Just southeast of downtown Los Angeles, the City of Bell is diverse, vibrant, and full of young families. Nearly 60% of Bell’s population is under the age of 18, a statistic that shapes everything City Manager Michael Antwine works to build. After 24 years serving communities across California, Antwine has spent the last four years in Bell helping the city excavate a powerful question: What does it take to build belonging in a place where open space is rare and the pace of life never slows?
For Antwine, one answer comes in the form of events, not just any events, but large-scale, joyful, community-made celebrations. “Our 5K is one of our biggest events. We normally get two-to-three thousand residents to participate,” he says. Seasonal festivals like the Spring Festival, Harvest Festival, and Halloween events round out a calendar that reflects the community’s cultural heartbeat.
But events are only one piece. Bell is undergoing a $2 million overhaul of its IT infrastructure, an investment Antwine believes is essential for transparency. “We’re bringing platforms and systems to create greater access for our residents — financial data, programs, services — all of it.”
One of Antwine’s most ambitious projects is the Stay and Play Initiative, an effort to reclaim underutilized parcels of land and convert them into pockets of recreational space. In a city he calls “a concrete jungle,” these spaces become essential to youth wellbeing, family connection, and neighborhood safety. “It is more critical than ever to provide recreational and open space, especially when so many of our residents are kids,” he says.
Partnerships are the backbone of Bell’s strategy. Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, regional agencies, and community groups are woven intentionally into the city’s service delivery model. Antwine puts it plainly: “We have a huge mandate, and we can’t accomplish all these things on our own.”
What inspires him at ICMA this year is the same challenge facing every city: engagement. “Communication today is not the communication of 10–15 years ago.” From AI tools to redesigned meeting formats, Bell is exploring how to reach residents in ways that feel personal, accessible, and authentic.
In Bell, the future is being built one open space, one partnership, one resident interaction at a time. And under Antwine’s steady, innovative leadership, the city is proving that belonging can grow.
