BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A streetcar revival in American cities isn't just kicking up sparks from the tracks, they're flying down at city hall, too.

In Boise, a proposed $60 million trolley plan has become a major theme of local elections Nov. 3. Likewise, mayoral races in Charlotte, N.C., and Cincinnati hinge at least partially on whether they should build lines of their own.

What links Boise, Cincinnati and Charlotte is they're among dozens of local governments hoping their modern street projects will benefit from federal grants, including $1.5 billion in stimulus funding due to be awarded by mid-February 2010.

In all, some 80 U.S. cities have streetcar proposals, the American Public Transportation Association says, a trend bolstered by President Barack Obama's signal he's more inclined to pump federal dollars into streetcars than was President Bush.