Unlock the CVS shampoo case: Dem mayors can fix law & order, affordability, and education.

New Yorkers vote today for the Democratic nominee for mayor. Running big cities well is a vital way for Democrats to earn back voters' trust after the catastrophic school closures and increase in crime. My first foray into policy was an essay about parking. I served as a city councilor for five years. I've never lost my love of local government.

Here are five specific ways that Democratic mayors can improve education, affordability, and law & order.

1. Provide 1:1, live-online tutoring sessions for every 1st-and-2nd grader in reading and every middle schooler in math. Reading by 3rd grade and doing algebra by 8th grade are two critical academic milestones. American students since the school closures are missing them. One of the most successful interventions is professional tutoring. These 1:1 sessions during school days have radically improved student outcomes. First graders in my district, for example, gained six months in phonics from just 15 minutes a day. They were not on track to read by 3rd grade. Now they are. Because the tutoring is remote and during school hours, the expense is manageable. The payout, as one teacher told me, is a "gift".

2. Build more housing, faster and cheaper. Supply & demand doesn't lie: the best way to make housing affordable is to produce more. Zone for multi-family development as the default. Require only one staircase for buildings up to six stories. End parking minimums. Put a shot-clock on City Hall's land use & permitting process. Transfer brownfield public sites to non-profit developers.

3. Plan for people, not cars. Walkable downtowns are platforms for wealth creation. Where pedestrians congregate, customers spend. Walkability is also good for safety, civic cohesion, and children's development. The impediment to walkability is cars and parking. Narrow & slow down vehicular lanes. Widen sidewalks & plant trees. Zone for fine-grained storefronts rather than block-long walls with off-street parking behind them. At special spots, ban cars entirely. Prise the curb away from parking. Share it between parking, cycling, buses, outdoor seating, rideshare, and delivery.

4. Expand community health centers. Some health sites expertly integrate primary and behavioral care with social work. These health centers improve public health and public order. They get some funding from federal & state Medicaid; some from commercial insurers. Cities could fund them, too, in order to expand their reach and efficacy. One potential funding source: a sales tax on junk food or sugary beverages. In this scenario, both the source and use of funds improves public health. The Navajo Nation has done something similar.

5. Police quality-of-life violations. Violent and property crime are the most important to prevent. But degradations to public order also matter. Drug use, loitering, panhandling, encampments, vandalism, shoplifting – these compound into lawlessness. There's nothing compassionate or progressive about permitting them. Indeed, I think every time a customer has to ask the CVS clerk to unlock the shampoo, Democrats get less popular. Policing high public standards, especially when paired with (3) and (4), can create positive feedback loops for law & order.

There are big-city Democratic mayors showing Americans what strong local executives look like. I've met with three, from San Antonio, Denver, and Cincinnati. Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati, says: "My city knows two things about me: if you commit a violent crime you’re going to jail, and I’m going to build housing in your neighborhood." I'd vote for that.