revealed a strong relationship: the more deprived a local authority, the higher its CT as a percentage of house prices
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
www.politicshome.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Council tax policy, in the UK.
In Bastia (pop 50k) on Corsica, a broad ideological spectrum of parties is uniting to attack the incumbent mayor before French local elxns in March.
www.leparisien.fr/elections/mu...
www.leparisien.fr/elections/mu...
Municipales : à Bastia, une coalition droite-gauche-nationalistes fait front contre le maire sortant
Ce mouvement transpartisan dénonce une supposée mauvaise gestion des finances par les nationalistes à la tête de la ville depuis 2014.
www.leparisien.fr
November 10, 2025 at 3:44 PM
In Bastia (pop 50k) on Corsica, a broad ideological spectrum of parties is uniting to attack the incumbent mayor before French local elxns in March.
www.leparisien.fr/elections/mu...
www.leparisien.fr/elections/mu...
Mississauga, ON and urban history
46 years ago I woke up to massive explosions and a tower of fire 2 miles away. My Dad thought the Russians had attacked.
A train derailment and exploded tanker cars created a cloud of chlorine gas over the city, so we evacuated with 250,000 other Mississaugans.
canadaehx.com/2024/11/05/t...
A train derailment and exploded tanker cars created a cloud of chlorine gas over the city, so we evacuated with 250,000 other Mississaugans.
canadaehx.com/2024/11/05/t...
The Mississauga Train Derailment
It’s a quiet Saturday night in 1979. Residents in Mississauga, Ontario are asleep. The next day is expected to be quiet for the thousands that live there. Many would be looking forward to a nice br…
canadaehx.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Mississauga, ON and urban history
Feels like a very good day to focus on my local govt work by day, focus on writing about local govt history at night, and to pretend there is no outside world beyond the Perimeter.
November 10, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Feels like a very good day to focus on my local govt work by day, focus on writing about local govt history at night, and to pretend there is no outside world beyond the Perimeter.
Lancashire, and the fall of the myth of easy local govt savings in the UK.
inews.co.uk/news/reform-...
inews.co.uk/news/reform-...
The Reform Red Wall council hiking tax after 'Doge cuts' never came
Lancashire looks set to be the next Reform-led authority to announce a tax hike despite pre-election pledges
inews.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Lancashire, and the fall of the myth of easy local govt savings in the UK.
inews.co.uk/news/reform-...
inews.co.uk/news/reform-...
I am getting the sense
That most of you would not have handled it that way
That most of you would not have handled it that way
November 10, 2025 at 1:19 AM
I am getting the sense
That most of you would not have handled it that way
That most of you would not have handled it that way
Sorting out a book or two and it occurs to me that every single work of fiction (not many, but some) that I have tried to read in the last year, I abandoned because the characters were basically all miserable people.
November 9, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Sorting out a book or two and it occurs to me that every single work of fiction (not many, but some) that I have tried to read in the last year, I abandoned because the characters were basically all miserable people.
Reposted by Brian F. Kelcey
it’s better to sail with a moody good captain than a laughing bad one
November 9, 2025 at 9:47 PM
it’s better to sail with a moody good captain than a laughing bad one
another day
goes by
without a result
in Seattle's mayor race
another day
goes by
without a result
in Seattle's mayor race
another day
November 9, 2025 at 9:48 PM
another day
goes by
without a result
in Seattle's mayor race
another day
goes by
without a result
in Seattle's mayor race
another day
Reposted by Brian F. Kelcey
350M x. 2,000. They got 700+Billion laying around but they don't have 40B for snap?
A $2000 tariff “dividend” would be negative for bonds — if the bond market actually believed it would ever happen. 🤡
November 9, 2025 at 2:17 PM
350M x. 2,000. They got 700+Billion laying around but they don't have 40B for snap?
Watching old games to introduce my kid to the full pantheon of Big Sports. So far: he was ok with a Manchester City ⚽ game b/c he plays it, but "it's a bit boring to watch." Next: he cheers hard for LeBron James in the 2024 gold medal Olympic game w/out knowing anything about basketball or LeBron.
November 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Watching old games to introduce my kid to the full pantheon of Big Sports. So far: he was ok with a Manchester City ⚽ game b/c he plays it, but "it's a bit boring to watch." Next: he cheers hard for LeBron James in the 2024 gold medal Olympic game w/out knowing anything about basketball or LeBron.
Tree coverage, in Paris. H/t @hmillward.bsky.social
In this map @researchremora shows us the tree canopy height across Paris. Urban greenery matters!
November 9, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Tree coverage, in Paris. H/t @hmillward.bsky.social