MayorsBlog with Tom Cochran

Executive Director's Column

2011-07-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Washington, DC
July 1, 2011

Thank you Baltimore! Thank you Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and all of your team, for all of us to say, “oh yes we did see” the new Baltimore, a city rich in history, with a future ever so bright.

Domestic infrastructure investments producing jobs for our cities seemed to be the big issue at our 79^th Annual Meeting.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel came to us with his proposal for a new infrastructure bank and he is already working with Members of Congress to produce legislation creating the infrastructure bank. Mayor Emanuel’s speech was well received and mayors will support the Emanuel initiative within our Conference of Mayors. We welcomed him with open arms and we are pleased that he will be working with us as we go forward.

Governor (Mayor) Martin O'Malley welcomed the mayors to Maryland and continues to talk about the job he misses. He is doing a great job as Governor and he reported on Saturday morning successes before going to the Eastern Shore for an event. In the evening he returned, leading his band, O'Malley's March, with Irish rock and traditional music, and receiving a cheering response from all at Fort McHenry.

Immediate Past-President Elizabeth Kautz again pushes the city-business partnerships we must have to produce new jobs. At our Winter Meeting she had the CEOs of large corporations before us. In Baltimore, she led a group of CEOs along with Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and our partner George Cloutier of American Management Services, to give us the best practices of how to support small business within our cities. We thank Mayor Kautz for her leadership and look forward to her continued work in this area.

Mayors debated the resolution calling for an end to the Afghanistan War, where we are spending $2.1 Million a minute. The nation’s mayors were totally supportive of and thankful for the brave men and women who serve. The nation’s building of other countries has little support today within America. In all regions our infrastructure is in bad shape and unemployment continues to be way too high across America. Mayors are saying that the monies being spent in Afghanistan should be brought home and dedicated to infrastructure development and jobs for rebuilding our own nation.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in his inaugural address, called on Washington to understand how important our metro economies are to keeping our national economy strong. He was eloquent in going through a comparison of how the LA metro economy is stronger than some nations and many USA states. His speech was well received by all mayors as he becomes our 69^th President of The United States Conference of Mayors.

Congratulations to our other two new top officers, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Vice President and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Second Vice President.

President Villaraigosa has called for a Conference of Mayors Leadership Meeting in Los Angeles, July 21 - 23. Look for a letter from President Villaraigosa with registration materials and information for our Leadership Meeting. We will continue to refine the policy initiatives adopted in Baltimore and come forth with a bipartisan political agenda for the coming year.

Again, thank you Mayor Elizabeth Kautz for your continued service to our organization.

Thank you again Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for a most exciting, meaningful, productive and fun Annual Conference of Mayors.

We congratulate our new President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Since coming to our first Leadership Meeting he has been active with us. You have honored him with the highest honor a mayor can hold in America, The President of The United States Conference of Mayors. He will be a bold leader. In these tough economic times, we need it. As strong as he is, he will need your support. The spirit of our Baltimore Meeting tells me we are more united than ever. And together, with President Villaraigosa’s leadership, we can lift our organization to a new plateau.

Thanks to all of your continued support. In these tough economic times we do not take your dues, time, and travel expenses to come to our meetings for granted. This is your organization.

If I can be of any service to you, please let me know.

I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles next month.

Executive Director's Column

2011-04-08T15:00:00.002-04:00

April 8, 2011
Washington, DC

Conference President Elizabeth Kautz was back in Washington this week representing all of you as we conduct the regular business of the Conference under a cloud of uncertainty over key federal funded initiatives.

President Kautz and I joined with our partner, The Americans for the Arts, for Arts Advocacy Day. Funds for the National Endowment for the Arts are threatened in the current budget political climate. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, our Congressional champion for the arts always cites the importance of what mayors are doing with the arts all over our country. She talks about people’s lives, their souls, and music.

She says no matter where you are if you hear the refrain of Amazing Grace, it stirs you, it calms you, it gives you peace. With all the screaming about budget cuts, it’s nice to hear Louise Slaughter’s voice. Everything about her gives us strength as the days and years go by in the fight to keep the National Endowment for the Arts alive. The economic, crime, and school statistics all prove that every dollar spent on the arts for young people gets the biggest bang for the buck and helps avoid the costs incurred and human damage that comes from violent gangs, drugs, and prison.

We are also most fortunate to have Rocco Landesman as our National Endowment Chief. His vision in reaching out and bringing the arts agenda into the established federal agencies like HUD and Transportation is a game changer. He is brilliant.

Two time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey was with us on Capitol Hill. He was quite personal, he spoke about how actor Jack Lemmon affected his life and stressed that arts do make a difference. Alec Baldwin of 30 Rock fame, one of the most ardent arts supporters in show business always brings his wit and there is a serious political side to him that’s there. I asked him would he ever run for mayor of New York and he said he couldn’t afford to do so. Bob Lynch, President and CEO of the Americans for the Arts did a great job directing the lobbying day and ever so close to his side was one of the best lobbyists in show biz, Nina Ozlu Tunceli, and from our own team Tom McClimon is the point person for all we do with mayors and the arts; his leadership and counsel is vital. Together, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Americans for the Arts will use our political energy to one day have a government that has what other civilized governments have, a Secretary and Federal Department for Arts and Culture. Meantime, let’s save Big Bird, protect the National Endowment and keep on fighting and using the strength we have to protect what we have and what we have won. We remain vigilant and we thank the mayors for their continued support of the arts.

As U.S.Mayor goes to press the federal government shutdown looms. It has nothing to do with the budget. It’s about abortion, National Public Radio, and greenhouse gasses. Let’s hope the grandstanding will end soon and we can truly make some adult and rational decisions for our cities and above all our people. Happy Spring! The cherry blossoms are blooming. God won’t let them shut them down. They keep on blooming and we do too. Thanks to all the mayors for your continued response and support for a fair budget and one that considers all sectors instead of zeroing in over all of the domestic priorities that are so important to you, your cities, and our people.

National Mayors Summit on City Design
Chicago, April 27 to 29

The first ever National Mayors Summit on City Design will take place in Chicago, April 27 to 29. We have the best designers coming to join with our mayors. It is a celebration of 25 years of The Mayors Institute on City Design and more important, it is a meeting to forge a new agenda for cities and design for this century. Also, we will honor “our mayor” Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago. In Chicago we salute him for what he has given to Chicago and to all of the mayors and cities of America. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago, April 27 to 29. Register now. Contact Carol Edwards at 202-293-7330 or cedwards@usmayors.org. See you in Chicago soon.

Executive Director's Column

2011-03-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

March 24, 2011

Washington, DC

CDBG/Impacts on Metro Economies

Over the past two weeks, Conference President Kautz, officers of the Conference and staff have led a relentless effort within the halls of the United States Senate to save the Community Development Block Grant program, CDBG, now threatened with the 62.5 percent cut passed by the new House of Representatives.

We have joined with The National Association of Counties and The National League of Cities in this effort. Both organizations held their Spring legislative conferences back to back. During this period we have joined with NLC and NACo on Capitol Hill. Our efforts culminated in a joint press conference event in the Hart Senate Office Building on March 16. At this event the three organizations released our first-ever survey, Community Development Block Grants: Impacts on Metro Economies, on the leveraging aspect of CDBG funds which have done so much towards increased economic development and jobs in our cities and counties of the metro areas of our nation.

Mayors and county officials are together in stating that now is the worst time ever for Washington to cut CDBG funding below current funding levels. As some cities are turning the corner toward economic recovery in 2011, they are telling us that a draconian cut in CDBG funds at this time would damage the ongoing local recovery and put these economies back flat on their backs as they were when this economic crisis hit us.

At the press conference on March 16, NLC President James Mitchell stressed the need to keep CDBG funds because they are a catalyst for growth that links private sector dollars to federal government dollars.

NACo President Tarrant County Texas Judge Glen Whitley stressed that local government in his Texas County has put up $15 million and coupled $18 million of federal funds for a total of $33 million for infrastructure investment.

Conference President Kautz stressed that cuts in CDBG would simply result in “shift down” to local governments causing us to raise property taxes to replace CDBG funds.

It was a strong united front press conference with officials telling Washington for the first time that the CDBG funds are indeed an economic engine because mayors and local officials leverage the federal funds to increase successful private sector growth and jobs for thousands throughout America.

City and county officials were all on the one message of leveraging CDBG funds. Davenport, Iowa Mayor Bill Gluba took a slightly different note and came out of nowhere in a most passionate manner challenging the consciences of Congress. He spoke not only to CDBG, but took aim at those who had cut programs for the poor. His remarks had a religious tone.

“To quote the scriptures, ‘Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me.’ In this case, the least of us are our homeless families with small children, low-income elderly and displaced veterans who nightly seek out a place to sleep in our homeless shelters in many of our major cities that are funded with CDBG money and are often staffed by volunteers. These draconian cuts proposed by Congress in HR1 [to cut CDBG funding] are clearly cruel and vicious assault on the least of our brethren; these cuts are truly immoral and make a mockery of the Judeo Christian values that are talked about on the floor of Congress of the Unites States; and these cuts are also job killers since a great deal of the CDBG funding goes to job creation and economic development and transportation so that low-income people can get to work. It is outrageous for Washington to have bestowed more than a trillion dollars in TARP bailout funds for big banks and Wall Street and now cut CDBG funding.

Congress took care of them; why don’t they take care of the working people of this country? And these are the same Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers who are responsible for causing the worst economic meltdown in this country since the great depression. What an insult to the American people. Bonuses for Wall Street, jobs for Wall Street barons and soup bones for us. How hypocritical and tragic of our Congressmen to do this to our American people. This [the proposed budget cuts] demonstrates just how out of touch they really are. May God have mercy on their darkened souls unless they come through for the American people who need it the most!”

Mayor Gluba’s remarks drew cheers from the NLC delegates assembled. They stood and cheered. He gave us the benediction and we left thankful to all those who are working the Senate to save CDBG. The fight continues. It’s not over yet. With your help we can make a difference to keep CDBG in place providing economic growth and jobs in the metro cities and counties of America. Keep talking to your Senators. Don’t let up. We will prevail.

Executive Director's Column

2011-03-07T12:01:00.001-05:00

March 3, 2011
Washington, DC

On February 24, at our Winter Leadership Meeting in Washington, Conference President Kautz stood with the leadership of The Conference of Mayors in what I consider to be the strongest press conference of The United States Conference of Mayors in recent history.

Mayors faced 13 cameras and 30 reporters. Some reporters tried to bait the mayors and get them off track of what they were there for - to fight those in Congress who want to gut our most successful federal initiative ever - the Community Development Block Grant program.

When asked if there were Republicans present after four Mayors had spoken, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, glared at the cameras and said, “I am Mick Cornett, Chair of the Republican Mayors, what is your question?”

Reporters were reminded that three out of the four previous mayors speaking were Republican. With that he buried the question of partisanship in the ground.

Every time the reporters tried to get President Elizabeth Kautz off message she threw a hard ball right down their throat. She was tough, focused and a joy to watch.

Philadelphia Mayor Mike Nutter called H.R.1, the 62.5 percent cut of discretionary programs “un-American” and he said that those in Congress are attacking our own people. For a moment it sounded like he was talking about what’s going on in Libya.

The barnstormer was the Mayor of Davenport, Iowa, Bill Gluba. Mayor Gluba said that we are The United States Conference of Mayors, the fathers and mothers of our cities. He shouted loud and clear that this cut will not stand.

Across the board mayors from every region were about as good as it gets. They come to Washington once again to vividly demonstrate that the mayors of this nation, more united than ever, are the last bastion of hope for bipartisan political activity left in America.

They came with energy; they gave each other energy and this organization with mayors throughout our nation are more energized than ever.

We started with a Senate head count in our meeting and we have continued to contact mayors via phone, emails, and all forms of communication.

President Kautz brought consensus in conference calls before the mayors came to Washington that our strategy is to devote our force and power to the Senate. There are 100 Senators and there are thousands of mayors, city council members, county execs, and county commissioners.

We have been to town twice already this year, January and February. This week Mayor Kautz is back in town with mayors up on the Senate side walking the halls and confronting Senators. Next week Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa leads another team of mayors to the Senate. On March 16, we will stand on the Capitol grounds in a united event with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties. Thousands of elected officials will be there to express our outrage over the irrational cuts that have been made in the House devoid of hearings and bereft of any opportunity of citizen discussion. As Mayor Nutter said to the press assembled here last week, this process is “un-American.”

As U.S.Mayor goes to press, the President and Congress have agreed on a two-week continuing resolution that will keep the government going and provide time for negotiation. The fear is that the deals will not be cut in the light of day and our only choice is to take our concern and political force into the face of the Senate. We must not stop until every Senator on both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat, has been told in a most direct way, as Davenport Mayor said to the press last week, “this cut must not stand.”

We must remind them as Mayor Nutter said, “the damage of H.R.1 would be an attack on our people.” We also must remind the Senate that their duty is to correct this injustice.

With individual profiles of courage they must act to stop the devastation to our people and our cities that will be inflicted if there is silence, indifference, and inaction at this critical time in this nation where we are living through the worst troubled economic times since the ‘30s. Without a doubt, it is the worst time to gut the twelve percent discretionary portion of the federal budget. They are afraid to touch Medicare, Medicaid, defense, and social security. And so in the name of reducing the deficit they come after us slashing away, cutting the lifeline to our cities and our people. Every study shows that gutting discretionary programs will have little effect in reducing the deficit.

We are asking Senators to stand with us. Keep the pressure strong. We must not give in or give up. We have no choice. And with your help we will prevail with our friends in the Senate to prevent further economic distress to our people and our country.

Executive Director's Column

2011-02-10T16:38:00.000-05:00

February 10, 2011
Washington, DC

As U.S.Mayor goes to press, the House Republicans are slashing away, one group trying to out-cut the other. House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers intended to release a bill with substantial cuts to fund the government through a continuing resolution after March 4. Tea Party pressures on freshman members caused the new members to balk and this action forced the committee to go back and find more cuts. Their goal is to cut $100 billion from the President’s budget. Presently, the list of cuts is not specific enough for us to determine the depth of the exact cut for the CDBG program or any other priorities.

President’s Budget - Monday, February 14

As reported to all mayors we were notified of the Administration’s request of a 7.5 percent cut of the HUD Community Development Block Grant by the Obama Administration last weekend on a White House call and in an op ed piece published in last Sunday’s New York Times authored by OMB Director Jacob Lew.

This notice comes one week before the President releases his budget on Monday, February 14. Mayors are disappointed by the President’s cut and now know that CDBG is on the chopping block. This federal investment we have had since 1974, over 36 years ago, is being threatened and the chance of annihilation of the program is the highest since its inception.

The fate of this federal investment, which continues to bring economic vitality to our cities, is now in the hands of the mayors, city council members, and the county officials of our nation.

As your CEO and Executive Director, I want to assure our members and non-members alike, we will use every force we can muster to stop further budget cuts from the CDBG program. The National League of Cities and The National Association of Counties are standing with us as they did when we worked to establish CDBG.

As we go forward, we will need an all out effort to reach our local and national allies from the business community, religious, civic, and non-profit organizations.

We thank all of you for the tremendous response we are receiving since we notified you of the Administration’s cut last weekend. Everyone has to do what they have to do. And we will do what we know how to do. We will fight to save CDBG with the leadership of President Elizabeth Kautz of Burnsville, Vice President Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, and Second Vice President Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, and the mayors of this nation, we will prevail.

Again thank you for following up on our requests for action and please pay close attention to our future calls for action as the new Congress is experiencing political turbulence not seen or experienced in modern history. We must be and we will remain agile and mobile, and with your help, your strength, your action, we will win for our cities, our counties, and above all, our people to protect CDBG the successful federal investment that Washington must continue. With the cutbacks in our own cities, the cutbacks coming from the states and the jobless recovery, now is the absolute worst time ever to cut this needed flow of economic development funds back to our cities. We must not let it happen.

Executive Director's Column

2011-01-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

January 28, 2011
Washington, DC

Thanks to all the mayors who came to our Winter Meeting. Your leadership and participation continues to give the nation’s cities strength as we work with the Obama Administration and the new Congress.

As mayors left town, Washington awaited President Obama’s second State of the Union. Following the Tucson rampage and the national media frenzy over recent political rhetoric and lack of civility, many Republican and Democratic Senators and Congress members decided to sit together on the House floor. This development and somewhat basic act, that of Republican and Democratic members sitting down next to each other, got just about as much coverage as the President’s speech itself. You would’ve thought they had balanced the budget or passed the 1964 Civil Rights Bill.

Perhaps the President summed it up by recognizing the change in the seating of the night as he raised the question as to whether they would work together tomorrow. I had a flash back to 1961, The Shirelles song - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? and the lyric line, “Is this a lasting treasure or just a moment’s pleasure? Can I believe the magic of your sighs? Will you still love me tomorrow?”

That’s the question before the American people today. Will the Congress work with the President? Will the President work with the Congress?

Immediately following the President’s address, there was not one Republican response; there were two. Right away, that didn’t seem to me like the American way. Two against one. But some might say it took two of them to respond to one of him. So the American public knows that one night of sitting together means nothing if when the night is over, or even before the night is over, the usual back and forth hardened rhetoric continues.

For over a year now during the many debates that have raged over other issues, it has been the mayors who have been pushing jobs, jobs, jobs, for our nation and our people. Conference President Kautz has not waivered. And at this Winter Meeting we had, due to her leadership and demand, the mayors and CEOs sitting together, working together, seeking answers to how business and mayors can work together to produce jobs to reduce the unacceptable high rates of unemployment across the nation.

We see the Washington players, the Congress and the President and the divisiveness. We have lived with it.

And then the nation comes to town. The nation, being the nation’s mayors, because the mayors are the nation, the nation of cities both large and small where the nation’s people live, work, and play, 24/7, 365 days a year. What a contrast to live in a divisive partisan political atmosphere of Washington, DC and then to experience a few days when the nation’s mayors come to town, working, debating with one thing in mind --- getting things done. Mayors get things done every day in their cities. They face unemployment, violence, illegal guns, immigration issues, traffic, recalls, challenged schools, homelessness, mental illness, poverty, pollution, and personal threats. Yet through it all they work on these issues because their electorate demands it and the mayors know it is expected of them.

America is and has been going through the worst economic times since the Great Depression. Some say we are coming out of it now. The people who don’t have a job didn’t get the news. Or as we say today, they didn’t get that email.

I said it at our Winter Meeting and I will state it here again. History will look back at what we went through and they will see what I have seen and what I see as we go through this time of depression and divisiveness. It is the nation’s mayors who have in their own way held this country together. They are there every day facing the media, facing the people and facing and helping the victims. They don’t fight with business; they work with business. When there is gun violence they talk about guns. They fight traffic and are blamed for it. They can’t run. They can’t hide.

This spirit of working together at the local level, which is devoid and bereft of any iota of partisanship, is part of their daily regimen and life. We saw it at this Winter Meeting of 2011. We marveled at it. It would’ve been good to have had the new Congress been given registration badges. It would have been good to have had them here mixing, mingling, learning not just how to sit together for one night but how it is for a group of elected leaders in America to work together to get things done for their government every day.

Some say today we are lucky to have this spirit of working in a bipartisan way within The United States Conference of Mayors. We are not lucky. Mayors work at it. We just accept our culture for what it is. And it’s always been that way. Today we, The United States Conference of Mayors are the last bastion of bipartisanship left in America. Washington leadership across the board could learn a lot of how it should be, to get things done by observing and hearing of how the mayors love their cities, like their cities, like their people and yes, love their people.

At this critical time when a new Congress and an adjusting President forms, once again we are reenergized or reaffirmed by the energy and spirit of the nation’s mayors assembled at our 2011 Winter Meeting. And with our mayoral leadership of President Elizabeth Kautz, Vice President Antonio Villaraigosa, and Second Vice President Michael Nutter we will bring the force of our bipartisan action to Congress and to the President to protect the interests of our people who live in cities large and small. It’s more than a one night sit. Morning comes, let’s love our country, let’s love our people and more than that, let’s quit fighting, and get things done.

The lyrics? So you don’t have to Google:
Tonight you're mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?

Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment's pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs?
Will you still love me tomorrow?

Tonight with words unspoken
You say that I'm the only one
But will my heart be broken
When the night meets the morning sun?

I'd like to know that your love
Is love I can be sure of
So tell me now, and I won't ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?

So tell me now, and I won't ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?

Let us hope that the Congress and the President will work together. And let us use our energy to set an example and push an agenda to force them toward a tomorrow that has civility, compassion, and love for our people. Thanks once more for coming to our 2011 Winter Meeting. Together, mayors will work to make a difference. It starts with a more civil nation. We started it here at our 2011 Winter Meeting as Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup brought us the first ever civility accord to sign. Let us continue as we go forward together for our cities and our nation.

Executive Director's Column

2011-01-16T13:39:00.001-05:00

January 14, 2011

Washington, DC

Itís January 2011 and, once again, we welcome the nationís mayors to Washington for the 79th Winter Meeting.

New leaders have been elected in the House since the mid-term November elections. Committees are formed and soon the work begins.

President Obama and his economic team will soon send his 2011 budget proposals to Capitol Hill. The President proposes and Congress disposes.

At issue for us is the flagstone federal program since 1974, the HUD Community Development Block Grant program. Rumors and leaks from inside the Administration pointed to a proposed 25 percent cut in the CDBG program.

Calls involving mayors through the Christmas Holiday, on Christmas Eve and throughout the week leading up to New Years weekend continued expressing strong support for CDBG funding. Mayors continue to state that with the economic crunch we are experiencing, it is not the time to reduce the ongoing level of CDBG funds to cities throughout America.

We trust the voices of mayors and county officials supporting the CDBG program will be heard and that the Presidentís economic and political advisors will stand with President Obama who, at our 2008 Annual Meeting in Miami, said as a Presidential Candidate he supported "full funding of CDBG."

The New Congress

It is a bit early to tell where the new Congress is going to land as it deals with the CDBG program. Certainly, there is the air of the tea party to cut, cut, cut, cut and spend less.

It will be up to the mayors to protect this program. The Conference staff and our leadership will provide our mayors with the best economic and political arguments that CDBG should be fully funded. History shows that this block grant program has strong Republican support.

As a bipartisan group of elected officials, mayors must work on both sides of the aisles and up the middle of the aisle to protect this program. We can do it if we work together, and we will.

As we gather here in Washington this week, we will muster the support to return again in February and through the Spring to fight for this successful key priority, which is so needed during the economic downturn in so many cities.

We are appreciative of the way The National Association of Counties, The National League of Cities and The National Community Development Association have all come together as allies for this effort. The business community will be there giving support as they have been in the past. And together we will prevail.

Tucson Shooting - Arizona

Mayors from all over America and the globe have expressed their deepest sympathy and outrage over the senseless killings in Tucson. We applaud Tucson Mayor Walkup and Pima County Sheriff Dupnik for their leadership during this tragedy.

JFK 50th

Fifty years ago, he stood and made a speech that rings true today. He welcomed the challenges and he asked each of us to do something in our own way for our country. His daughter, Caroline, and I met early last year to keep his spirit and work alive. We are so proud and thankful to hundreds of mayors who have joined in the effort to go into our schools and ask our youth what they can do for our cities. Thank you Caroline Kennedy and thank you mayors for understanding and appreciating the force and living legacy of President John F. Kennedy our beloved 35th President.

2011 Congress - Action

Again, welcome to Washington for our 79th Winter Meeting and if I can be of any assistance to you while you are here and after you return home, please let me know. The coming weeks and months will present many challenges for key Conference of Mayors federal/city funded priorities. Working together, we will, as we have in the past, rise to the occasion and win. It is important that mayors and staff across America pay close attention to our calls to action as the Congress starts the appropriation and budgetary process. I look forward to working with you and Conference of Mayors President Elizabeth Kautz as we go forward.

Executive Director's Column

2010-12-20T13:44:00.000-05:00

This year ends quite different on the political front than it was at the start of 2010. We have a new Congress and, while it will be more conservative, we really don-t know how our key issues will fare in this new environment. One thing we do know is that our key urban programs are threatened. If we are to keep funding for the HUD Community Development Block Grants and the Energy Block Grants, mayors must rise up and help us get the votes to counter drastic cuts or eliminations.
Conference President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz met with senior staff last week here in our Washington headquarters. We had strategic discussions about how we can bring mayors together to develop a political strategy when they come to our Winter Meeting next month – January 19-21.
Our members at our Winter Meeting praised Mayor Kautz last year because she insisted we have more dialogue from mayors. She is scheduling next month a special "Mayors Only" session where we will gather to discuss not what we stand for because we know our priorities. We know they are threatened. We will be discussing what we do to protect our priorities. Mayors must be prepared to make every effort to inform their Congressional members of the importance of our block grants and even more important, the negative effect if our funds are cut or eliminated. In today's political environment, it is going to take more than sending a letter or an email. Mayors are going to have to get in their member's face and be forceful about the consequences when their funds are cut or eliminated.
Mayors are reminded that the CDBG funds just don-t sit in city hall. Thousands of vendors and businesses are involved with this money as it is used for the betterment of cities and city people. All who are involved in this initiative must be asked to register their need and concern to their members of Congress. We will go beyond city hall to activate as many as we can to make their voices be heard in Washington.
We have had three major partners in the CDBG effort over the decades since its inception in 1974: the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and, of course, the National Community Development Association. All three will be joined with us in this campaign. We will save CDBG again like we have done before when it has come under attack.
The governors get approximately one-third of this money. The governors dispense their funds to cities under 50,000 populations. We will call on individual governors to help us too.
Priorities/ActionEven before the "Tea Party" election last month, our priorities, as set by President Kautz and our leadership in September were: 1) Protecting the HUD Block Grants (CDBG); 2) Continuing the Energy Block Grants (EEBG); 3) Pushing for a more balanced federal transportation system; and 4) Reducing unfunded federal mandates.
When we met in September, all mayors knew there would be changes in the make-up of the voting scenario in the House and Senate. We knew our priorities then and we know what they are now. We must now move and act and we will. The "Mayors Only" Kautz session on January 19 during our Winter Meeting will give us the time to update our strategy as we join with our allies in the Winter and Spring to get the votes in the House and Senate to prevail. Together, we must rise to the occasion and remind all Senators and all Congressmen where they come from and even more important – where their votes come from.
Winter Meeting January 19 - 21, 2011We will need you here with us as the nation's mayors come to Washington for the first time as a group since the November election. President Kautz and our two Vice Presidents, Mayors Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Nutter of Philadelphia, will need you here with us as we give one strong untied voice for our priorities to the media, the Administration, the House and the Senate. If you have not registered yet, please do so. Contact Carol Edwards at 202-293-7330 or cedwards@usmayors.org.
JFK - 50thOn January 20, 1961, 50 years ago, a young Senator from Massachusetts was being sworn in as President asking us to be engaged in public service, to volunteer, to give, to participate in governing and politics. Fifty years has gone by pretty fast. It was quite a while ago, but all polls still rank him as the number one most popular President of the modern presidencies. We have lost him, his son and his wife. His daughter, Caroline, has emerged to push his legacy of modern-day action into the next 50 years.
After meeting with Caroline Kennedy earlier this year, we have instituted our joint initiative JFK 50th: Mayors Ask What Youth Can Do. I am pleased to report that hundreds of mayors are joining to go into a school of their choice between January 5 and 15 to ask the youth to help do something for their city. We are getting a tremendous response from this request. Those mayors who need more information about what other mayors are doing with us and the youth of their city should contact Tom McClimon of my staff at 202-861-6729 or tmcclimon@usmayors.org.
We are pleased that Caroline will be joining with us on the 50th Anniversary of her father's inaugural address, January 20, 2011. In the evening, mayors are invited to a special concert at the Kennedy Center commemorating President Kennedy's Inauguration in 1961. President Kautz and I look forward to seeing you there.
Happy Holidays 2010On behalf of our President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, our leadership and all of the Conference staff, we wish you a Happy Holiday Season.

Executive Director's Column

2010-11-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

This week, the aftermath of the November 2 elections around the United States continues to rearrange the power players in the official leadership of our federal government.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, certainly a friend of mayors and cities throughout her political career, has won a challenge from North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler. Congresswoman Pelosi will become the Minority Leader when she is sworn in as the new Congress convenes. As Minority Leader, she will continue to stand and fight for us as she has done before. She is the daughter of the mayor of Baltimore. Her brother was the mayor of Baltimore. I have said before that the office of mayor is in her DNA. And throughout her tenure as our Speaker from the first week when former mayor of Trenton, Doug Palmer as our President, met with her, she endorsed and supported our Conference of Mayors 10-Point Plan.
Throughout this last Congressional mid-term, there was a concerted plan, a funded effort, in many Congressional districts to demonize her and attack Democratic candidates for voting with her. Many of these votes were votes for federal resources for our own Conference of Mayors legislative priorities.
We cannot predict what the future holds for many of our Congressional priorities. We send money to Washington from our cities. The Constitution provides that Congress shall allocate all this federal money nationally. Our challenge for decades is to get the money back to our cities where today 85 percent of Americans live. Throughout Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's career, she has been a champion for the cities and the mayors of America. In the morning, noon and all night, she is there for us. That is important because there is a lack of transparency today with so much of how Congress operates. Throughout history, we read how a Congressman or Senator voted on key turning point pieces of legislation – Civil Rights, Declaration of War, etc. Today, key votes are done in Committee, in the middle of the night where our priorities are imbedded in some omnibus legislation. And we don't know who is with us or who is cutting us because of the secret machinations of Congress. This system continues and if anyone questions why it is important to have Nancy Pelosi in the leadership, I ask you to look back at previous votes where year after year she has been unwavering in protecting our programs.
The day will come soon when the future of the Community Development Block Grant may well be once again on the chopping block. We will have to fight again and again and again for key urban programs. Nancy Pelosi will be there for us. Morning, noon, and night in the summer, winter, spring, and fall you can count on her to defend and to fight for us. That's why I'm glad she's still up there. She could have ridden off into a Western sunset and spent her time left on this earth with her grandchildren. She decided to fight not only for herself, her reputation, her career; she decided to stand and fight once again for us, for cities and for mayors. We appreciate her support and we look forward to working with her as we develop our strategy in the political atmosphere brought on by the mid-term elections as we now enter and face the beginning of the Presidential campaign of 2012.
These are challenging times because of the economic conditions in so many of our cities who are experiencing a jobless recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression. Our President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, is communicating to all of you to let you know that she is working with me, staff, and our leadership as we establish our contacts and have meetings with the new Congressional Leadership.
As we thank so many at this Thanksgiving time in our nation, we need to thank our mayors and their teams who live with the economic pain and suffering of foreclosures and loss of jobs of so many of our people. Through other great crises in the last century, in a different time, in an almost different world, in time of want, when people were in breadlines, looking for jobs, they looked at Franklin Delano Roosevelt and he told them that the only thing to fear was fear itself. Well, FDR is not around anymore. And people nowadays don't look to Washington the way they once did. They turn to their mayors. Today, we are thankful to you, and this nation will one day look back at this period and marvel at how when Washington was confused, and Washington was fighting, it was our cities, our mayors, and yes our people who just kept going forward. Mayors, large and small, are working together at the local level with their partners in the metro areas doing their best to wipe away the tears, comfort the jobless and to do their best to work with the private sector, state, local, and national partners to keep their cities and metro areas economically strong. As we all know, our metro economies will drive the national economy to recovery.
On behalf of President Kautz, our officers and staff, we wish you and your families, those you hold dear and close, and to your staff teams who give so much, a blessed Thanksgiving of 2010 as we continue to move forward for our cities and above all for our people.
Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Executive Director's Column

2010-11-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

As U.S.Mayor goes to press, once again we are in the midst of another great swing of political power going in a different direction than we had in 2008 when President Obama was elected. Another swing was in 2006 which brought us a new Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who was and is a true friend of America's cities.
Historians are saying this is the biggest swing since World War II. Recognizing that, many of us remember 1994 when President Clinton's world was turned upside down as Congressman Newt Gingrich became Speaker.
This morning we rejoice for our mayors running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who jokingly says he still would rather be mayor, won big. A friend of mayors and cities, he will be even stronger on the political landscape and soon be mentioned as a presidential contender for 2016. You heard it here.
In Denver, Mayor Hickenlooper goes down the street from Denver City Hall to the next Governor of Colorado.
In California, two mayors, Jerry Brown, former Mayor of Oakland, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom move to be Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the "Republic of California."
In New York, Andrew Cuomo, Clinton's Secretary of HUD who is in his heart a mayor, and Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy will go to Albany with strong urban credentials to run the Empire State of New York.
In Connecticut, the Nutmeg State, a tough campaign with night balloting in Bridgeport brings Stamford Mayor, our dear friend, Dan Malloy, to win the closest race since Abe Ribicoff won the Governorship in 1954. In Tennessee, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam was elected. So all in all, mayoral candidates fared well in the Gubernatorial races. Not too long ago, mayors were not statewide contenders. Today mayors are running statewide and winning.
And of course, we must congratulate our own Mayor of Providence, who hosted us in Providence for our 2009 Annual Meeting and who has always exhibited extraordinary loyalty and leadership to our organization. That's Mayor David Cicilline who won the race for Congress and is replacing the only member of the Kennedy family serving to be the First District Congressman from Rhode Island.
So changes are here. And we will feel the change. House Members and its leadership and Senate members and its leadership - even Presidents - come and go but the U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing our mayors and our cities here, as solid as a rock to meet the challenges before us.
We will never forget the loyalty and leadership given to us from Speaker Nancy Pelosi. No matter where life takes her, she is our friend, always.
My experience is that once the rhetoric has calmed, the new Speaker of the House will realize he is the Speaker of the House and I have every reason to believe that Congressman John Boehner will meet with us and work with us to strengthen and perfect our key programs.
Conference President Elizabeth Kautz, a Republican from Burnsville, Minnesota, will lead us to establish our working relationship with the new Speaker in the coming weeks.
Our mission, our goals, and our bipartisan political agenda are strong. It has been since Mayor Elizabeth Kautz took the gavel - jobs, jobs, jobs. She has said it over and over since President Obama had us over to meet with him last January.
In addition to jobs, it's about a fair and balanced transportation legislation to help the blue, red, and purple states with – traffic.
It's also about protecting our key urban program, the Community Development Block Grant, HUD program, and to retain funding for our new Energy Block Grants. Together, our officers and members from both parties will rally behind President Kautz.
This is not the time to shudder in fear of change. Change is our middle name. Mayors live with it, morning, noon and night. We must be agile and mobile and politically alert because we are the guardians and protectors of our cities and our people.
In the coming days, we will also reach out to President Obama to support him and help him as he now faces a divided and split legislative branch – a Republican House and a Democratic Senate.
At this time in America, when we are more divided, and in some instances devoid and bereft of civility – The United States Conference of Mayors is the last bastion of bipartisanship left in the nation. We must convince The White House and the new Speaker that they must work together. Mayors do it every day. I know I speak for our President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, our Vice President, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and our Second Vice President, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, when I say - Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Majority Leader Reid – let's all come together. Let's all work together. So much is good and great about America in 2010. Together we must provide the economic growth and jobs for all as we begin 2011. So many people are still unemployed. It is a jobless recovery. Together, involving all at the table – federal, state, and local government, we must make a difference now. The nation's mayors will be strong in our efforts asking all to come together as we do in our cities each day to make our cities stronger. It's our nation. It's our USA. We all need to put the partisanship aside now and work to support the working people of the nation who want what we have always wanted, a decent job, a decent wage, and a decent place to live. It seems like it's not a lot. Today people are hurting. Mayors know this. They live with it. Somehow let us hope that maybe the shift of power, the political earthquake we feel today can bring Washington back down to Main Street America. We are Main Street. And once again the nation's mayors are asking Washington – The White House, the House, the Senate – to give it up for what needs to be done, for what needs to be delivered. As mayors, we have no choice. And as mayors, we will continue to reach out to our federal government asking them to all work together. Mayors reach consensus and move ahead in cities large and small throughout America. This is an opportunity for Washington. And the nation's mayors welcome this opportunity to work together on a common agenda that is so needed at this time in our history.

Executive Director's Column

2010-10-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

At our Fall Leadership Meeting, Conference President Elizabeth Kautz launched a 50'state campaign to retain our current member mayors and to recruit non-member mayors.
Membership Chair Brian Wahler of Piscataway is leading the implementation of 50 mayor/USCM staff teams engaged in our effort. My staff will work with our Board Member Mayors in each of their respective states. Our primary goal is to bring more non-members than ever to our Winter Meeting here in Washington, January 19 to 21, 2011. Many mayors and staff concur that if mayors come to our Annual and Winter Meetings, they will give us the opportunity to discuss the benefits of our organization and they will return. Our strategy is quite transparent. We want all eligible mayors to be active as dues-paying members in our organization.
Last month, President Kautz and I, along with our USCM California staff team went to the 2010 League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo in San Diego. We set up our booth. There was great interest. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and USCM Trustee Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster joined with President Kautz to host a membership reception. We were also joined by former Long Beach Mayor and past USCM President Beverly O'Neill. Each mayor told the story of why he or she belonged to our organization, and we followed up with those mayors who came to our event. We are currently designing a sustainable effort as we recruit a diverse and large number of non-member mayors in California.
Last week, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch hosted a dinner with me and Connecticut mayors for the purpose of talking membership to a number of non-member mayors of Connecticut. The dinner meeting took place on the eve of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Annual Convention. Several mayors expressed a strong interest in joining the Conference. We thank Mayor Finch for his continued leadership. During the CCM meeting, we had an opportunity to hear the debate sponsored by that organization between Republican nominee Tom Foley and Democratic nominee Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy.
Next week, we will have a team of mayors and Conference staff going to Corpus Christi, TX - the site of the Texas Municipal League Annual Conference. Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck is working with us as we reach out and show Texas mayors how they are needed to join our organization and strengthen their voice in Washington to benefit their cities.
Other meetings will be scheduled in other states. USCM staff is charged to set up conference calls with leadership mayors in each state. We know that the best sales pitch for membership in our organization is the mayor-to-mayor approach. Mayors active within the Conference are absolutely the best when they are asked why they are active members of USCM.
This week, a letter goes out to non-member mayors with a special invitation to attend our 79th Washington Winter Meeting. We believe that when given the opportunity, mayors and Conference staff can show in a convincing manner why it is essential for all cities to participate as dues-paying members of The United States Conference of Mayors.
The response has been terrific at this stage of our campaign. We thank the mayors who have helped us in three states. We look forward to the next few weeks as others join us to get more mayors to come to Washington for another dynamic Winter Meeting January 19 to 21, 2011. Together we will work in these challenging economic times to strengthen our organization, keeping our membership strong and active. Together, mayors working within The United States Conference of Mayors will make their cities stronger and better places for people to live and to work in cities large and small throughout our nation.
For more information on how you can help and benefit, please contact Debra DeHaney-Howard atddehaney@usmayors.org or 202-861-6702.
Again, on behalf of President Kautz, I thank you for your continued support as we work together for a stronger United States Conference of Mayors.

Executive Director's Column

2010-10-01T13:48:00.000-04:00

Fifty mayors came to town last week for our Fall Leadership Meeting. Overhanging this special leadership meeting are the midterm elections. At issue is whether the mayors and our cities will lose Congressional support for our very much needed Community Development Block Grant program and the continued funding for our new Energy Block Grants that we fought for and won during the national debate and passage of ARRA, the national stimulus legislation.
We opened up our meeting with a special thank you to our mayors assembled from our President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. President Kautz lost her husband on September 1st and she wanted to let all know how much the letters, e'mails, and telephone calls provided her support and spiritual sustenance during her husband David’s fight against terminal cancer.
President Kautz then gave the floor to national pollster John Zogby, and for the next two hours, there was brilliant discussion that took place between Mr. Zogby and our leadership mayors assembled. The issues of discussion went further than congressional attitude of our mayoral priorities, Mr. Zogby gave us an overview of the present political situation we live with, the anger and frustration of the American people at this time. He focused on how damaging the Tea Party is to traditional Republicans – probably more so than Democrats.
Mr. Zogby spent time discussing how President Obama’s numbers are down and he cautioned that at this point in President Reagan’s career, the Obama and Reagan numbers are about the same.
Of course the question everybody is asking is: will the House flip? Will we have a Republican controlled House? And Mr. Zogby was reluctant to give us a flat out prediction. He says there are still enough voters out there who are undecided, who have not made up their mind. People are confused. They see billions going to bail out Wall Street and the banks. But they haven’t seen much difference on their own Main Streets and with the jobless rate still high in many areas there are a lot of people who may want a different kind of leadership to take us in a different direction.
Mayors have been saying it: jobs, jobs, jobs, ever since we hit this deep national recession. We all spent a lot of time on health care and people don’t feel the benefits yet, especially with so many in our cities out of work due to layoffs.
We know it was unfortunate that so much of the stimulus money did not come directly to cities where thousands of our unemployed live. So many have not witnessed, seen, or felt our stimulus money at work. And so many of our small businesses have not been able to get access to credit. All believe that things will be better. But most of our mayors believe we should look at how the money was distributed when we consider the new multi'billion dollar transportation bill hopefully next year.
Secretary Ray LaHood is the most optimistic about our future. His voice heightens when he almost shouts out, “High speed rail is coming to America!” Mayors are enthusiastic to have a Secretary supporting a new way. He mentions the TIGER grants that have been great for those cities that have received grants from this popular competitive program.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed stressed the mayors’ position that we believe President Obama should have his own transportation bill with more specific language. The concern is that the Administration will outline “principles” for a new transportation system and then throw it to the wolves on Capitol Hill to devour and continue to spend billions on an antiquated system that is devoid and bereft of modern systems that will rid us of traffic congestion in our daily lives. Traffic hits the metro areas of America, large and small ' every day. It is not an urban problem. It is a metro city/suburban crisis that brings cities and urban counties closer together for a common need for their people.
Mayors will still ask President Obama to arm Secretary LaHood with his own language, his own transportation bill. We need it today with this Congress and we will need it even more with the possibility of a loss of some support we may have in certain areas after midterm elections.
The mayors appreciate Secretary LaHood always coming and being straight up with them. We are pleased with the way he has pushed the Washington needle of transportation funds more towards metro areas and we will be there to support him and the Administration direction to modernize our present outmoded traffic'ridden transportation system.
As to the question of funding of our energy block grants, we are most appreciative of Philadelphia Representative Chaka Fattah’s leadership. And we all acknowledge that the Department of Energy was given our block grants to implement in quite a different culture and legal situation regarding procurement than HUD. The stimulus grants are finally spending at a much higher rate. Still, the Administration has not assured us that money for the energy block grants will be in the President’s upcoming budget request to be released in February. We will seek additional meetings with the Administration to secure future funding for our energy block grants. And we will work with Congressman Fattah and others to help us with support in the appropriation process as Congress adjusts the President’s budget to meet their priorities.
Polls show there is still favorable support for climate change legislation, especially when it is tied to the new economy and new green jobs. We are trying to convince Congress and the Administration that until we do have comprehensive climate change legislation, our energy block grants are even more essential for green job development and our metro economies. So we have strong arguments in this area and mayors will be there to make them.
We are having challenges with EPA on two fronts – the determination of dioxin levels and combined sewer overflow mandates.
Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage reported to our leadership meeting discussions he had with EPA and OMB. We appreciate Mayor Bollwage’s continued leadership on this issue.
The other issue, combined sewer overflow mandates, has been previously handled by our Water Council and our Leadership has taken the position, as articulated by President Kautz and others, that this issue must be brought out more to our Executive Committee and our Standing Committee on the Environment. Former Conference President Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic is most forceful on this issue and he can make the case that cities are being forced to waste millions of local taxpayers money due to the continued position of EPA on this matter.
The mayors will continue to work with the Administration and EPA for a more practical, yet safe, way to meet the concerns of all.
We had a most unfortunate discussion from a senior HUD official who expressed “ambivalence” over our flagship federal program, CDBG. When I asked him to clarify his position, he repeated in the same vein, and it causes the mayors to be stirred in a way that I have not witnessed in recent times. There was an awakening among the mayors that the Administration might be wavering in their support of CDBG. Since 1974, our program has flourished and it is an essential part of our cities economic structure today. Early in the ARRA stimulus process, mayors were asking for $8 billion of the $784 billion to be passed through to cities. We were not successful to get White House and Congressional support for additional CDBG funds at that time. Some reports inside the Senate deliberations indicated there was waning support for CDBG coming from the Administration. Secretary Donovan supports CDBG and his record proves it. President Obama said to the mayors when he addressed our 2008 Annual Convention in Miami that he supports full funding of CDBG. That is why it is unfortunate that a senior HUD official would speak as a representative of the Administration that he is “ambivalent.” In today’s political turmoil of Washington, ambivalence doesn’t do it. We need passion. We have it with the mayors. It came out and spread throughout the room like a western wild fire. President Kautz and leadership mayors are seeking a meeting with Secretary Donovan to clarify this issue and other priority issues and to also thank him for his leadership and friendship to American cities.
As we end our Fall Leadership Meeting, we face the mid'term elections. Mayors wait, as we have done before, to assess where we are with the changes the American people will send us. We are and will be agile and mobile, determined more than ever, as we have proved, that wherever America is going, it is the metro economies, the innovations, the cultural diversity, and the regained economic strength of our metro areas that will lead the way.
President Kautz has said that we must be prepared for any and all changes that the mid'term elections bring to us. Based on what I saw, felt, and heard this past week mayors are fired up more than ever and they will follow her to help us do everything we can every day to make our cities better and stronger for our people.
As we move toward the end of the year, our plans are already under way for our Winter Meeting here in D.C. President Kautz launched, along with Membership Chair Mayor Brian Wahler, a 50'state membership committee to retain and recruit major members of the Conference of Mayors. Her campaign was overwhelmingly accepted and mayors pledged a new kind of leadership and energy to help us with our membership efforts. It is most encouraging and we will need your help as state mayors/staff teams are established for our membership campaign. Our number one goal is to bring non'member mayors to the Winter Meeting in January. Thanks to all mayors who are helping us with our membership efforts. We need you.
During our 2011 meeting, here in D.C., January 20, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. I am pleased to announce that Tom McClimon and I met earlier this week in New York with his daughter, Caroline and her Husband, Ed Schlossberg. Ms. Kennedy will come to our Winter Meeting to commemorate and help us launch a special initiative involving mayors and youth with mayoral visits to schools asking our youth for more civic engagement. In addition to her presentation at our Winter Meeting, she will go to Capitol Hill and President Kennedy’s speech will be read aloud by several notables in a special ceremony. There are other events too and we will inform you of this very positive development as we mark the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy who changed the lives of many of us by putting us on a course of lifelong public service and who still inspires millions of Americans today. We thank Ms. Kennedy for being with us in January and we welcome her asking the mayors to strengthen the civic engagement of our youth which is so very much needed today in cities, large and small, throughout America.

Executive Director's Column

2010-09-16T13:48:00.000-04:00

Mayor Daley's decision not to run again hit us hard last week. Since 1989 when he came as mayor to our Annual Meeting in Charleston, he has given us all so much with his presence at our meetings and through his work and leadership on so many issues in the present great city he has produced _ Chicago.
He was surprised when I told him that year in Charleston he would be hosting our Annual Meeting the following June of 1990. Over the next few months I worked closely with him and his staff and the meeting was most successful and the beginning of his presence and participation that leaves us changed is so much for the better and stronger.
One of the first things he started questioning us about within the Conference of Mayors was the lack of presence of the business community and we followed suit by creating our Mayor's Business Council.
Another void was education as a priority. He challenged us all to focus on our public schools. He cautioned us not to have a shotgun approach on education but instead our task force was devoted to public schools K'12. He was our "Moses," our leader, and he put his political career on the line when he accepted the responsibility of the public schools passed down from the Illinois legislature like a hot political potato they didn't want. He relished the opportunity and soon our nation's mayors listened to him and followed him and while so many mayors don't run their public schools, we have all come to realize and to learn from him that without good public schools, citizens with children will flee and many companies with employees with children will not move to the city. Since his decision to make public schools an issue within our Conference, we have devoted so much time learning, sharing best practices and the public schools issue is still a challenge today and will be long into our future.
Brownfield development was brought forth by him at our Annual Meeting in 1995 in Portland. We did our famous brownfield survey showing America that there is an average of 30 brownfield lots in every Congressional district. We had problems with the federal government helping us approve the sites for development. Mayor Daley worked with the state of Illinois EPA to lead the way. Other states followed and the federal EPA has recognized our position and our need to develop the vacant lots into economic opportunities for our cities.
Mayor Daley, with his past experience as State Attorney, was also most helpful in our efforts to reduce crime in our cities. Together he worked with the Clinton Administration, and we pushed hard to implement the COPS program with 100,000 new offices without the red tape of other federal programs.
The issues go on and on over the past 21 years with his participation within our organization. And we are forever grateful for the time, his being with us to fight, laugh, and enjoy the life we live of running American cities. All the mayors will tell you this too about him. He is always respectful to the small and medium'size cities. He told me and he said it publicly that he himself learned from the small and medium'sized cities. He enjoyed it so much when our Conference President Paul Helmke took us to Fort Wayne for our leadership meeting. He relished the idea of being in a small city in the Midwest. He was never so big that he walked away or left when the smaller cities were sharing their best practices. No doubt he is a mayor's mayor.
I knew his father too. This year he will reach the day when he will have served in office longer than his father. Both of them believed in our organization. As a child, Mayor Daley came to our meetings with his father in the Summer. The culture was established years ago that mayors brought their children to our meetings.
Both Daley mayors were great mayors and the Chicago that the father built has been transformed into the world'class city of Chicago we know. Our Mayors Institute of City Design founder, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, tells us that it's not the speeches we make or the council votes we cast. Instead, Mayor Riley says that the design of the city, what you build and how you build, and what you leave 100 years from now is what will be remembered.
Nowhere in any other city on the globe have we seen Riley's words come in to reality as much as in Chicago in 2010. Mayor Richard M. Daley is the world'class mayor of today. He has transformed the Richard J. Daley Chicago of concrete, steel, and highways into a totally different city.
No doubt, Millennium Park is the most spectacular use of public space in America. It stands for all. People of all ages, and families and children of all races come there for 25 acres of public space to witness behold and enjoy. They confront "The Bean" and see themselves reflected in its polished stainless steel skin. Visitors come too for musical productions preformed in the bandshell designed by Frank Gehry.
Throughout the city visitors and Chicagoans see flowers, especially up and down Michigan Avenue. Mayor Daley simply says that flowers make people happy.
Through our Climate Protection Center we have shared Mayor Daley's greening of Chicago. Over 600,000 trees have been planted over the time that Mayor Daley has served. His leadership on green roofs was an example to cities worldwide. Currently there are seven million square feet of green roofs in the city.
When it comes to art, and especially public art, Mayor Daley has passionately led the way. The cows on the streets started in Chicago and others have followed. I walked with him once in Grant Park through a Botero exhibit and he bragged about how he competed against Berlin, Tokyo, and New York to get the exhibit. He's very proud of his leadership in the arts area. Sometimes people don't recognize this about him. When you see it you know he was involved in it, Chicago is his passion and he is indeed a hands'on mayor involved right down to the details.
Gallery 37, founded and created by Maggie Daley, has been copied all over the world. Maggie's vision came in a natural way when she said that the only thing of culture her children had was a rock concert. She felt that her children deserved more and she felt that all children in Chicago deserved more. The initiative brings children of all ages and all incomes to one place to experience and practice art. We have had many meetings with other mayors and it has been a gift to all of us since Maggie worked so hard to mentor, teach, and share her success with young people and the arts. Other cities are most appreciative of Maggie's hard work and dedication with one goal in mind _ to provide a positive arts experience for every child in the city.
Mayor Daley has been the mayor who has welcomed new techniques, and common sense approaches to humanize the city. Today people point to Chicago's leadership and Mayor Daley makes it his business to share best practices. It was his idea to devote hours at our Annual Meetings to share best practices. Mayors come to our meetings and hear of new ways of dealing with old problems, they then take the best practices home and all cities benefit. This culture in our organization, of sharing best practices is alive today and will continue thanks to Mayor Daley's leadership on this issue.
His philosophy about our bipartisanship is very strong. We all know how he detests and has spoken out about the Democratic and Republican Mayors Caucuses. New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a Past President of the Conference said, "There is not a partisan way to fill a pothole." While Mayor Daley can be strong in supporting Presidential candidates, he has stood strongly against the division that will take place if the partisan caucuses are not in their appropriate role as organizations. And today we are probably the last bastion of bipartisanship left in America.
While I hate to see him leave being mayor, I am personally happy for him because along side his passion for politics and his city of Chicago is his passion for his family. Our thoughts are with him and Maggie as she lives with cancer.
The buzz is all around about who will take his place. No one will ever take his place. There will be a mayor who comes after him just as sure as the sun goes up and the sun goes down. But no one will take his place. This organization is blessed to have had him and the nation's mayors learned from this leader who led by doing things, by getting things done. Yes, today we have a Chicago that never was until he took over and showed the world his courage, his heart, and his passion. No, no one will ever take his place.
No doubt in the coming months we will honor and thank him. I, for one, will pause around Christmas and recognize that he served longer than the first Mayor Daley I worked with when I came here over 40 years ago. I will also think of the future too, when another Mayor Daley will be elected and whoever he or she is, I will be here ready to serve knowing that this family understands city people, how to use power, and how to move city people to act as good as any political family in the history of our nation.

Executive Director's Column

2010-07-30T13:50:00.000-04:00

President Elizabeth Kautz and Her Family
As U.S.Mayor goes to press, our prayers and thoughts are with our President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, and her family as David, her husband of 43 years, struggles for his life. We received word last week that his health took a turn for the worse in his battle to survive aggressive cancer that was in remission until now. I appreciate your calls and reaching out to give her support at this very sad time for her.
While she goes through this tragic experience, it has not prevented her discussing the work of the Conference and the work goes forward.
This week, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter came to Washington to represent The Conference of Mayors as our Second Vice President to advocate passage of The Local Jobs for America Act. The jobs bill that has been a priority of Conference President Elizabeth Kautz’s 2010 Metro Agenda would provide direct grants to cities with populations of more than 50,000. Smaller cities would apply through the states, very similar to the HUD CDBG block grant program.
The National League of Cities, The National Association of Counties, and the Conference of Mayors are strongly united on this legislation. Together, we released a survey of 214 cities and 56 counties, which states that they will cut full time positions over 2010 and 2011. We appreciate the collaborative efforts of NLC, NACo, and USCM staff working together. It was good to have Don Borut, NLC Executive Director and Larry Naake, NACo Executive Director, there with me as the three of us stood together for local governments throughout our nation that are facing the economic challenges in this jobless economic recovery.
The legislation would provide $75 billion over two years to save jobs through retention or hiring.
The question is, will Congress wake up and recognize the lack of jobs and the ripple of frustration the unemployment causes throughout the neighborhoods and streets of our cities and counties.
Mayor Nutter repeated his story of how Philadelphians approach him with the question and plea for a decent job. Mayor Nutter says people who are without a job do not care about the deficit. He says they just want to work.
As Congress returns from the hot summer of 2010, they will have heard and seen the anger of their constituents and it is our hope that the mood will motivate Congress to act as they face the ballot box in November.
Over this recess, as your members of Congress visit their home states and districts, it is most important that you urge them to support The Local Jobs for America Act. We need your help to move Congress to act before the November elections.
100th Anniversary of The National Urban LeagueConference Second Vice President Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia represented Mayor Kautz and the Conference as he joined with National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial to cut the ribbon opening a most dynamic exhibition showing the 100 years of progress of this organization.
At the opening plenary session, Mayor Nutter talked about the partnership between The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Urban League.
Following Mayor Nutter was a Past President of the Urban League, Vernon Jordan. Vernon gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard on the state of Black America in 2010. He used as his text Charles Dickens, the best of times, and the worst of times. He cited statistics on the progress of Black America. And then he cited the figures on the present state of Black America. One statistic is that we now have more black men in prison than we have in college. It was a remarkable speech – teaching us of our history and his challenging us to the future was as good as I have heard in many years – quite a contrast to the present political atmosphere when so many don’t want to talk about racial issues while we are living with these issues every day.
Certainly the race issue has dominated the news over the past week or so. This was caused when Mrs. Shirley Sherrod of the Department of Agriculture got an email while she was driving asking her to pull over and resign or fire herself. All of this was based on a doctored video that was shown on national television depicting her presentation to a NAACP meeting. The White House, The NAACP, and The Department of Agriculture all reacted to a blogger’s doctored video. President Reagan used to say we must trust and verify. In today’s lack of true journalism in America, the word trust is not in play. You must verify, verify, verify.
With Mrs. Sherrod, all have apologized and the flap may be over. They have offered her a job and apologized. The latest is that she is suing the blogger. Good for her.
This incident, which involves a blogger creating his own facts through a doctored video, is nothing new to mayors. Long before this national incident, we have pointed out that this kind of maliciousness goes on every day in some city in America. The blogger-based recall campaign, such as the one in Akron that attempted to take out a 36 year public service veteran, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic proved to be a losing campaign. The Akron recall campaign, full of allegations against Mayor Plusquellic from a bloggers site proved to be a losing campaign. Plusquellic prevailed winning by a resounding 74 percent vote. But Mayor Plusquellic had to live with a blogger who created his own graphic on the internet where they packed it full of inconsistent facts about Mayor Plusquellic’s travel expenses, political statements, and other allegations.
There have been other blogger-based recall efforts, more defamation, more lies, and with the internet you don’t know what’s real and what’s unreal.
We have all got to take the time to question the garbage we get about people with the bloggers over the internet. Someone said the case of Mrs. Sherrod and the Agriculture Department was a teachable moment for all of us.
It won’t be a teachable moment until we all realize you can’t believe anything the bloggers put out there until it is verified. Let’s hope this national incident helps put us on a new path of recognizing the difference between truths and lies. We have to question almost everything we see on the internet now. There’s not much true journalism left in America. We have to verify and we have to challenge those who continue to besmirch innocent people.
USCM Fall Leadership Meeting September 22 to 24President Kautz will preside over our Fall Leadership Meeting here in Washington at the St. Regis Hotel September 22 to 24. We urge Leadership Mayors and others to join us. There are issues before Congress and our continuing work with The Obama Administration on a number of issues.
Register now. Contact Carol Edwards at 202-861-6747 or cedwards@usmayors.org.
Have a good summer and let’s hope the heat, which is scorching the nation will soon be gone. One year it was real hot. I called Mayor Joe Riley down in Charleston and asked him how hot it was down there. He said, “Tom, it’s too hot to even read down here!” Stay cool and I hope to see many of you in September here in Washington.

Executive Director's Column

2010-07-14T13:51:00.000-04:00

The summer of 2010 continues here in Washington with the BP oil gusher dominating the news. But there is the announcement today that the nation’s deficit is at one trillion dollars. President Obama’s Deficit Commission Chairs, Former Senator Alan Simpson and former Clinton aide Erskine Bowles, carried the concern about the deficit to the Governors’ Annual Meeting this past week in Boston.
Deficit talk is something we have heard before and when we have heard it in the past, it sometimes means that there will be proposals to cut domestic spending. We must be ready to defend out current priority programs such as CDBG if the budget cutters start a move to cut our programs.
This atmosphere will require mayors to focus and develop a political strategy to protect CDBG and other key domestic programs from deficit hawks that are already starting to circle above us.
At our Leadership Meeting in September here in Washington, President Kautz will discuss this challenge and together our leadership team will adopt and implement a strategy to protect our federal funding that is needed more than ever during this economic downturn.
National HIV/AIDS StrategyThis week, the Administration announced its own National HIV/AIDS Strategy. It was 30 years ago when the AIDS epidemic hit America and it was the mayors who stood up to educate and do their best to change human behavior by discussing the need for safe sex practices. No one wanted to discuss the issue back then. There was great fear. It was a defining moment of The U.S. Conference of Mayors as we led the way to provide awareness and understanding. Everyone then thought that the AIDS issue only affected our cities but the fact was that when rural and suburban residents got AIDS they came to our cities to be treated. The movie star Rock Hudson’s death was key to President Reagan being aware of this epidemic. Reagan’s Surgeon General C. Everett Coop worked with our mayors and urged them to be vocal and to support sex education for children at the age of nine.
In 1988 at our Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, we had the AIDS quilt displayed and a person dying of AIDS came and addressed the mayors.
In the 2003, I, along with our USCM President Hempstead Mayor James Garner, led a delegation of mayors to South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, and Uganda to share best practices with African mayors. It was a four-nation tour with four teams of American mayors hitting each of the nations.
This week’s announcement from the Administration encourages statewide HIV/AIDS plans. From the announcement and what I watched on C'span, I do hope mayors and their health officers will be involved. We can help the Administration with this effort. We have a history and it is a fact this issue is, and continues to be, a priority for cities. We applaud the announcement this week and want to know about how we can help the Administration develop their state plans to ensure that cities, both large and small, are included in the development of this new national plan.
USCM Leadership Meeting, September 22-24, Washington, D.C.President Kautz, Vice President Villaraigosa, and 2nd Vice President Nutter all need our leadership mayors to be with us here in DC, September 22-24.
Mid-term elections will be before us, budget cutters will be in front of us and a consensus on transportation and immigration policy and the fate of our energy block grants will require your renewed focus and new political energy to help our President as she leads us forward.
Please arrange your schedule to be with us September 22 to 24. You are needed here now more than ever. Together we can make a difference for our cities and the people all of you serve.

Executive Director's Column

2010-06-23T13:52:00.000-04:00

Following a most successful Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Conference President Elizabeth Kautz led a special mission of our mayors to New Orleans where Mayor Mitch Landrieu did a masterful job in showing and educating our members and staff on the ramifications of the BP oil gusher.
This was not a meeting where we sat in a hotel meeting and watched another power point presentation. We woke up early, put our "mud boots" on and headed to the Coast Guard Center in Lafitte, Louisiana, where Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner and Incident U.S. Coast Guard Commander Captain Roger Laferriere gave a most informative briefing. Then after a short, graphic, and succinct briefing, we boarded boats and spent over three hours, visiting with fishermen, witnessing the oil in the marshes and learning so much about the culture and symbiotic relationship of the oil industry and the fishing industry.
No doubt, the people of the Louisiana marshland are in a fight for their way of life. For decades, family members have been employed in both the fishing and oil industry. Today, we see shrimp boats full of long coils of white absorbing boom, which is made of a substance very much like disposable baby diapers and is used as a floating barrier to stop the floating oil through absorption. It is not totally effective due to waves and currents, but it is effective to reduce some of the damage to this precious ecosystem, the marshland of Louisiana.
One reads; one watches TV; but when Mayor Mitch Landrieu takes you for a three-hour tour in the hot sun of the Louisiana marshland and he leads Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner and the Coast Guard officials to discuss this challenge in "English" or street language — in less technical and more practical terms — we learned so much.
We learned that each day, Louisiana loses 100 yards every thirty minutes, that's as long as a football field of marshland through natural erosion. We also learned that the energy producing Gulf States get a very small amount, five per cent, of the oil revenues paid by the energy companies to the federal government. Other states receive 50 cents on the dollar for their natural resources, such as timber and coal. Senator Mary Landrieu has championed and Congress has passed fair share legislation, which will increase the amount to at least 37.5 percent. The legislation is passed and will be effective 2017. Conference President Kautz announced we will be supporting the fair share legislation to accelerate the effective date to 2010.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker reminds us on this mission that the moratorium on oil drilling needs to be re-examined and we should not "throw out the baby with the bath water." Mayor Landrieu and President Kautz have echoed their concern, both pointing to not just the economies of Texas and Louisiana, but indeed to the consequences that affects our national economy. These mayors support safety and smart drilling as they ask the federal government to consider the economic consequences during this national economic downturn.
Another issue is the misunderstanding in some areas of the nation that the Louisiana seafood is contaminated. Philadelphia Mayor Mike Nutter indicated that he had been in Philadelphia restaurants and people were asking where the seafood came from, insinuating that the seafood is contaminated. We learned that this is a myth and another horror story that has been carried forth by the media devoid of facts. President Kautz told local and national reporters of the seafood she had been eating since her arrival and all mayors ate seafood in the Bon Ton restaurant on Magazine Street with the press observing on our last stop of a long day fact-finding mission.
In Oklahoma City at our Annual Meeting, mayors of the Gulf Region, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, came together in private and public meetings to forge a resolution with six major demands. In addition, President Kautz announced our support of Senator Mary Landrieu's "fair share" legislation.
Armed with policy adopted in Oklahoma City at our 78th Annual Meeting and positions taken in New Orleans, The United States Conference of Mayors through our members and staff will go forth to use the power of our organization to meet the challenges the Gulf mayors and their people face. This is a national challenge. This is a defining moment of The United States Conference of Mayors. We thank all the mayors who came with us — from California, from Massachusetts, from Pennsylvania, from Texas, from Florida, from Mississippi, from Alabama and from Louisiana. And we thank Don Borut and his team and Mr. George Kevis, Director of the Mississippi League of Cities for their presence.
Together, we will continue with Congress, the Administration and BP to be an advocate for the mayors, their cities and people in support of our adopted policy and position.
President Kautz has assured all members that she will continue to follow through in a sustainable way to lead the nation's mayors in this effort. This, no doubt, will be a long haul and we are now in it for the long tough ride ahead.
Oklahoma City — Our 78thAll mayors attending our 78th Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City are most appreciated. President Kautz has indicated that in these tough economic times, it is much harder for mayors to travel to meetings outside their home cities, but she believes — and you do too — that our meetings are meaningful and productive and it is most important for us to come together in a united front to represent cities as the mayors have done for 78 years through this great organization.
Thank you, Mayor Mick Cornett and your team, for all you did to make our 78th one we-ll never forget. Oklahoma City is a remarkable city in that if you run for elective office there you must show and prove that your main interest is Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City. The mayors over the last 50 years have set that standard. This spirit was manifested in a special session during our Annual Meeting of three former mayors — Andy Coats, Ron Norick, Kirk Humphreys and our current mayor, Mick Cornett. The unity, the seamless dedication to their city is the reason Oklahoma City is where it is now and where it is going as a major metropolitan city of our nation and our globe.
Many mayors came to Oklahoma City, having never been. Hearing these mayors gave them a sense of renewed public service. It was a gift of which we can all be proud.
Again, thanks to all the mayors who came to Oklahoma City. As we go forward, President Kautz will need your support, and I know we can count on you in the days ahead. Thanks for your continued support and membership. If I can be of any service to you, please let me know.

Executive Director's Column

2010-06-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Oklahoma City! And to our 78th Annual Meeting of the ONE and ONLY United States Conference of MAYORS!
First we salute the city of Oklahoma’s mayor, Host Mayor Mick Cornett. His vision and leadership, backed up by a dynamic team and strong citizen and business support puts this city of 551,789 people in the top rank of cities emerging further on the national scene.
This city’s efforts to raise taxes through special referendums and continue to move forward in the present economic downturn will be described in detail on Monday afternoon in a special workshop. Please note the program, Oklahoma City: A Win-Win. Mayor Cornett has brought in three former mayors, Andy Coats, Kirk Humphreys, and Ron Norick. And Mayor Cornett will be joining with the group and he is turning over the moderating role to a former mayor. Come and learn how this city has worked in a seamless pattern of leadership, which has contributed to the national recognition and, indeed, a top 2010 best practice for mayors and local officials.
We also thank our President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. In Oklahoma City, she begins her term elected by you to serve as our 68th President. When Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels left office at the end of last year, 2009, then Vice President Kautz was immediately inaugurated in her hometown of Burnsville, Minnesota where I, on behalf of our Executive Committee, gave the gavel to her to serve out Mayor Nickels’ term. She also has been coming back to Washington on a regular basis leading our advocacy efforts on the funds for our energy block grants.
She has also done so much as she has lead an international mayors campaign on climate change and green jobs. She said in Stockholm at the 2009 EuroCities Meeting, our European counterpart, that mayors across the globe must “roar like lions” to move their national governments off dead center. Her theme continues to be that mayors and cities are leading their nations on climate protection and green jobs. She is right. We have seen in other nations national governments and provincial or state governments politically deadlocked on strong climate protection and green job legislation. But there is no deadlock, no stalemate, no inaction at the city level. USA mayors lead every day, and with President Kautz’s leadership, we will continue to push for a final climate bill this year that includes a role for mayors and cities through our energy block grants. The energy block grants, the role of mayors, the economic green job benefit on this issue is not on Washington’s radar screen now. The administration did not include money in its budget to continue our energy block grants. The new Senate outline of a Climate bill announced recently does not include our block grants. Speaker Pelosi has promised multi-year funding and her representative Urban Caucus Chair Congressman Chaka Fattah of Philadelphia will be here speaking to you at Friday’s lunch. He has been our champion on this issue since Past President Trenton Mayor Palmer and I had the first meeting with him on the creation of energy block grants for cities. We do have friends of the energy bock grants in high places. We just need more. And mayors assembled here will beckon the call of President Kautz, and we will go forth as we have before, pushing Washington to understand they can not get to the promised land on climate protection unless mayors are involved. There’s one speech, one forum, one C'span session after another about this approach and that approach. Meantime, mayors are not just talking about it; they are implementing smart climate protection, steps toward more energy independence, and green job initiatives every day. We have the political strength and will. And we must never, never, never give up until Washington recognizes that climate damage is caused by human behavior and mayors will change human behavior. We are making progress. Thanks for your leadership on this issue. We must work to strengthen our partnership with the Congress, the Department of Energy and the Obama Administration and press them hard to include in the climate bill the energy block grants to have a sustainable source of funding in the years ahead. President Kautz is standing strong on this issue. Stand with her and we will prevail.
Trenton’s Own - Mayor Doug Palmer, our 65th President - Distinguished Public Service AwardOn Saturday, we salute the one of a kind human being, leader, father, humorist, tough-love mayor, platinum politician, “agile and mobile” - Mr. Douglas H. Palmer. Throughout his career, he has believed in the Conference of Mayors and it has been part of his being. He came to us as President when we lost our beloved President Dearborn Mayor Mike Guido. Throughout his career, there are untold stories of how Mayor Doug Palmer worked to make this family of mayors, the Conference of Mayors, stronger for ourselves and stronger for our cities. Time and time again, I have seen him stand aside, pull back for himself, and put this organization in front of himself. Mayors present saw true leadership in 2008 when he presided over the hot debate over the Iraq War. We were split down the middle on that hotly contested day. Back in the day, we might have had a fistfight. That was the day that the mayor of Fresno quit our organization blazing away as he walked out. And that was the day - that was a defining moment when President Doug Palmer calmed the waters with his voice, his eyes, his charisma. He is a natural. Recognized by his peers, we honor Mayor Doug Palmer at our Saturday City Livability Lunch. Be with us. Let’s praise and thank people while they are alive and vibrant. As he leaves office, we thank his wife Christiana and his daughter Laila for giving us so much of his time on the morning or mid-night train from Trenton to DC to help all of us fight for what this organization stands for. Thank you Doug. Agile and mobile - forever!
The Oil Gusher Disaster in the Gulf, Florida, and Atlantic CoastThe BP oil gusher destroying our ocean, wildlife and the economic life of so many of our member cities and small business will affect our 78th Annual Meeting. Together we gather to determine what shall be the role of our organizations we go forward. We will listen to our mayors hit hard in those states and President Kautz will leave Oklahoma with a plan of action that will be first of all tailored to what the mayors and cities of that great region of America, unique and delicate to the environment must be supported because it is what America is about. While we don’t know what to do about what BP has done, I have never seen the mayors held hostage to anything. Mayors are doers and I know we will leave here determined to support and do everything possible to help Americans confront and demand BP and Washington action to protect the economies and humans and wildlife and fisheries of Americans for our own American cities and towns who are facing some hard times after the battle to kill the BP gusher is over. Join with President Kautz, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden and other affected mayors on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm to learn more and offer your assistance to help the mayors hit hard by the present and future oil destruction and damage to America’s Gulf area, the Florida Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast.
Immigration ReformThe Arizona statute fueled the fire of passion across the nation on the multi nation issue. The Arizona law comes forth and exposes Washington for sitting on their hands to pass true immigration reform, long a priority of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. It is ironic that one of the mayors, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, has been thrust forward on this issue and has been at times a lone voice and leader within our Conference and in Washington advocating immigration reform.
Vice President Antonio Villaraigosa has been most active on this issue in Los Angeles and as a part of the national conversation on this issue on national television. The New York Times cited Trenton, NJ as an example of a best practice for the nation to consider as local governments act in a void created by the current Washington inaction on this issue. On Sunday morning, we will have an immigration forum inside our morning plenary session. President Kautz felt strongly that we frame this session to go beyond the deficiencies of the Arizona statute and to include a framed discussion on immigration reform. Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza will moderate this session. We encourage all to attend. This is an issue that affects us all in the land of immigrants and the great diversity of our nation - unmatched anywhere in any other nation on earth.
New Mayors Forum - New Faces and Old Places Facing Today’s Challenges - A Forum for Not Just New MayorsThis past election has provided our organization with more new mayors than any in recent history. President Kautz and Membership Chair Brian Wahler are presenting the media, our members, and corporate members an opportunity to see, hear, and get to know the new leaders coming in this year. This session is for ALL delegates and participants. It is not just for new mayors. I will be moderating this session and promise I will do my best to make it interesting. Please come by and feel free to join in the q and a and open dialogue.
Thanks for being in Oklahoma City! On behalf of President Kautz, Vice President Villaraigosa and all of us, thank you for being here for our 78th Annual Meeting. If I can be of any service or provide information to you about this meeting or any other matter please let me know 202-744-9110. See you soon!

Executive Director's Column

2010-05-19T13:53:00.000-04:00

Last week, the long awaited new climate bill was announced. The energy block grants for cities and local governments are not included in this proposal. Once again, Washington goes backward and away from the federal-city partnership on climate protection and energy independence.
Last year mayors were encouraged with the partnership we developed with Senator Boxer and her people, and we were included in her bill.
But the announcement last week did not mention our energy block grants, which are the cornerstone and catalyst to mobilize over 1,000 mayors to act.
We are frustrated and perplexed that the bill announced last week does not include the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. We have to ask the question… if the Senate leadership stood together with mayors last year on the capitol lawn, then what happened that now gives reason for mayors and local officials not to be included?
Today, within the Mayors Climate Protection Center of The United States Conference of Mayors, we have 1,036 mayors and cities looking for a partnership with the federal government on greenhouse gas reduction and greater energy independence.
The mayors of this nation are recognized around the globe for their outstanding work on this issue, throughout Europe, thanks to President Kautz's work, with the European Union and EuroCities and at the COP-15 in Copenhagen. In Asia, with our continuing partnership with the Japanese Association of City Mayors and, recently, at the Sixth Sino-American Summit in Chengdu with the mayors of China, we continue to share our best practices and common goals.
The fact is that the cities of America are leading the nation on this issue while many states and some in Washington fail to recognize the contribution that we continue to make.
Science tells us that the threat to our globe is caused by the actions of human beings. The mayors of the United States are number one at changing human behavior. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants are tools that we need to forge the public/private initiatives as well as enlisting and involving the 85 percent of the American people who live in cities and their metro areas.
We believe there are many Senators who have not reversed their sentiment toward mayoral and city involvement. As mentioned, last year we were heralded for the progress of mayors and cities. Our activities have not decreased or subsided over the past year and we have enlisted many more cities within the United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center.
This issue is a top priority of The United States Conference of Mayors. We will continue to use our grass-roots efforts to include within the current legislation the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants that are so important to our national efforts.
The bill today has a goal of reducing carbon pollution by 17 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. Today we stand and speak out to say that the nation cannot meet these goals unless mayors, cities, and their metro regions are totally involved in this national effort.
In Washington, as with all major legislation, this is a work in progress. And, we look forward to engaging with Senate leaders to correct this situation and affirm the crucial role of mayors and other local officials in this effort.
The mayors want a partnership with Washington, the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. It seems that Washington doesn't want us. It is shortsighted and unrealistic to think the nation can meet our common goals toward climate protection and energy independence without mayors and local government.
We must keep up the fight to add our energy block grants to the proposed climate bill. Ask your Senators to push for mayors and cities and our block grants as we go forward. Remember again it is the people who count and 87 percent of the American people live in cities and their metro areas and majority hold climate protection and energy independence as a top priority.
The legislation announced last week will need your political attention once it is properly introduced.
We are working now to amend the bill so that we can include our energy block grants, which are so important to meet the tough goals Congress has set out for us to meet. They can't reach these goals unless mayors and our people who live in the metro areas are mobilized.
Let's come together by contacting our Senators and stressing the energy block grants to be included in this new legislation as we all go forward together.
The Miller Bill - H.R. 4812 - Local Jobs for America ActPresident Kautz, Vice President Villaraigosa and our leadership and members have been quite active in securing endorsements of 161 members of the House to support what mayors believe to be the first real jobs bill (H.R. 4812 Local Jobs for America Act). The Miller bill would provide $75 billion for direct funding to cities and counties for job retention and the rehiring of those laid off or for new jobs.
We are allied with the National League of Cities, The National Association of Counties, The National Urban League, and other powerful organizations on this priority legislation.
Coupled with funds for municipal jobs, included in the Miller bill is $23 billion for teachers.
The recent strategy is to attach this legislation to the supplemental appropriations bill that will continue to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We are concerned that the Obama Administration has voiced their support in the form of a letter from Education Secretary Duncan supporting only the funds for teachers, police and firefighters. The Administration has not requested of Congress our funds for municipal jobs as contained in the Miller bill.
Conference President Kautz and Vice President Villaraigosa are actively involved to clarify and gain support of the municipal jobs portion of the Miller bill to make certain that in addition to funds for teachers, there will be funds for job retention, rehiring or hiring of municipal employees.
Shanghai Expo - USA Pavilion Opening - April 30Conference President Elizabeth Kautz, and Mayors Bob Foster of Long Beach, Bill Finch of Bridgeport, Elaine Walker of Bowling Green and I were invited by US Chinese Ambassador Jon Huntsman to stand with him, cut the ribbon and welcome the very first Chinese visitors as we opened the USA Pavilion of the 2010 Shanghai Expo.
President Kautz and mayors came to Shanghai after she presided over the Sixth Sino-American Mayors Summit in Changdu. The summit was a part of the very successful partnership we continue with the Chinese Association of Mayors.
Father Swears in SonIt was a special occasion for me to be with the Landrieu family earlier this month to witness former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, USCM President 1975 - 1976, swear in his son, Mitch Landrieu to be the next mayor of New Orleans. Also in attendance were all the former mayors including former USCM President Marc Morial.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu will be very active with us. He, along with our other dynamic new mayors, are bringing new energy, new faces and new ideas to our organization and President Kautz wants to put these new mayors to work for all of us.
Oklahoma CityThe 78th Annual Conference of Mayors will be in Oklahoma City soon! And that is where you, as a mayor, need to be.
President Elizabeth Kautz and Host Mayor Mick Cornett have worked hard to make this a meaningful, productive, and yes - enjoyable - fun meeting!
Register now. We need you in Oklahoma City.

Executive Director's Column

2010-04-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Forty years ago on April 22, 1970, we witnessed the largest human public demonstration in the history of America when 20 million people stood up on Earth Day and created a grassroots political movement that changed, at that time, the way federal political and governmental system views and treats our nation’s environment.
Some say this movement was sparked even earlier by a shy Pennsylvania woman scientist, Rachel Carson, who wrote her book Silent Spring. There was controversy when she raised serious questions about the destructive and biological harm caused by the way chemicals were used on our farmland and in our high density populated cities. Her book caused an uproar. The industries came out strong attempting to discredit her. At a White House press conference when asked his thoughts on Carson and her book, President Kennedy supported her. She testified before Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee and the 1963 Kennedy report largely backed up and supported Carson’s claims. Due to her writings and her advocacy, the current national policy of handling pesticides was reversed. The spark was lit and the environment was strengthened as we moved to the 1970s after her death in 1964. She has to be given notice and credit before we get to Earth Day 1970. And President Kennedy too. He believed in science and he knew she was right and he, along with his Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, one of the greatest environmentalists of our political history, stood together in those historical days.
Earth Day 1970Forty years ago, after the grass roots movements of civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War, there emerged the environmental movement and we saw a young student leader and environmental activist named Denis Hayes join up with a Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson. It was Hayes who had the vision to place the environmental issue into the body politic. And it was Nelson who had thoughts of how to implement the vision with teach-ins in all our schools. Senator Nelson reached out to Republican Environmentalist Congressman Pete McCloskey of California and they co-chaired this great event.
Three million American citizens turned out for Earth Day 1970 and it was a shocker to the political world. In New York City, Mayor John Lindsay closed Fifth Avenue. He along with mayors and I, shoulder to shoulder, with thousands marched down Fifth Avenue. It was a great experience. Mayor Lindsay was chair of our Legislative Action Committee. Part of our urban and national agenda was to push for passage of air and water anti-pollution environmental laws that we lobbied along with other national, state and local groups, to push them through Congress and to President Nixon’s desk for signature and enactment.
Earth Day 1970 was a serious political event. It wasn’t just placards, t'shirts, chants, and screams. It was a political movement. Washington felt the pressure and rose to the occasion. There was not inertia as it is today. In a strong bi-partisan manner, Washington acted.
After the demonstrations were over, the movement turned toward elective politics. The movement, led by Hayes, came up with a list of the most anti-environmental members of the House and the dubbed twelve Congressmen as “The Dirty Dozen.” Grassroots efforts were strong against the Dirty Dozen. Seven of the twelve Congressmen were defeated, including a powerful chairman. When Congress returned that year, Speaker Albert and Congressional leaders knew that Earth Day ‘70 had been transformed into a more political machine geared toward elective and legislative politics. Senator Ed Muskie championed the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency was created. Federal laws were passed right and left and Nixon signed them all. Many people still do not accept how President Nixon supported and signed such historic environmental laws during his first term before Watergate hit him.
President Carter’s environmental record is probably as strong as any other President since Teddy Roosevelt. Many political observers feel President Carter’s style and the way he asked people to give up something, to deprive themselves in order to save the planet did not motivate enough. Americans wanted alternatives. They didn’t want to sacrifice. Inflation was high, gas lines were long, American hostages were locked up and blindfolded in Iran. The body politic was in a bad mood. But Carter persevered he gave the nation his MEOW speech, moral equivalent of war, for energy and environment.
He put solar panels on the White House and turned off the night lights at the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials to conserve energy. President Reagan came in, turned the night lights on, removed the solar panels and thus opulence was in.
Through the years we find President Clinton and Vice President Gore doing more for the environment after they left office.
Today it could be better. The Cap and Trade Legislation is dead in the water and an alternative energy bill is being introduced by Senators Kerry of Massachusetts, Lieberman of Connecticut and Graham of South Carolina. The details will evolve and change in order to get enough Senate votes.
The big meeting in Copenhagen last December was a bust for national governments.
The fact is that the cities of America are leading the nation on the whole question of climate protection. We have 1036 cities signed on to the United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. And in other nations, mayors are leading their nations. Conference President Elizabeth Kautz took our message to Brussels and Stockholm last fall. European mayors have joined with USA mayors, and are pushing their central governments to be more active on climate issues.
We fought hard to get the energy block grants into the stimulus package passed by Congress and signed by President Obama last year. The stimulus money is just now hitting our cities and mayors will continue to lead the way. These funds that we fought so hard to get will be seed money mayors and cities need as we continue to leverage, create jobs, and make a difference throughout America.
Recently Conference President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz led a group to meet with Energy Secretary Chu and we believe this is a new beginning with the mayors of America working with the Energy Department as we did when HUD was created with our big push in 1965. Our goal is to work with The Energy Department. We seek a partnership with our federal government and President Kautz is leading the way. We have optimism and hope as we follow up with DOE to strengthen our partnership.
Today, in Washington while there is inertia in some places and confusion in other places, mayors and cities are leading the way using every tool that we have to get things done.
Every day I hear and see of another mayor out there with a new idea backed up by actions. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a mayor that makes the founders of earth day proud.
Currently Mayor Bloomberg is trying to reduce the carbon footprint of his city by turning the 13,237 yellow taxi cabs “green” with a rule requiring taxi cab owners to buy hybrid or other fuel efficient cars whenever they retire their current vehicles. The current taxi fleet is responsible for 580,000 metric tons of carbon emissions – the same amount as an entire town of 30,000 people according to Mayor Bloomberg. The rule would save 34 million of gallons of gasoline a year, reduce New York City’s carbon footprint, and our dependence on foreign oil. A federal judge struck down the rule finding that the federal laws cited prohibits cities and states from setting their own fuel efficiency standards. Mayor Bloomberg wrote in the Washington Post, “Only in Washington could a Clean Air Act prevent efforts to create clean air!” He goes further and says, “The Federal impulse to standardize must be balanced by the local need to customize.” Mayor Bloomberg says that since taxis are regulated locally, cities should have the authority to set emission standards for them.
Mayor Bloomberg is urging mayors and local governments to support the Green Taxis Act, supported by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Jerrod Nadler
Today the nation’s mayors, The United States Conference of Mayors, support Mayor Bloomberg on this legislation. It would allow local governments to take a local step that would give us the opportunity to make sound decisions for our cities and expand the market of hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles.
Mayor Bloomberg and New York City’s green taxi initiative is another example of a smart climate change policy that pushes a smart economic policy.
Yes, cities are leading the nation on these efforts and Congress must support us and not stop us from doing the smart thing when it comes to climate change as we go forward.
Earth Day 1970 to Earth Day 2010 - it’s not the same political atmosphere for national action but there’s one thing for sure, cities have not stopped leading the way for smarter transportation, housing, energy, and health policies that affect our planet and our people. Together we will continue to push the federal government for a national consensus in Washington that will produce smarter climate centered, job producing measures and incentives. Meantime, we follow Mayor Bloomberg’s lead. We’ll do it one step at a time. Mayors are not waiting for Washington to act. The taxi cab issue, the fleet issue, not exactly global, but with thousands of green fleets - it will be worth it until there is a consensus like we had following the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970 - forty years ago. We have made progress since then. We must find the consensus today we had back then, and if any group is leading the way toward a consensus, it’s the mayors like Bloomberg and others who are out there every day finding consensus and getting it done on the streets and in the neighborhoods of the cities of America.

Executive Director's Column

2010-04-16T11:39:00.003-04:00

April 16

Washington, DC

Poland

The plane crash in Smolensk, Russia killing President Lech and First Lady Maria Kaczynski is sad and unbelievable. The political, military, parliamentary, financial, and academic leaders are all gone. My immediate thought on April 10th was to call Ambassador Ashe, our past President and former Knoxville Mayor. He said it would be in this country as if Air Force One, loaded with our leadership, crashed and killed them all. He is right.

Poland’s loss today devastates the Polish people because the place of the plane crash where the national elite died, Smolensk, Russia, is less than twenty miles from the Katyn Woods where starting on April 4, 1940, 22,000 of the Polish national elite were killed seventy years ago. These were not only soldiers. Doctors, clergy, professors, business leaders, the national elite leadership were shot individually by Russian secret police with a bullet in the back of the head. Thousands were shot on the edges of open pits and fell dead on top of their comrades.

Once again, the national elite leadership of the Polish people are taken away - instantly. The young and the old grieve together, but the old grieve deeper because their dynamic and precious leaders have been killed, twice now in the same place, only twelve miles apart in the month of April.

The other person who perished was Anna Walentynowicz. She was the “Rosa Parks” of the rebellion at the Gdansk shipyard in August of 1980. She was a crane operator, and when she wasn’t operating the crane she was handing out unofficial union newspapers. Her firing was the defining moment that jolted the workers to strike and lead the way to the legalization of Solidarity, the first trade union in the communist bloc. At the same time, Lech Kaczynski was a law student and advisor to Solidarity. When the communists cracked down with the martial law, both Ms. Walentynowicz and Mr. Kaczynski were jailed without a trial. Afterwards, throughout the 80’s the two of them worked with thousands in underground resistance. In the new Democratic Poland Kaczynski would go on to become President and she was an outside critic.

Marjorie Castle, author of Triggering Communist Collapse, writes beautifully about how these two national figures boarded a small plane to perish together just a few miles from where others of national stature in life died seventy years ago. Castle writes “the irony can not be understated” and she goes further to point out that the lesser well-known names in the passenger manifest includes relatives and descendants of the Polish leaders who died seventy years earlier. These individuals spent decades working to reveal the nature of those deaths, which was methodical execution by Russian security police and not by the Nazis.

The methodical killing of 22,000 in April of 1940 and the plane crash with the national leaders in April of 2010, in the same place, only twelve miles apart, has caused former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski to call Smolensk and its environs ”a cursed place.” And Castle writes, “Smolensk will be a curse word for generations of Poles, yet unborn.”

Our Connection

The U.S Conference of Mayors has a long friendship with the Polish people and with Polish local and national leaders. I was invited in 1989 to witness the first municipal elections since the 1930s. Thousands of local officials were elected. It was indeed a celebration of democracy. The Solidarity leader who became President of the new Poland, Lech Walesa, came to Washington after he was elected and Guy Smith and I met with him at the National Press Club.

In October of 1990 with our government’s support, the Conference organized a delegation of mayors led by Conference President York Mayor Bill Althaus to conduct Mayors Leadership institutes in three cities Warsaw, Krakow, and Rzeszow. The conference fielded three additional delegations in 2004, 2006, and in 2007 and we held our first ever …outside the USA… International Mayors Institute on City Design.

We are so proud of the distinguished service of former Conference President and former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, our former Polish Ambassador who led and accompanied our 2007 mayoral mission to the Presidential Palace to spend time with the late President Kaczynski, who was the mayor of Warsaw before he was President. Mayors present will remember much of the enjoyable dialogue with him was about his being a mayor and it was so good to hear a President who understood the role of a mayor because he had lived it.

Polish allies, and observers, students and historians all know how strong the people of Poland are. They have survival in their DNA. They will grieve and have pain. They have an abiding faith that runs deep and it centers them. They have been persecuted, killed, destroyed, and almost annihilated throughout ancient and modern history. But they will survive and be even stronger. May God bless Poland during this most painful period as He gives them strength to be even stronger, remembering their great leaders and determined people. And soon - just as sure as the sun comes up tomorrow morning, they will wipe away their tears and march on. Then the heroic saga of Poland and her people, rich in history, with its ups and downs, goes on to fill the pages of the future.

Statement on The National Mourning of Poland and the Loss of President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynski, and National Leaders of Poland

2010-04-13T09:51:00.004-04:00

Washington, D.C. -- On behalf of nation’s mayors and The United States Conference of Mayors, CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran offers heartfelt condolences to the Polish people and its leaders upon the tragic loss of President Lech Kaczynski.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has a long friendship with the Polish people and with Polish local, regional, and national leaders. The more than ten million Americans of Polish ancestry living in the United States have contributed greatly to American cities and to our nation.

As an organization, the Conference of Mayors has had a cherished friendship with Poland over many years and especially since 1989. Conference CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran was invited to Poland as an election observer in June 1989, and gladly contributed to oversight of that important election, the first democratic election in Poland since the 1930's.

In October 1990, with U.S. government support, the Conference of Mayors organized a delegation of mayors to conduct Mayors Leadership Institutes with newly-elected Polish mayors in Warsaw, Krakow, and Rzeszow. The Conference fielded three additional delegations to Poland -- in 2004, 2006, and in 2007. In 2007, the Conference held its historic first-ever – outside the United States -- International Mayors Institute on City Design, bringing together U.S. and Polish mayors to share best practices on design and to learn from each other.

The Conference of Mayors is proud of the distinguished service of Former Conference President and Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, Ambassador Victor Ashe, who was sworn in as Ambassador to Poland in June 2004 and served until February 2009. During the Conference of Mayors' 2007 Mayoral Mission to Poland, Ambassador Ashe accompanied the delegation to the Presidential Palace to meet with President Lech Kaczynski.

During that meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation had a productive exchange with the President. His strong intellect and convictions, strength of character, and fierce patriotism were, as always, evident. The U.S. mayors also shared observations with the President about his having been a mayor himself, enjoying the President's remarks about his tenure as mayor of Warsaw, elected in 2002 and serving until 2005.

Poland is a country that produces giants of science, literature, music, politics, economics, and all other areas-- Jozef Konrad Korzenlowski (Joseph Conrad), Ignacy Paderewski, Maria Sklodowska (Madame Curie), Fryderyk Chopin. Adam Micklewicz, Zbigniew Brzeziinski, Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), and countless others.

Lech Kaczynski, teacher, thinker, scholar, visionary, organizer, public servant, patriot, Mayor of Warsaw, and President of Poland, will be always respected remembered, and revered for his unflinching and dedicated service to his people, to his city, and to his country.

The United States Conference of Mayors joins with Poland and the world in mourning the tragic loss of the national military, political, and economic leaders of Poland, of Maria Kaczynski, the First Lady of Poland, and of President Lech Kaczynski.

###

Released to American and International Press, Mayor Ryszard Grobelny, Mayor of Poznan, Poland and President, Polish Cities Association and Warsaw Mayor Hanna Growkiewicz-Waltz

Executive Director's Column

2010-04-02T08:29:00.003-04:00

April 2, 2010

Washington (DC)

Tenacity, Strength, Courage – Leadership

“We will go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we will parachute in.”

Who said this? General George Patton in World War II? Field Marshall Montgomery, leading the British Forces? General DeGaulle leading the French resistance to recover France from the Nazis?

None of the above.

The quote is from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The last sentence of the quote reads, “But we are going to get health care reform passed.”

She never gave up. Her healthcare legislation had passed the House on November 7. The Senate passed it on December 24 after a month of debate.

On January 19, the Washington political world was turned upside down with the election of Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts to replace Senator Ted Kennedy, thus denying Democrats the 60 votes needed for a supermajority.

Washington seemed stymied on the healthcare bill after Scott Brown was elected. Press reports and political observers also indicated thatthere was wavering on the health care legislation from some in the White House and Congress.

But Speaker Pelosi never wavered. It seems that after the going got tough, she was the toughest. The daughter and sister of both Mayor D’Alesandros, Tommy Jr. and Tommy III, then made the “we will go through the gate” statement.

And while it is true that President Obama hit the road and called and met with over 60 members, and he deserves credit, it is Speaker Pelosi who stood at that critical moment and gave the leadership what they needed to go forward to victory.

Time and time again, she has stood with our mayors and our cities. She has been with us on key urban programs from day one. And working with Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer in 2007, she supported and pushed our energy block grants. She said at our Winter Meeting she supports multi-year funding for our energy block grants.

We need more leaders like her. If you have the votes, and she can count, she is willing to go for it one way or the other. She wants to get things done.The mayors once again thank her for her leadership and we know we can count on her during one of the most turbulent periods in our history.

Words of Hate

During the House vote, while some were celebrating, others, including me, were disturbed, and I still am as the rhetoric of hate continues from both the right and left and even from some moderates. Civil debate is whatmakes America the open democratic country it is. But we have to be careful in the power that many elected people have with one fringe group or another because the “nutwings” are out there. There are too many guns in this country just out there, unaccounted for, and in the hands of those who might snap and start shooting at people and we could have more bloodshed.

Since 1963, and the mood of Dallas at that time, forewarned by attacks on Adlai Stevenson, my mind went back there as I watched TV covering the verbal abuses hurled at Congressman John Lewis and the spitting upon Congressman Cleaver, the former Mayor of Kansas City.

Two things that we have now that we didn’t have in years past, more guns in the hands of criminals, mentally ill, and youth. Plus we have 24/7 television that repeats, and repeats, and repeats which drives some people to do strange, mysterious and deadly things. It’s scary. It’s not a dream. Violence in America is not a bad dream. You don’t wake up when it’s over and it’s gone. You wish you could but you can’t. Violence, guns, and yes – hate, still exist in America. We must talk about it. We must discuss it with our children and our grandchildren. And we must hold our elected officials up to condemn and take action. It’s not to be tolerated, or laughed at, or excused.

What we need is a Summit on Civility and Tolerance. What a great country! What a weak country if we let one small group or any elected individual or any other leader to endorse lawless violence against another citizen in this nation. While we are going through whatever we are going through right now with the tea party, the coffee party or any other party of any other liquid we drink, kool-aid, coca-cola, lemonade, beer, vodka, black jack, bottled or even tap water... let’s all condemn violence and threatening language and just hope that the country cools down and nobody gets killed.

Executive Director's Column

2010-03-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

March 19, 2010

Washington, DC

FCC - Local Decisions/Local Budgets

Last year, when ARRA, the stimulus package was passed, the legislation contained a provision calling for the Federal Communications Commission to come forth with a national broadband plan to speed up deployment, confront the digital divide, and provide high speed internet access to seven million homes that don’t have it now.

These are national goals supported through the years by the United States Conference of Mayors. The digital divide issue, making sure all citizens have access, was a big issue when President Clinton was in The White House. And it was our beloved late President, Dearborn Mayor Mike Guido who constantly kept this issue on our political radar screen.

The FCC national broadband plan was born in the national discussion to create jobs and strengthen our economy along with deployment and digital divide issues.

All these goals are well and good but over the past few months there were substantiated reports that the FCC national broadband plan, to be submitted to Congress this week, would limit local government rights-of-way authority. And further, information leaked out that the FCC would recommend imposing a less than fair market value as the standard for fair and market and reasonable rights-of way.

Through this period it has been difficult for us to understand the FCC process. It has lacked transparency that the Administration demanded of stimulus spending. And in light of the possible economic devastation limitations on our franchise fees, local government officials across the board, and staff have been hitting the FCC, The White House, and Congress hard on the economic consequences of imposing limitations on our local decisions. Surveys have shown millions of dollars would be lost for our local budgets. And our position has been that this is the wrong policy at the wrong time due to the worst national recession since the Great Depression. All this, again, comes from a so-called national plan written by someone, somewhere, who may or may not have an inkling as to the economic consequences to local budgets of so many governments faced with lay-offs and reductions of basic services.

We are pleased to report that the concern has been alleviated for the time being due to the fact that the FCC plan chose not to recommend this week detrimental changes affecting local government decisions to our local rights-of-ways which would have had a devastating effect on our already challenged budgets due to the possibility of huge losses of our franchise fees.

While we are pleased at this juncture this week, we must be even more vigilant as we monitor what Congress will do with this plan written by the FCC staff. Our issues seem to still be alive due to the fact that this FCC plan calls for the establishment of a task force of state, local, and tribal authorities to draft guidelines for rates terms and conditions for access to public rights-of-way. The establishment of such a task force is troubling in that as a membership organization representing a multitude of local governments that differ in so many ways, one thing is clear. It’s a local government’s right to establish their market rate on their property. It’s not a task force in Washington, DC or FCC staff that is responsible for running a city or country in these perilous economic times.

We are united in this effort with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties. Together, we will continue to monitor the FCC and Congress on this most serious matter as we go forward representing the interests of mayors and cities throughout the nation.

President Kautz/Large Urban Counties

Conference President Kautz joined with the Large Urban County Caucus of the National Association of Counties last week as she attended meetings and addressed LUCC seeking partnership and coalition on a number of issues. Primarily, President Kautz is emphasizing the need for the urban counties and mayors to create local-metro coalitions to persuade Congress to provide more balanced transportation legislation as we face the mammoth transportation bill in front of us. President Kautz continues to point out that the traffic in our metro areas is not getting any better anywhere. She raises the serious question of metro officials being cut out or not involved in the billions of dollars that continue to go to state highway departments.

President Kautz has had experience on metro partnerships in her own Twin Cities-Minnesota metro area and her voice comes with a high degree of credibility. She will continue to stress the need for Congress to move the transportation funding needle more toward metro areas of cities and urban counties.

Mayor Palmer/Jobs/Morial-National Urban League

Past President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer appeared before the special hearing on jobs and the Miller, Local Jobs for America Act, legislation before members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC has been very much in the news over the past week as they met with President Obama expressing concern about joblessness in America.

The Miller bill, endorsed by The U.S. Conference of Mayors weeks ago, is continuing to gain support. There were four panels on this special day on this issue March 17. Mayor Palmer’s panel included Marc Morial, President and CEO of National Urban League, Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO of NAACP, and others.

Last week the Miller bill was rolled out in a national electronic press conference with Conference President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz pledging our total support. It is our hope that once, and we hope soon, the healthcare issue is dealt with, we can focus on the Miller legislation which is a true jobs bill as compared to so many pieces of legislation that are being rolled out with the “jobs” label but do not have direct funding for our cities and counties.

Energy Block Grants/Department of Energy Partnership

Mayors are frustrated with statements coming from the Department of Energy and others in the Administration who seemed to be confused as to the question of whether or not city governments have actually received energy block grant program funds.

At our recent Leadership Meeting here in Washington, February 24 - 25, Executive Committee and Advisory Board members requested President Kautz to seek a meeting with Energy Secretary Chu. Today, we have 1,017 USA mayors within our Climate Center who have signed the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Mayors want a partnership with the Federal Government. The green jobs/climate centered issue is today a top priority of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. The issue is not going away. Indeed, it will grow as we all realize that there is economic activity creating green jobs that will increase. Again, mayors want a partnership with the Federal Government. It’s that simple. We look forward to building the partnership as we go forward. It is most important.

Executive Director's Column

2010-03-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

March 5, 2010

Washington, DC

Kautz Leads Mayors Back to Fight for Jobs

Conference President Mayor Elizabeth Kautz led mayors back to Washington to fight for real jobs legislation to provide fiscal assistance and real jobs for our unemployed. Our 2010 Winter Leadership meeting last week is the third time this year President Kautz has been back here in Washington on the issue of jobs asking Washington to wake up and recognize the needs of millions of Americans who just want a job.

On the first day of our Leadership Meeting we went to the Senate side, where Alaska Senator Mark Begich gave mayors almost two hours as he strategized openly with them. He went through the recent announcements of the Senate leadership stating that there will be several jobs bills over the next few months. Each one of the “jobs” bills is labeled in certain categories. There are lists of subjects under each category and it’s not clear with many of these items if these proposed pieces of legislation would actually provide the immediate and direct jobs that are needed in our cities now. The fact is that the Senate actions are hard to follow these days. There’s the food fighting we have had with the healthcare legislation that the American people do not understand. There’s the announcement of a large jobs bill. Then there’s the sudden announcement by Majority Leader Reid that there will not be a big jobs bill, instead it will be several smaller jobs bills. And they have announced that all the legislation that now comes from the Senate will be called a jobs bill. So we have to read beyond the label.

While there is confusion about the legislation and the timetable in the Senate, one thing is true and perfectly clear. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska is the best urban Senator since Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota who was a boy mayor of Minneapolis at age 30 before he became a legend in the Senate giving his creative energy for mayors and cities. Senator Begich continues, in open meetings and closed meetings, to be an advocate for cities. Senators are talking about Senator Begich, about how his voice, mind and actions, in just a few months, a little over a year are helping bring some common sense to the Senate as to what cities mean to this great nation. Anchorage has sent Mr. Begich to Washington. He hasn’t forgotten Anchorage. And he hasn’t forgotten his brothers and sisters, the mayors of this nation, the cities, and above all the people they serve.

Miller Jobs Bill is Real

On the House side, President Kautz led a group to meet with Congressman George Miller where he briefed them on a real jobs bill he will soon roll out. The Miller bill would provide funds in a distribution structure that is identical to the very successful and popular CDBG program. Hence the cities with a certain population would receive funds direct and not through the states. Mayors could use the money for hiring people or mayors could use the money for job retention to save jobs and avoid future layoffs. Nonprofit funding coordinated through the mayor’s office could also be funded.

Congressman Miller told the mayors that heavy lifting from the mayors will be needed if the bill will succeed. The mayors gave support and were pleased to find someone that was offering a real jobs bill that they could understand.

The next day mayors met en masse with our friend, Philadelphia Congressman Chaka Fattah. The mayors talked to him about the unfortunate situation we now have with the Department of Energy and our new energy block grants. The mayors are concerned that the Department has no history with administering block grants to cities. After a frank, open, and direct discussion, Congressman Fattah pledged his help.

Congressman Fattah also briefed the mayors about the Miller jobs bill that was the subject of the Kautz meeting with Miller the day before. Congressman Fattah introduced Dr. Gordon Lafer, Senior Labor Policy Advisor to the Committee on Education and Labor, who outlined the features of the bill and he got an enthusiastic response and all mayors pledged their support.

Small Business

President Kautz also presented to the mayors, for the first time, Small Business Administrator Karen G. Mills for the purpose of discussing how the SBA can assist small businesses access credit. Since the economic downturn began in September of ’08, mayors have been fully aware of the economic damages to small businesses on Main Street America. Mayor Kautz announced she will be working closely with Administrator Mills as mayors continue to push Washington to focus on the serious challenges small business continues to face.

Healthcare Dominates/End in Sight?

For months now President Obama’s primary focus has been on healthcare. The number one priority of the American people and mayors is jobs, jobs, jobs, above any other issue. The day after the mayors left town, President Obama held eight hours of televised discussions on health care with Democratic and Republican members of Congress. President Obama is trying to break the gridlock. As U.S.Mayor goes to press, President Obama is speaking from the White House with doctors dressed in their hospital whites standing beside him in the White House demanding action now, saying everything that needs to be said about healthcare has been said, and he wants action now.

There is strong feeling here that President Obama will use the reconciliation process, which will require a majority vote, and then end this discussion with an up or down vote. President George W. Bush used the process to get his tax cut legislation. So it’s doable. We are all waiting for the posturing to end and for an up or down vote. Again, it’s hard to follow; it’s unpleasant to follow, and people throughout America want it to end soon.

Meantime, mayors will keep pushing Congress on legislation for jobs. We will keep coming back to Washington until Washington acts. As we go forward on the Miller bill and the Senate bills, we will need your help. Pay close attention to our emails and action requests. Mayors are united more than ever and together we can make it better for our cities and for so many people throughout America who are out of work and all they are asking for is a job – now.

Executive Director's Column

2010-01-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

January 29, 2010

Washington, DC

Washington and Jobs for People Who Want to Work

Following our Seattle Leadership Meeting last Fall and through October, November, and December, The United States Conference of Mayors has had up front on our political screen…jobs, jobs, jobs.

As the President of The Conference of Mayors, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz led a group of mayors to The White House on October 27 2009 to discuss the mayors’ recommendations. In those meetings the theme emerged that across our nation people without jobs were demanding action. Mayors registered deep unhappiness in the people they meet every day wanting work. Mayors can’t run or hide. America’s mayors are engaged with people, more so than any elected officials on earth.

The House acted on a jobs bill on December 16, 2009. We commended Speaker Pelosi and House Leaders at that time for including our priorities and indicated our concern that there was no money for energy, green jobs, no change in the way regular highway money is distributed, and no TIGER transportation grants.

We then moved to the Senate and throughout the Fall, my Chief of Staff, Ed Somers and a top USCM staff team here in Washington have worked the Senate side for the past three months as the Senate tried to decide what it might do, or not do, for millions who want to work.

The election of maverick Republican Senator Scott Brown has turned Washington on its head. Suddenly Washington is also saying it’s jobs, jobs, jobs. It’s amazing what one election can do.

And during our Winter Meeting, after mayors met with the appropriate Chairs and Senate Leaders, a jobs bill has begun to unfold. At least we can say now the Senate will act. Our challenge and task will be to continue to follow up to make sure there is a more balanced funding of transportation funding, funds for green jobs through energy block grants, TIGER transportation grants and increased Summer youth funds.

78th Winter Meeting

Conference of Mayors President Elizabeth Kautz, standing with mayors from across the nation, united, unveiled the 2010 New Metro Agenda. Adopted by our leadership on January 6, this Metro Agenda leads with the demand that the Senate act, and act now, to pass a jobs bill at the top of our demands.

Our meeting in The White House was totally dedicated to the jobless economy. The day began with a session moderated by Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, between Mayors and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and Dr. Larry Summers, Director of the White House's National Economic Council. It was a frank discussion as we work with The President and his advisors on strategies to bring economic activity back to Main Street America, back to small businesses, and above all produce jobs for so many Americans.

Following the session moderated by Ms. Jarrett, Vice President Biden, and President Obama came out and after the Vice President introduced the President and set the meeting up, there was an honest give and take discussion between President Obama and our mayors. The President gave us insight into how his first year has progressed and he is quite aware of the unemployment rates in so many of our cities and it is a priority of his and of his Administration.

A special thanks to David Agnew, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and to Ed Somers, my Chief of Staff, who worked hard and worked together with President Kautz and me to design a Winter Meeting providing open discussion with the Obama Administration at the Capital Hilton and inside The White House.

Alaska Senator Begich

We are lucky and most fortunate to have a mayor in the Senate who has become our mayors’ voice in the Senate. Through this period as the Senate Jobs Bill was being developed, Senator Begich has been there for us.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

The sister of a mayor, the daughter of a mayor – the girl from Baltimore and now The Speaker of The House continues to prove that the nation’s mayors have as their friend, The Speaker of The House. The moment she became Speaker, Past President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer and I and other mayors met with her as she endorsed our 2007 Ten Point Plan which called for energy block grants to state and local governments to produce green jobs. At our Winter Meeting she said that she supports funding now and multi-year funding for the energy block grants that will produce green jobs and provide so much to get us out of this recession. She commended our new President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz for her leadership in presenting the 2010 Metro Agenda and the Speaker pledged her strong consideration as we all work together to do what we can to bring economic recovery to Main Street and jobs to people who want to work.

Next Steps – President Kautz Leads Campaign

During and after the Winter Meeting, mayors commended our new President, Mayor Kautz, for cutting back on the long speeches from our podiums to provide more dialogue, more questions from the floor, more give and take, more questions and answers. President Kautz is determined to follow through and work with us as we provide in all of our meetings more conversations from mayors. Mayors speak out so often in their own cities. But when they come together as they did at this Winter Meeting and when they are given the opportunity to speak, and to coalesce, it is a magical power that cannot be dismissed. The mayors left united and they will follow President Kautz as we go forward.

Where are we? The President’s State of the Union is a reset button for Congress to act on a jobs bill. Still, there is work to be done. President Kautz went home, turned around and came back this week to present our 2010 Metro Agenda to 12 Senators as Senate Majority Leader Reid convened and requested our President to come and present our recommendations. She was a powerful witness as she gave your demands quite forcibly to the Senate Leader and Senators assembled.

And so the campaign for Main Street recovery and jobs continues during the worst recession we have had since the Great Depression. 78 years ago mayors came together during the most difficult times to fight for jobs. Now in 2010, it’s a different world in so many ways but there’s one thing that remains as true in 2010 as it was in 1932 – the fact is if you are out of work and you want a job your mayor knows it. In 1932, mayors knew they had to confront Washington. They came here. They did it. They formed our great organization, and we’ve been here ever since. Today, President Kautz and the nation’s mayors once again rise up to bring the message to Washington that Main Street and the thousands who live in our metro areas want to get up every day and go to work.

While we have seen signs of progress toward the passage of a Senate jobs bill, President Kautz and our mayors are not taking anything for granted. She is bringing mayors back to Washington next month and the next month until Washington acts. She will need your help and from what I saw, heard, and felt at this Winter Meeting, mayors have united behind her and together we will demand and get the response and action we need for our cities and our people.

Executive Director's Column

2009-10-26T17:39:00.002-04:00

In Trenton this week on the night of October 20, Mayor Douglas Palmer launched a historical initiative, “Trenton First.” Hundreds gathered to hear Mayor Palmer and President Clinton. Mayor Palmer’s non-profit will encourage grass roots efforts and citizen action to make Trenton a sustainable city. Mayor Palmer says that his experience with the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center, our USCM Climate Protection Agreement signed by over 1000 mayors, The C-40 Large Cities Summit, and the Clinton Global Initiative have all given him energy and vision to create this Trenton non-profit.

It was a special evening in Trenton to witness the trust, respect, and yes, love, that these two men have for each other. President Clinton told of how Mayor Palmer was “ahead of the curve” on a recent tour to Africa, and gave him his vision on green initiatives for Trenton. President Clinton said he would support Mayor Palmer “for the rest of my natural born days.” So that means that President Clinton for sure will, among other things, help Mayor Palmer continue to raise money for “Trenton First.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter also joined in to come to Trenton to congratulate his neighbor Mayor Palmer on the launch of “Trenton First.” Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage along with a strong delegation of New Jersey mayors attended the ticketed event. Thousands of dollars were raised for the launch and Mayor Palmer let the crowd know that he will work on this initiative and support it for the rest of his new life, after his term ends as Trenton’s mayor next year.

We all know that Mayor Palmer has done so much to push the green agenda forward. When Congresswoman Pelosi became Speaker Pelosi, Mayor Palmer and I took his “10 Point Plan” to the Speaker. The number one priority of the “10 Point Plan” was the creation of the Energy Block Grants program, which is now a reality.

As Mayor Palmer has been active nationally, he has now transformed his vision into action and he has given to his historic city of Trenton a gift, “Trenton First,” that will be a catalyst toward a green and sustainable city.

The other thing that must be mentioned is that Mayor Palmer is providing leadership in a city like Trenton. This is not Seattle, Boulder, or Minneapolis. It is a city with diverse neighborhoods, and joblessness is a factor. It has been a challenge from day one to sell the climate change issue and saving polar bears to challenged communities with unemployment. Mayor Palmer’s creation “Trenton First” is a best practice that we hope other mayors will consider.

President Clinton said that Palmer’s “Trenton First” is historic and challenged us at the Conference of Mayors to encourage and promote this best practice to other cities who have signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Unemployment Up

As we learned in our recent leadership meeting in Seattle, joblessness is raging in many of our cities. As directed, we have a survey in the field to provide a national report on unemployment in cities across the Nation. We need this information and we will use it strategically as many groups are discussing among themselves and with Obama officials the need for emergency relief from the current unemployment condition in hundreds of cities. The stimulus money is out there, but unemployment continues to rise in so many areas. This is a challenge for all of us. The mayors feel and see the pain when a person loses his or her job. When members of Congress start running for re-election next year, a few months from now, they will be forced to deal with it. When incumbent Senators face re-election they will have to deal with it. Some of the mayors races now are showing visceral reaction to joblessness. Voters aren’t happy. Incumbent Members of Congress are lucky they don’t have to face voters this year. But they will soon and they will be forced to provide real jobs as 14 states have over 10 percent unemployment rate now. And if a state has a 10 percent rate, our cities unemployment rates will be much higher.

In Washington this week, Administration Officials have begun to discuss how many jobs have been created or saved under the $787 billion stimulus program. The President has a goal of creating 3.5 million by the end of this year.

And every now and then, some economists say that the current recession, the worst since the Great Depression, “is over.” Many have begun to say it’s a jobless recovery. Some say that Wall Street is recovering. But we know that Main Street is suffering. Addressing hundreds of mayors in Chicago at last month’s Illinois Municipal League meeting, Mayor Daley said that Washington keeps saying the recession has ended and then he suggested that they are drinking or smoking something in Washington when they say the recession has ended.

It’s tough for mayors right now. These are hard times. Mayors are being forced to fire and lay off people they know. It’s much more personal especially in the medium-size cities. And yet big city mayors are going through it too.

Thanks for providing us the data and information on your unemployment and local economic conditions. Together, we will continue to present your needs to the Administration and the Congress.

Executive Director's Column

2009-08-10T09:25:00.001-04:00

Washington DC

August 4, 2009

On July 28, one month after our annual meeting, mayors were back – this time, Washington DC, the Senate side of Capitol Hill, meeting with Committee on Environment and Public Works, Chair Barbara Boxer about the Senate Climate Bill providing funds for energy block grants to cities.

USCM Vice President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Past President Mayor Douglas Palmer of Trenton, Energy Chair Mayor Miguel Pulido of Santa Anna, Mayor James Baker of Wilmington, Mayor Chris Bollwage of Elizabeth, Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, Mayor Tim McDonough of Hope, Mayor Brian Stratton of Schenectady, and Mayor Brain Wahler of Piscataway.

In meetings with Senator Boxer, she gave the mayors every reason to know that her bill will contain language in it providing a share of funds that will go directly to cities and counties with a distribution system as contained in The U.S. Conference of Mayors Energy Block Grant Program.

Mayors present in the meeting with Senator Boxer gave our organization’s pledge of support to bring mayors back to town in September. Further, mayors pledged to reach out to key Senators during the August recess. September 28 is the date Majority Leader Reid has charged all committees to be done with their final say on the historic climate legislation.

No question, the Senate floor vote will be close. We must give our total attention to the Senate Climate Bill. Senate action is a must if we are going to have our language in the bill because the House-passed climate bill does not provide direct funding to cities. The House would give billions to the states to spend on climate protection as they see fit. Today we have over 950 cities poised and ready to create green jobs and retrofit our cities to help our nation attain its climate protection goals.

Every mayor is aware of the amount of money he or she is getting under the Energy Block Grant Program as contained in the recovery act, ARRA. But ARRA is a one shot deal. We must have sustainable funding for our new energy block grants. That’s why language providing such is so important. We need your help as we go forward. The political atmosphere of Washington presents the feeling that if we do not get this climate bill now, we may never get it. Next year’s congressional elections may bring changes. We must use this moment to do everything in our power to continue our energy block grants. This bill would provide sustainable funding for forty years. We must not lose this opportunity. Stay close to us as we go forward. And plan to be with us as we call mayors, at the request of Senator Boxer, to come to Washington in September to continue our efforts as we head for a floor vote in the Senate this Fall.

The National Urban League

President and CEO Morial and President Nickels

National Urban League President and C.E.O. Marc Morial provided strong leadership at the 99th Annual National Urban League in Chicago this past week. Conference President Greg Nickels gave a powerful speech to thousands assembled. President Nickels echoed his inaugural remarks last month in Providence as he continues to call for a new deal for cities in America. With great credibility having founded our USCM Climate Protection movement, Nickels urges the Senate to pass the Climate Bill and he urges that provisions for our energy block grants be contained in the Senate Bill.

Following his major address, I had the opportunity to participate in a green jobs panel sponsored by Wal-Mart during the sessions in Chicago.

The meeting ended with a black-tie gala honoring among others, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Marc Morial, President and C.E.O. of The National Urban League continues to push his organization in partnership with ours. The history of The National Urban League and The United States Conference of Mayors is strong and deep. Today, it is important we have a former mayor and President of The Conference of Mayors running the organization. Marc Morial doesn’t forget where his father came from. Both his father Ernest “Dutch” and Marc Morial were outstanding Presidents during some perilous times of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. Today, Marc Morial continues to manifest bold leadership. And together The National Urban League and The U.S. Conference of Mayors will be a strong coalition for a new metro/urban policy for our future. The stars are lined up. Leadership, bold leadership, will be needed if we are to enact and transform the current status quo funding mechanisms that ignore the strength of our metro economies. We will continue to strengthen this partnership and to work in a collaborative political effort as we work to streamline the federal/city funding mechanisms into a more efficient way of keeping our metro-economies strong.

Thank your Marc. Thank you Rhonda Spears Bell. A great meeting – and we look forward to the 100th Centennial Celebration of The National Urban League next July right here in Washington, DC.

Happy Birthday Mayor Goodman

On Friday July 31st Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, “The Happiest Mayor in the Universe” celebrated his 70th Birthday. Las Vegas turned out to pay tribute to the Mayor at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas in Las Vegas style. Mayors from all over had sent letters, emails, and cards. It was a birthday event that raised money for charities that will long be remembered. We salute Mayor Goodman and First Lady Carolyn. We thank him for his leadership and his personal contribution to our United States Conference of Mayors. From the nation’s mayors and our Conference staff team we say – Happy Birthday to Oscar Goodman, The Happiest Mayor in the Universe!

Executive Director's Column

2009-05-11T09:32:00.002-04:00

Energy Block Grants Deadline June 25, Get on it! - New Stimulus Money
June 25 is the deadline for applications for mayors and their cities to apply for the funds that have been approved for your city. While the Department of Energy is sending out notices and we have published the city allocations in U.S. Mayor, recent inquiries and reports cause me concern that mayors and cities might not be aware of this new $2.6 billion Energy Block Grant that we fought for, and won, to be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill passed by Congress.
I recognize you are getting a number of emails each week. Still, I call your immediate attention to the application deadline of June 25 for the Energy Block Grant funds that are provided to you as a result of our efforts.

For further information about the application process please contact Debra DeHaney-Howard at ddehaney@usmayors.org or 202.861.6702.

New Jersey – Environmental Leadership
At the annual New Jersey Conference of Mayors luncheon on April 30, I addressed the mayors following New Jersey Governor Corazine’s remarks. Governor Corazine is going through hell with budget issues and he does his best telling his mayors that they will survive the economic pains suffered by all. Governor Corazine reminded the 400 assembled that the largest solar powered building in the United States is in Atlantic City. As he spoke I came afterwards with observations about New Jersey sparked by the Governor’s comment.
New Jersey, to the average person, isn’t exactly perceived to be one of the greenest states in the Union. But so much comes from the state with environmental leadership and stewardship of our planet.

The “brownfield” movement we started with the Clinton Administration and reached its success when New Jersey Governor Christie Todd-Whitman joined with other Republicans to get support to sign the brownfields bill in 2001. The mayor who led us in the beginning and continues to lead was Elizabeth, New Jersey Mayor Christopher Bollwage.

When Trenton, New Jersey Mayor Doug Palmer became our President, he developed, with our help, the “Mayors 10 Point Plan.” Again a New Jersey leader, Mayor Palmer, led the way. Palmer made the Energy Block Grant the number one issue as he bonded and partnered with Speaker Pelosi and we prevailed with a lot of hard work from many, authoring the $2 billion Energy Block Grant Program.

It was New Jersey again who responded when Mayor Palmer worked with Senator Bob Menendez to be our champion for the new Energy Block Grants with in the Senate Energy Committee and to all members. New Jersey also gave us Mayor Frank Lautenberg who helped with the appropriations process.

Our relationship with the New Jersey Conference of Mayors continues, and every time I turn around I find new environmental leadership from New Jersey.

Most recently, our friend Lisa Jackson was named by President Obama to head the Environmental Protection Agency. She’s New Jersey too, having served as the state’s EPA Director.

Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler, our Membership Chair, was elected President of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. And our great friend Hope, New Jersey Mayor Tim McDonough heads the New Jersey League of Cities.

The passage of the Energy Block Grant would not have been possible with out the leadership of New Jersey. We thank them for their vision, their leadership and we will stay close and take care of these special relationships – so important for the fight that looms to continue the Energy Block Grant funding when the stimulus money runs out.

Disarmament – 2020 Abolition Nuclear Weapons
In New York at The United Nations this week, we were fortunate to have two outstanding mayors, Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, along with Hiroshima Mayor Akiba to continue to join with other mayors from across the globe as mayors throughout the world pressure their Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of State to abolish all nuclear weapons by 2020. Mayors were there from many countries around the globe.
Survivors of the Hiroshima bombing of 1945 spoke. We are reminded that bombs are dropped on cities to kill millions. Dropping bombs in the rural areas is a waste of ammunition. People who lived through the atomic bombs we dropped on Hiroshima are reminders. They usually start off talking about what they were doing on the August 6, morning at 8:15 a.m. It is usually a city activity.

The simple message in New York at the Mayors for Peace meeting is that we need to abolish all nuclear weapons so that the USA or other countries won’t drop them on cities anywhere in the world.

Mayor Plusquellic is Vice Chair of Mayors for Peace. The organization will be with us in Providence along with Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, Chair of Mayors for Peace. Other Mayors for Peace meetings are planned and we will continue to be present. We have strong policy supporting these activities adopted in Los Angeles at our 75th Meeting.

Obesity – Healthy Cities
In Washington this week, I had the privilege of sitting with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President and CEO, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey at a special dinner honoring mayors and local officials. Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey was the keynoter and she told all of us that the leadership against obesity among U.S. adults and children is today in our cities and counties in America. While we have the most obese adults and children in the world, it is a fact that our children are taking in fewer calories than just a few years ago. She makes a strong point about the grocery stores in our cities. In D.C. she goes neighborhood by neighborhood citing high numbers of grocery stores in the wealthy areas and still just one in the lowest income neighborhood. With no grocery stores, that means high calories and nutritionless food in other places of businesses other than grocery stores with fish, vegetables, and fruit. We are lucky to have such a leader as Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey who understands what our cities and our mayors are doing today. We thank her and what she and her foundation is doing to provide us the opportunity to lead the nation in our continuing struggle against the obesity epidemic in our nation.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman received national awards for their efforts. Conference Vice President Elizabeth Kautz presented the award to Mayor Newsom.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett addressed the group too. He is internationally recognized for putting Oklahoma City on the path to overall weight loss and preventive health care.

Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp died this week. He was THE compassionate conservative. He liked mayors. He was most comfortable with all Americans. He firmly believed that every American should have an opportunity to be a part of the American dream. When he came to speak to us so many times you could feel that he was happy to be there. He wanted to be there. And he was like Hubert Humphrey, a happy warrior in politics. I recall one night flying back from Africa with him and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. We laughed and traded stories. And we traded ideas. Some were lost in the evening and some became reality. He was a Republican who loved cities and our people. Today the Republican Party needs ideas and something to be happy about. His obituaries come as Governor Jeb Bush and others start a listening tour to build a new Republican party. Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough has come out with a book. Too bad Kemp is not here. He would add so much, they need more than Rush Limbaugh. Jack Kemp did his part; he gave new bold ideas for his party and he was the true compassionate conservative of this nation. We need more like him.

Jack Maltester – Our 27th President
Former San Leandro President Jack Maltester died last Friday. He was my first USCM President 1969-70. That was 40 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. He was an ardent Jack Kennedy Democrat and yet he knew how to work both sides of the aisle. Early on in the Nixon transition period he was leading the way to support the original CDBG program, the establishment of EPA, General Revenue Sharing and CETA programs. There were billions of dollars being infused directly into cities, which surpasses even the direct funding amounts we have today with the current stimulus.

The Vietnam War in 1971 had divided the nation to abject hostility that produced thousands of people in the streets of American cities on a regular basis. It was the small town mayor from San Leandro who brought a resolution to our 1971 Philadelphia meeting calling for President Nixon to withdraw troops in Vietnam. The resolution failed on a first vote in the USCM Resolutions Committee. He immediately chided the big city mayors and called them out in public. It was a defining moment of leadership I’ll never forget. He then, after his passionate speech, called for a revote and the resolution passed the Resolution Committee. The next day the body of mayors stood with him, including Mayor Richard J. Daley, and for the first time in history the nation’s mayors had voted against their President’s decision and a war. This was all pre-Watergate. President Nixon was strong. Maltester stood up and again the leadership of a smaller city mayor helped turn the nation around. Forty years later we still have scars from what the Vietnam War has done to our country. Healing began though, and Maltester’s leadership helped start it by what he did that June day in 1971 at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia.

Mayor Maltester’s memorial services will be on May 16, in the City Hall of San Leandro. I will be there representing you as his city and all of us say goodbye to a great mayor and a true leader as President of the Conference of Mayors.

Providence - 77th Annual Meeting, June 12-16
Register now. Providence, Rhode Island is the place you need to be as we move the resources and personnel of the Obama administration to Mayor David Cicilline’s City of Providence.

Contact Carol Edwards now 202-861-747 or cedwards@usmayors.org.

Executive Director's Column

2009-04-27T09:52:00.001-04:00

April is the month in poetry and literature that is about life, green trees, grass and buds flourishing, starting anew after long dark cold winters.

Green too, is the word we use for Earth Day/week and the “green” things we do to protect our environment and our globe, not just this one week, but every week.

April, in recent years, brings the color red. Red for the blood of our men, women, and –yes– innocent children that comes out of their bodies as they are shot by automatic AK47 and other weapons. Violence in America seems to raise its ugly head of death even higher in April.

It was on April 4th 1968 that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in Memphis. Five days later on April 9th we walked behind the mule drawn casket all the way from Ebenezer Church to Morehouse College where Dr. Benjamin Mays said those beautiful words. I sat under a tree with Marlon Brando and Nina Simone.

It was the pretty month of April 1993 when the 80 people, 21 of them children, were massacred in Waco, Texas.

It was April 19th 1995, people were killed after a truck, parked outside the Murray Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City containing 5,000 pounds of fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, was ignited with a fuse. The driver locked the keys inside, lit the fuse and walked away and started to jog. At 9:02 am the entire north face of the building was reduced to dust and rubble. People were there ready to work; children had been dropped off at the day care center. 168 people were killed on the beautiful April day, including 19 beautiful and innocent children.

It was on April 20th 1999, a beautiful day in Colorado, that two students with high-powered firearms embarked on a massacre mission at Columbine High School and killed 12 students, one teacher and significantly wounded 23 others before committing suicide. Following this tragic event on that beautiful day, only the fourth deadliest school massacre in the USA, there was indeed, at least, national conversation. Denver Mayor Wellington Webb was our President; he asked Charlton Heston, the great actor turned gun fanatic, not to come to the National Rifle Association (NRA) meeting in Denver where Heston would raise his rifle over his head. We designed a portable “Wall of Death” like the Vietnam Wall depicting names of victims in 100 cities that were killed by gun violence in America during the year after Columbine. It got attention. It was displayed on the Washington Mall, the Denver City-County Building and at the Stapleton Convention Center in Los Angeles. It all started on an April day in Littleton, Colorado. The conversation lasted for a few months. They even developed and marketed a deadly video game which delves into the beautiful morning of April 20, 1999 and asks for players to relive that day through the eyes of Eric and Dylan the kids that used the deadly weapons, kept in the bedrooms of their homes, as they came to and fro attired in long black coats, and then used the weapons to kill those beautiful children on that beautiful April day in Rocky Mountain high blue sky Colorado in 1999.

It was on another day in April, on the 16th in 2007, at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia that the deadliest single gunman peacetime shooting occurred anywhere in our history. The killer had had some mental challenges before he hit the Hokie campus; he was treated for severe anxiety disorder in middle school, received therapy through high school. While in college he was accused of stalking two women students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia Special Justice. But with his mental issues he purchased a 22 caliber automatic handgun and a 9mm semi automatic Glock 19 handgun. Hundreds of rounds were fired; hundreds of live rounds were found. Thirty-two people were killed that day; many others were wounded and the killer also killed himself. That was April just two years ago.

The violent springtime blood of 2009 started a little early this year. Even before the beautiful month of April, ten innocent people in a church worshiping God and a preacher were killed in Samson, Alabama on March 10. Four police officers were killed in Oakland, eight nursing home residents were shot to death in Carthage, North Carolina, five family members were killed in Santa Clara, California. On April 3, thirteen people teaching and learning to be American citizens were killed in Binghamton, New York. In Graham, Washington five children were killed on April 4, and on the same day of April 4, three police officers were killed in Pittsburgh. And in Miami over the last few weeks twelve members of three families were killed.

This past week in Frederick, a Maryland father shot his wife, his three children, ages five, four, and two. The father, using a small caliber gun, shot the older children, ages five and four, multiple times in their heads; the youngest, age two, received only one shot to the head. After the father shot and killed the children, the Sheriff said the father nearly decapitated the children, cutting their heads almost off with a kitchen knife and pruning saw. Then the father killed himself with a shotgun.

We have a few more days left in April. There will be more. These killings haven’t received the media attention that was given to previous Aprils. There’s a silence about it in 2009. Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has issued a strong statement urging congress and the White House to act. They could begin by banning the sale of AK47 automatic weapons. Police Chiefs and border patrolmen will tell you that the open sale of these weapons provokes more killing and violence.

The “elephant” in the room is the NRA, the National Rifle Association. You have to admire Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. This past weekend he hit the tv talk shows calling for a number of actions from Congress that would help save lives and prevent violence.

It is interesting how contaminated peanut butter gets so much media attention. Two people woke up in California and had stomach cramps and the salmonella scare kept contaminated peanut butter on the radar news screen for months. Paul Helmke, President and CEO of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, former Ft. Wayne Mayor, and former USCM President talks about the news coverage the peanut butter scare has received as compared to the death by guns this spring. Then after the peanut butter scare we read about contaminated pistachio nuts and the dangerous threat contaminated pistachios pose to the lives of Americans.

Mass murders continue this April. The death by guns and violence continues. You have to wonder what it will take to get, at least, some movement on this issue. Maybe it will be more deaths. Aprils are tough for America. Nothing has changed. We had hoped for a little more from Congress, The White House, The Justice Department and the media. Mayors and Police Chiefs speak out, funerals and tributes where flags are folded and given to widows and widowers of police officers and multiple caskets of innocent men, women and children are on display. We see them, we count them, wondering when it will stop. While there is the strange silence, the red blood of America flows due to devastation of death and violence in this April of 2009. There are some common sense gun safety things we can do. But right now even though violence came a little earlier this Spring, and the deaths come stronger than ever, in so many places, Washington is asleep. Washington is deaf to the gunshots. Washington is in denial of the deaths that will continue to come when today so many guns, illegal or legal, are in the hands of youths, the mentally ill, and criminals in America.

Happy Earth Day 2009!

Executive Director's Column

2009-04-22T21:19:00.002-04:00

This week mayors met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. He is a different kind of Education Secretary. He is refreshing in the way he is so fiercely honest about his feelings about mayors being in control of their public schools.

He is very much aware of the challenges some mayors face with a challenged school boards, drop'out rates, demands from unions and state bureaucracies.

He is offering to come out in our cities to help mayors involve their governors to help them with the billions of stimulus dollars that have been sent out to the states for education purposes. During the discussions with him, the mayors’ questions are raised, questions about the new “Race To The Top” initiative. Mayors are learning that there may be no funds from this stimulus program that goes directly to cities or school districts. Secretary Duncan reassures them that applications from states that do not include funding and inclusion of city schools will be rejected. He also offers some hope when the word waiver is mentioned.

In the private meeting, Secretary Duncan wants to know how he can help the mayors. He recalls that former Department of Education calls to his office in Chicago were usually not to assist, but to discuss audits etc. You leave the closed meeting believing that this guy is hell bent to reform the public schools of America. He believes in mayors and is convinced we can do USA school reform with mayors in control.

He comes from the Daley School. We remember like yesterday when Chicago Mayor Daley called me, and all the mayors, to want time at our national meetings to discuss school reform and to promote more mayoral involvement. Mayor Daley was our “biblical” Moses on this issue in that he led the way and nothing would stop him from working night and day to get to the promised land of school reform in the great city, Chicago.

At that time the Chicago public schools were in shambles, the state legislature turned the schools over to Mayor Daley – getting rid of what they thought to be a hot potato. They passed it on over from Springfield and served it up to Chicago. And that’s exactly what Mayor Daley wanted. It was through his sheer determination and laser vision that the Chicago schools were transformed into the example they are today.

After our private meeting this week where Secretary Duncan was quite honest about his position, he spoke openly on the subject in our U.S. Conference of Mayors National Education Forum. With national press attending, he was just as fierce. He reminded me so much of Mayor Daley himself as he spoke on the necessity for mayors to wade in and provide courage and leadership for school reform.

Secretary Duncan is refreshing in this town of Washington. So many are careful about what they say about this or that. It is rare that a Secretary will put his whole career on the line because he knows and believes that true school reform will not happen unless mayors get out there to lead the way in their cities. As Mayor Daley put his political life on the line for school reform, so is Secretary Duncan. And you want him to get it done nationally as Mayor Daley did in Chicago. Secretary Duncan is giving the mayors the commitment that he will be there for them as he encourages them to have political will, political courage, and political leadership on school reform to produce American high school graduates who will be equipped to compete with others across the globe.

This week with Secretary Duncan, we begin a new day, a new year for school reform. He came to us. He is saying to us, “You must do this. I want to help you.” Public schools now move higher on our priority list as we all have something to win because when its all said and done, its about the children, the students who will become the men and women who will make our country what it is to be.

Mayors need to understand that because of the Secretary’s position, the mayors now have a reason to call their school boards and to work together with them to get new money for school reform in their cities from the states. Duncan says he is not approving state plans without innovative city initiatives. We thank Secretary Duncan for his blatant honesty and his determination. We thank him for committing himself as mayors move forward to follow this man who has done it in Chicago – for Chicago’s kids, and now wants to do it in America – for America’s kids.

Energy Block Grants

The Department of Energy announced the city allocations for our new Energy Block Grants and mayors are most pleased with these allocations. We must remember they would not have this money had it not been for the leadership and tenacity of the mayors and staff of The United States Conference of Mayors.

Yesterday, I did a live webcast with Mr. Gil Sperling of the Energy Department. Hundreds of questions came in from all over the nation and Mr. Sperling did an excellent job of answering the many questions that were asked.

We appreciate the new relationship we have with the Department of Energy and we pledge to continue to work with them in a trusting relationship to give us the flexibility we need to develop our Energy Block Grants to truly meet local needs.

USMAYORS.org – Your home in the sky!

Please watch our website, usmayors.org to get updates and the very latest on our new Energy Block grants as well as all of the very latest information on the many streams of funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). If you have any questions or if I can be of assistance to you, please let me know. Again, thanks for your personal contributions and leadership in making the needed energy block grants that must be continued when ARRA expires. We will spend the money wisely. We will have best practices with measurable and positive results. And we will be successful to continue those block grants to meet the goals of our Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, now signed by 935 mayors.

Diaz Blasts Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for Recent Statement on the Arts

2009-03-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

Governor Bobby Jindal had the audacity to say in recent states that arts federal funds have nothing to do with stimulating the national economy. Conference President Diaz has responded. See article.

Click to read article.

WSJ: States, Cities in Tug-of-War Over Stimulus Funds

2009-03-01T18:56:00.000-05:00

I am attaching for all mayors article from Wall Street Journal sent to my attention for all of you from Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Vice President of The US Conference of Mayors.

Click to read the article.

Highway Department Highway Transportation Lists? ARE YOU ON THE LIST?

2009-02-27T10:08:00.002-05:00

HELLO MAYORS! State Highway Department Highway Transportation Lists? ARE YOU ON THE LIST? Demand Now To Know If The State Highway Department Has Your Projects On Their List. LET ME KNOW.

On Friday 20, President Obama and Vice President Biden met with 80 mayors from 39 states in The White House. Before the President and The Veep showed up, we had about 2 hours of give and take with 5 Cabinet officers: Donovan of HUD, LaHood of Transportation, Duncan of Education, Chu of Energy and Holder of Justice.

It was a historic meeting. There was give and take.

Secretary LaHood took a number of question about the challenges mayors face with the transportation funds coming to our metro areas.

On Wednesday before the Mayors met with President Obama and his Cabinet, Secretary LaHood met with the 50 State Highway Directors in The White House. That meeting was not indeed, a good sign.

The imbalance of metro transportation versus regular highway funds does not go away. Today, so different than 20 years ago, it is the cities inside of huge metro economies that are driving the national economy.

It is our hope that "hope and change" will mean more than just hope--- as we embark with the new Administration. Hope never got us a dime. Change will. We have had hope about a modern transportation system for decades. Change started last September after The House passed a stimulus package that did not include transportation funding specifically targeted for metro areas. Mayors did not like what they saw and they bacame active on the next stimulus package, traveling to Washington and meeting with Obama transition teams supporting Senator Obama's vision throughout the Fall and even into December and January as the Obama Transition team put together the Obama package.

When the legislative package was unfolded, we were pleased that some Surface Transportation Program ( STP) funds that will hopefully come to our metro areas were included. Still, its all up to The State Highway Departments and there is universal apprehension over how these allocations are made inside the States once the money is sent to Statehouses.

Billions of highway dollas are now in the field being sent to State Highway Departments. In order for cities to get projects for their metro areas, they have to get on "The State List"

In the meeting with the Cabinet Ofiicers, New Orleans asked the mayors present to raised their hands if they had city projects listed on state lists. Only 4 mayors raised their hands.

Los Angeles Mayor Atonio Villaraigosa has been the strongest advocate for the metro transportation funds. He won't let up. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has been there with him. And in Des Moines, Frank Cownie has been on top of this issue. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson has also been there too as he governs a city-county consolidated government where a modern transportation system in needed for economic

We are documenting the absence of city projects on state list. Conference President Mayor Diaz has asked me to, to ask you to tell me if you have projects on the state lists. We need that information now. I am sending out a memo to you now to get the information. Knowlwdge is power in Washington.

Tell me what's going on. I will tell the truth and maybe the truth will helps us free up more funds from the State Highway Departments direct to you for the benefit of our metro economies and our cities. We must be fierce on this issue.

Billions of dollars are at stake. And if we are going to reach President Obama's goal of 3 million jobs in the 23 months left before his sate of December 31, 2010----we must get this money to our metro areas. Millions of our unemployed citizens are in the metro areas. The potential jobs are there in our density populated areas with small, medium, and large busines operations. The men and women running out cities--The Public CEOs ---- can get President Obama to the promised land of 3 million jobs. Let's continue to be vigilant and keep the pressure on. We can make a difference make it happen--now.

Executive Director's Column

2009-02-03T15:20:00.003-05:00

Mayors came to our 77th Winter Meeting to see and hear their new President, our 44th, Barack Obama be inaugurated.

As they left their cities to travel to our meeting, a mammoth economic recovery stimulus measure was being unveiled.

There was excitement over our new President who campaigned and vowed Hope and Change.
Underneath the gaiety, there was apprehension over our national economic situation, which hits so many cities, and the main streets of America, harder than others. The unemployment numbers continue to rise with layoffs in the thousands and bankruptcy being mentioned as a possibility for some of the giants of American business.

To some mayors, where joblessness has prevailed for so long, the bad news to other cities was not news to them. For years, the Conference of Mayors has called for a national metro-urban policy to make adjustments for hard hit areas.

In January of 2009, it wasnít just a few hard hit cities; it was hitting them all and all mayors were worried.

As the curtain was rising at the opening of our 77th Winter Meeting, the multi billion-dollar stimulus package was unveiled by the House Appropriations Committee. It brought good news to alleviate the concern they had as they entered our Winter Meeting.

Furthermore, our leadership mayors at our opening press conference, led by our President, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, and others, signaled that a new era of partnership where a new President, a new White House, a new Congress would work with governors, county officials, and mayors to do what needs to be done now to get us out of this tragic economic quagmire.

Mayor Diaz brought the good feelings from private meetings we have been having with the Obama Transition Team. Indeed, early on there was concern as to whether or not the new President and his team would bring forth initiatives that would be balanced to include direct funding to all local governments. President-elect Obama had met with governors. The media had emphasized over and over the cash strapped states. And little was mentioned of our cities.
It is to the mayors' credit that they and Conference staff turned the economic recovery legislation with some tilt backs toward the cities and our great metro areas.

Mayor Diaz and other leaders came to Washington, went to Chicago, came back to Washington and went to other sites making the case for direct city funding.

As the mayors gathered for the opening Plenary Session, they heard the Obama team, the new White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, calling on the troops before him to do it right and not mess it up. His hand of partnership was there and his hand of warning too. His tone was perfect for this historic moment when the eyes of the nation will be counting on our White House, mayors and cities to create the good jobs that are needed.

Then came Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama. She is ìof Chicago.î She has worked with Mayors Washington, Sawyer, and Daley. She knows what it is like to have a federal government that is devoid of an Urban-Metro Urban Policy, a state government that ignores the need for balanced transportation programs. We are fortunate to have her as our team leader and coach for the local government presence in the White House with our new President.

We also heard from Cecelia Muñoz, who will be our Director for Inter-Governmental Relations. Muñoz comes with a strong understanding of politics and policy. You need them both in that job. She continues to show a broad understanding of who we are and where we all need to be as we go forward to implement the economic recovery legislation that will soon be signed by the President.

As U.S. Mayor goes to press, we are informed that David Agnew of Charleston, who has worked with Mayor Joe Riley as a staffer and partner on a number of issues, will be the mayors' liaison person in the White House.

We leave the Winter Meeting and we are still in the eye of the storm. The House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, totaling $819 billion. The Senate will act next week. The President signs it. It's the law. The legislative process ends and our work begins.

Facing local government and mayors is the challenge of a century before us. Will we rise up above the partisan bickering and naysayers in Washington and all over the TV world, and prove once more that cities, when called upon, will deliver? Many of you know of our defining moments. It all started back in 1932 when a band of mayors joined with the fearless one, Franklin Roosevelt. This organization was born of that jobless, economically devastated era called "The Great Depression." Together the mayors of yesteryear worked with their new President to move toward recovery.

Today, this young President, Barack Obama, calls on us once more and we are ready.

Mayors welcome this challenge, this opportunity to be a part of the solution to this national economic crisis. As we go forward, I know that our President Mayor Manny Diaz needs your continued support. Together, our headquarters staff will work with you to get this legislation to the Oval Office for President Obama's signature. And then, we will work, and work, and work to get the job done.

Metro Economies Drive the National Economy - Direct Stimulus Funds Needed for Rapid Response

2008-11-14T09:11:00.004-05:00

The Christian Science Monitor is running a story worth reading. I reported in my interview that within our MAINSTREET STIMILUS we advocate that stimulus monies be sent from Washington DIRECTLY to our city and county officials that make up our metro-economies in order for mayors and county officials to move rapidly and immediately to quickly put people to work.

This is important for cities and counties to respond quickly to the deterioration of the job losses that continue to hamper economic activity of our metro-economies that drive the national economy.

Of the ten sectors included in our MAINSTREET STIMULUS, in Community Development Block Grants and Green Jobs Block Grants, the States would directly receive 30 per cent, the 70 per cent balance would come directly come to Cities and Counties that make up our metro-economies. .

The Highway stimulus funds should be distributed through the Surface Transportation Program(STP) which would provide approximately one third of the funds directly to States and the two third balance would go directly to the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) established in 1991 to provide the metro officials to receive federal money to tailor transportation improvements to meet the needs of our metro areas.

All of our proposals are based on laws that have been passed by the Congress. The statutes were approved to allow a fair balance to Cities, Counties and States.

The nation's mayors are in total support for Congress provide our "cash-strapped" States immediately funds totaling billions for medicaid payments (fmap). This is the "pac-man" of State budgets and relief is needed now. Further unemployment benefits in billions must be forwarded to States to assist thousands (240,000 over the last month alone) who have lost their jobs.

We respect the great Governors of our nation and the States of our Union. But with all due respect, we are in a national crisis that calls for a substantial and fair share of jobs and infrastructure funds be sent directly to cities and counties that make up our metro economies now.

Further, in all our MAINSTREET STIMULUS components, the rural areas of America are provided a proportional amount of stimulus funds.

Now, at this critical time, we must recognize the urgency of this national crisis and Congress must send a fair share of stimulus funds to our metro-economies commensurate with the metropolital gross product of the metro-economies that continue to drive our national economy.

Here are the facts. The metro-economies generate 90 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product, 90 percent of our labor income and 86 percent of the nation's jobs. That is why our MAINSTREET STIMULUS is needed now.

Read: The Christian Science Monitor

Mayor Diaz: "Re-Location To D.C. Possible"

2008-11-12T16:30:00.002-05:00

Speculation continues on Diaz Appointment to join Obama Administration.

Read: CBS4 Miami

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, 66th President of The United States Conference of Mayors-eyed for Two Obama Cabinet Posts

2008-11-12T09:01:00.002-05:00

The Washington Post today reports that The United States Conference of Mayors President, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is being considered to have a primary role in President-elect Obama's Cabinet.

Mayor Diaz is mentioned for Homeland Security Secretary or Secretary of HUD. Mayor Diaz is the only person in the political article that is being mentioned for two Cabinet slots.

Read: The Washington Post

Zogby: Jesse Jackson Jr. Leads Field of Obama Senate Successors

2008-11-11T15:45:00.003-05:00

Zogby poll indicates Jesse Jackson Jr leads poll of Illinois voters to replace Senate seat vacated by Pres-elect Obama. In press conference this week in Chicago, Pres-elect said that it was the Governor's call and he was staying out of it.

Congressman Jackson has been out front somewhat campaigning for it

Some press reports have mentioned too-Valerie Jarrett. Her name is everywhere and being mentioned for a number of posts--HUD, White House advisor etc. She knows and understands what a city is. She is of Chicago and has been there with Mayor Daley . I would rather have her somewhere working with cities and our metro economies. Maybe a waste to have her in Senate!

No doubt about it, she was right on during Meet The Press Sunday when she talked about the need for local governments to have the focus of Pres-elect. She has also mentioned this week that there will be a new office in The Obama White House to work with us as we go forward.

Read: Zogby.com

Hispanic Cabinet Members?

2008-11-11T11:56:00.004-05:00

Conference President Mayor Manny Diaz as new Homeland Security Chief or Secretary of HUD? Also mentioned are other Latino leaders that could be a part of the Obama White House and Cabinet.

Read: 44 Blog, WashingtonPost.com

Conference of Mayors President Manny Diaz Future?

2008-11-11T07:33:00.003-05:00

The Latino vote was strong for President-elect Obama. No doubt, many will argue that it made the difference in key states. There are a number of blogs and press reports being circulated concerning how our President-elect will include Latino leaders in our new government.

Conference President Manny Diaz's name is the subject of much speculation. See below the mention of President Diaz being the Secretary of HUD

He is also being mentioned as a possibility for Ambassador or State Department because of his close tie with Latin American political leaders.

As for mayors, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been chosen to be on President-elect National Economic advisory team. Mayor Villaraigosa traveled to Chicago this week to meet with the President-elect and his team.

While all say, Obama will not chose the Cabinet and his core group based on diversity---still the Latino political community will expect that their leaders are of part of the senior team

Below you will find a report of Mayor Diaz that was circulated today.

Read: Miami New Times Blog

Stimulus. Stimulus. Stimulus.

2008-11-07T17:28:00.002-05:00

Washington DC
November 7, 2008

Stimulus. Stimulus. Stimulus. How much? 60 billion? 150 billion? 200 billion? 300 billion? When? During a Lame Duck Session the week of November 17? After President-elect Obama takes the oath on January 20? There’s so much talk and speculation that it’s hard to stay on top of it. The stimulus buzz caused Norm Ornstein of The American Enterprise Institute to say on a C-SPAN panel last night that we are entering a “Cialis” period where we are going to be stimulated for a long time.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has put $60 billion back on the table and says that is a starting point for action before our new president takes office. Other House Leaders and Senators want more now.
Press reports and leaks confirm that President Obama will propose additional stimulus spending after January 20.

So, we could have two major stimulus spending measures enacted over the next four months.

We could have a “down payment” package coming from Pelosi to jump-start the nation order to counter the worsening downturn and rising unemployment. And we could have a bigger stimulus and spending and tax measure after our 44th President takes office. No doubt, all signs and political speculation point to the need for President Obama to move swiftly with bold proposals to calm Wall Street and counter the recession.

We are ready with our “MainStreet Stimulus.” At our leadership meeting in Florida on October 4, Stamford (CT) Mayor Dannel Malloy proposed that we should have a Main Street stimulus for our cities and small businesses on Main Street America. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums echoed Mayor Malloy’s recommendation and there was consensus for us to develop the MainStreet Stimulus proposal. Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, directed me to develop a jobs and infrastructure proposal with short-term “ready-to-go” projects for our cities and metro-economies.

Conference staff and I returned to Washington to do what the mayors told us to do. Using expert information and the best advice we could get, we worked for several days together to develop an $89.9 billion jobs and infrastructure proposal in 10 sectors. It is a balanced plan and would provide federal money to cities, counties, and states. In addition, other measures call for stimulus funding to the states for Medicaid, food stamps, and unemployment benefits.

The MainStreet Stimulus was adopted by our USCM Leadership on a conference call meeting on October 20. On October 29, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, before the House Ways and Means Committee, simultaneously and boldly launched our MainStreet Stimulus before these two powerful committees. Both Past-Presidents did a masterful job and our MainStreet Stimulus proposal was well received.

Since the hearing we have not stopped with meetings on Capital Hill and conversations with allies to gather further support.

What makes the USCM MainStreet Stimulus package different from the $60 billion stimulus package passed by the House and the Senate package receiving 52 votes last month? While we applaud the components of the previous package, we have added three changes. First, we are proposing that a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Green Jobs Energy Block Grant must both be added for Main Street America. Further we are demanding that all highway spending be distributed through the Surface Transportation Program to ensure that local metro officials have the flexibility to tailor needed short-term projects to meet local metro needs. All three of our components give money to Governors. The CDBG and Green Jobs components would provide 30 percent of all funds to the states. Further, the STP Transportation Program provides even more than 30 percent to the states. We assert that Main Street, cities and counties are most capable of starting immediately on ready-to-go projects that will lessen the economic downturn.

To further document our MainStreet Stimulus, Conference President Diaz asked me to conduct a survey across the board to our cities hitting all ten sectors of our MainStreet Stimulus proposal. We will prove we can effectively utilize stimulus funds in short-term deferred maintenance, repair, and reconstruction projects that will meet the test of providing immediate economic relief and jobs for cities, counties, states – and our nation. We will release our survey findings next week and it will be most important as we go forward to Capitol Hill when Congress returns on November 17.

We can also use this information for additional measures President-elect Obama will propose after January 20. A special thanks to all of you as you help us with this survey and continue to give us the ground support we must have when Congress comes back. Next week you must continue to reach out to your Congressional delegations. We have the answer for what they need. The American people are demanding action. We have the answer; it’s our MainStreet Stimulus. We need your help now. Please Help.

6.5 Unemployment Highest in 14 Years

Today’s unemployment announcement of 6.5 percent is the highest in 14 years. 240,000 jobs lost last month and thousands of jobs will be lost before President-Elect Obama takes office on January 20. This worsening situation proves the point that Main Street America needs our MainStreet Stimulus.

President-Elect Obama

We reflect on what Senator Obama’s election means to American and to the World. So much has been said. Not since World War II ended, have we seen such jubilation on the streets of our cities. This wasn’t about a sports event such as winning The Super Bowl or The World Series. It was a political decision made by the American voters that caused thousands to pour onto our streets with sheer joy.

President-Elect Obama won’t have time for a honeymoon or a boxed-in 100 day agenda. The new government is coming at us fast. Rahm Emmanuel is the best choice for Chief of Staff. He was the person behind the congressional victories two years ago. He is fearless and focused. We thank him for giving up so much at this time in his life. He could stay there in Congress and be Speaker of the House. He could be a United States Senator from Illinois. Devoted to his family, all of them will have to sacrifice their time with him because the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States is a 24/7 way of life. None are small measures. The President called. He came. He is a pragmatist and he will help us get things done. President Obama is smart in getting his White House Staff established as his first order of business. They can and will help him during the most challenging economic decisions he has to make now.

There has been a lot of discussion about those who “paved the way” for us to elect an African-American as our 44th President. I must mention the significance to this event that came from the election of the first mayors of African descent. It came from Carl Stokes of Cleveland when he beat a Taft in 1967. Then came Dick Hatcher of Gary, Indiana. And on and on the change, the election of African-American mayors, swept across our cities with the one and only Maynard Jackson of Atlanta and “She Makes Us Proud” Shirley Franklin. The Morials of New Orleans, Bradley of L.A., Wellington Webb of Denver, Washington of Chicago, Dinkins of New York City, and Palmer of Trenton. For the first time, with the election of the African-American mayors, a change in the mindset of many voters of all races began in our great cities through the decades before Senator Obama’s hope and change movement mesmerized us into this defining and historical moment. Today, we are so proud of our new President for our great nation and the world. And today, I pause to reflect and say that the election of all African-Americas played a part. I know that Carl Stokes and Maynard are up there in Heaven with a big smile and thinking they played a small part for America to arrive in 2008 last Tuesday night at 11:00 p.m. when the televisions all over the world witnessed Senator Barack Obama, the son of Kenya and Kansas, being proclaimed and elected to be the most powerful person on Earth.

Mayors Take Conference of Mayors "MainStreet" Stimulus to Congress

2008-10-31T16:43:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday October 29, Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson led the witness list at the powerful House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This Committee designed and packaged the House-passed stimulus in September. And from what Minnesota Chairman Oberstar said in his opening remarks, his Committee will be the main source for the next stimulus package that is expected to be on the House floor after the election next week and before Thanksgiving.

Oberstar was quite strong in his opening remarks as he stated that this Congress would not lament and stand on the sidelines as the economy goes deeper into crisis. He said his Committee would not sit on the sidelines and watch things go downhill. He said as soon as the hearings are over, committee staff will put together the mix of proposals for action after Congress come back to town.

Chairman Oberstar commended Mayor Abramson for his "spirited" presentation.
Jerry Abramson as a wide breadth of experience as Mayor of Louisville and our past President during the Clinton years. He knows how to put allies together for any battle and campaign and he wins because he articulates his vision with brilliant narratives about how things actually work on Main Street America.

Today he has a new metro city, the 16th largest in the nation. The economic activity covers Louisville and Jefferson County. When you talk metro economies, they don't come any better than Abramson. He talks it and he walks it. What he does every day--and he works it 24-7--has significant economic role to both Kentucky and Indiana because his "little ole River City" as he affectionately calls it, sits on the river dividing the two states. His economic footprint includes the economic activity that comes across the bridges of the bordering Hoosiers in several Indiana counties. Over the bridges, they come to Louisville to work, spend money shopping and for cultural, sports and entertainment activities.
Abramson centered on three points--the need for Community Development Block grant funds and the need for a Green Jobs initiative through Energy/Environment Block grants providing immediate funds for short term investments in cities, counties and states. Further, Abramson was adamant about the highway funds being distributed through the current Surface Transportation program to allow maximum flexibility for local elected officials to tailor programs to meet needs at the local level.

Oregon Congressman Fazio explained that the last stimulus, passed in September, would have given all the highway money to the States because it was the consensus that states could activate ready to go projects faster. Mayor Abramson came back at him arguing that cities and counties through the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are ready to go now. He challenged the statement that states could do it faster. He also stressed the need to keep our metro economies strong to keep the national economy from worsening even further in the months ahead.

While Mayor Abramson was at the Transportation and Infrastructure hearing, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer was in the midst of a rather turbulent hearing before the other power Committee--Ways and Means.

Everybody woke up when the Governor of South Carolina, appearing for the Governors, proclaimed the great State of South Carolina didn't need any stimulus money. It was astonishing because all we have heard from every credible economic expert is about the "cash-strapped" states. The phrase "cash-strapped states" have been in so many headlines recently and the images through Governors proclamations of extreme concern gave the Committee Chairman, our friend, NY Congressman Rangel, the opportunity to ask Governor Sanford if the people of South Carolina even needed unemployment benefits. The SC Governor stressed the need to abolish unfunded federal mandates. Gov. Sanford's comments did not jibe with the Governor of New York who is going through hellacious budget issues in Albany. And Governor Corzine, appearing with Abramson in the other Committee was giving total support to an immediate stimulus package.

Mayor Palmer was third to speak. The Governors in their opening statements quoted great poets. When it came time for Palmer to speak, he opened saying he wanted to quote another great poet, Mr. John Lennon of Beatles songwriting fame, wrote, "Help! I need somebody!" It brought great laughter and amusement from the crowd packed Committee hearing room and CNN was running the accounts of this poetic statement before Palmer finished his statement. Doug Palmer was the perfect witness in the perfect and devastating economic storm hitting Main Street USA now. If ever there was a better candidate to talk about our Main Street stimulus, it was the Mayor of Trenton who is going through budget cuts and layoffs now due to the cuts at the State House in Trenton. He is street smart. He knows what is happening on Main Street. He lives with it. Further, his agile and mobile mind and understanding of the nation's mayors needs as an immediate past- president and architect our Mayors 08 Ten Point Plan all served him and all of us well at this most important Congressional Hearing. .

Palmer made the point that our Main Street stimulus package is different from the recent House-passed bill because it contains a CDBG initiative, a Green Jobs initiative and the use of the STP program is a smarter way to invest highways monies.

The nation is now focusing on the election this Tuesday. And the need for the stimulus investment initiative will be front and center when the Congress returns on November 17.

While there is the excitement of a new President, mayors must not lose sight of the work that we must do as we demand the next stimulus package must be the Main Street stimulus package so boldly and well presented by Mayors Abramson and Palmer this week.

Soon all mayors in the nation will be receiving 50 hard copies from me sent directly to your office. Talk to you members of the House and Senate who will be returning to Congress on Nov 17. Also share our recommendations contained in our Main Street stimulus with City Council members, local media, business, non-profit and civic leaders now.

A survey should be in City Hall now--requesting your recommendations as to projects that will be funded through our Main Street stimulus funds. It is important that you get that information back to us by November 7.

Thanks for your attention and support as we go forward. Together we can make a difference to lessen the worsening economic conditions for you and your city during this national economic challenge before us.

Main Street Stimulus – Launch and Update #1

2008-10-28T18:35:00.001-04:00

Current Situation
On October 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held an Economic Forum with House leaders and national economists. It was stated at the Forum that up to a $300 billion stimulus may be needed. Infrastructure and jobs were highlighted to be included in a stimulus package.

Even before the Forum, Speaker Pelosi stated that a $150 billion may be needed - and she indicated she will call the House back to Washington after the November 4 elections. She has since made similar statements. Senate Majority Leader Reid has also said he expects the Senate to take up a stimulus bill after the elections.

Speaker Pelosi has directed the appropriate House committee chairs to hold hearings on this critical issue, and those hearings started on October 20 and will continue until the final one on October 30.

2008 USCM Winter Meeting - $168 Billion Tax Rebate Stimulus
In January of this year at our Winter Meeting in Washington, the reality of the first stimulus package was an issue among our own mayoral leadership. In the Executive Committee, mayors raised seriously the question of an infrastructure package to be included as a part of the tax rebate stimulus package that was being put together by President Bush and Speaker Pelosi.

After discussions, mayors decided to support the first stimulus package and to wait for the second stimulus to demand infrastructure short-term investments to keep our metro economies strong. This $168 billion tax rebate package was passed by the House and Senate and signed into law in February. Hence money went out in the form of tax rebates, but the gasoline costs skyrocketed to an all time high and no doubt many of those payments helped millions to ease the pump pain and reduced their personal and household increased energy costs.

House and Senate Action on Pelosi and Reid/Byrd Package
Last month, a second stimulus package amounting to $60 billion passed the House. A similar stimulus package was blocked in the Senate, receiving 52 votes, 8 votes short of the 60 needed to prevent a filibuster. The U.S. Conference of Mayors supported both measures – which relied heavily on infrastructure investments.

$700 Billion Wall Street Bailout
The national economic crisis that came to a head last month prompted the White House and Congress to provide a $700 billion measure, termed by many and commonly referred to as a Wall Street Bailout. Conference President Manny Diaz of Miami sent a letter to Congress urging them to act.

Main Street – Cities, Counties and States
As many citizens and small businesses saw their tax money going to help Wall Street, there was serious concern over the Federal Government seemingly ignoring the needs of Main Street America.

While the $700 Billion measure has helped stabilize the financial and banking system, the citizens and small businesses of our cities, counties and states are concerned about the credit crunch, and loss of jobs in this economic downturn.

At our Conference of Mayors Fall Leadership earlier this month, a Main Street Stimulus package was discussed and Conference staff was directed to develop an infrastructure and jobs Main Street Stimulus package.

Our base for a new Main Street Stimulus was built on the $60 billion proposal, mentioned above, that passed the House and was blocked in the Senate. The total amount of our Main Street Stimulus is based on a $150 billion stimulus amount that is being currently being mentioned by Congressional leaders. All initiatives of our Main Street Stimulus meet the jobs and infrastructure criteria of quick short-term investments to stimulate Main Street with jobs for unemployed workers and economic activity for businesses in our metro areas. We have added three initiatives to the House-passed bill. They are CDBG, Infrastructure, Green Jobs- Energy/Environment Block Grants, and Public Safety. In addition, we are adamant that highway funds must be distributed through the Surface Transportation Program to ensure the flexibility of funding will be given directly to our local officials to meet the infrastructure needs in our metro areas.

In all three of these initiatives, CDBG, Energy Block Grants, and STP, upwards of 30
percent would be sent to the 50 states. The remaining 70 percent of these three initiatives would go to cities and county areas - which accounts for 90 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

The USCM Executive Committee, Advisory Board, and Committee Chairs received a briefing on our proposal during an October 20 conference call. President Diaz and the members refined and approved our Main Street Stimulus proposal during that call.

Tomorrow we take our proposal to Congress. Two Past-Presidents of the Conference of Mayors will be strong advocates. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson will testify before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee.

As each day passes, economic indicators show strong sentiment for Congress to act on a stimulus measure when they return on November 17. We will need your help to pass our Main Street Stimulus initiative. The key issue will be the Senate – where many Republican and Democratic Senators running for re-election have now endorsed the need for a new stimulus package.

Infrastructure Survey to Mayors – November 7 Deadline
To assist us with further validation, we need your help on giving us immediately your ready-to-go short-term investment projects. Our survey will be sent to you tomorrow (October 29), and we will need that information sent back to us by November 7.

We appreciate your help and immediate attention to this critical issue as we all work together to pass our Main Street Stimulus to assist our citizens and small businesses in cities, counties and states during these challenging times.

Washington, DC - October 10, 2008

2008-10-17T12:54:00.002-04:00

Washington, DC
October 10, 2008

In Palm Beach on October 3, we concluded the Fifth ë08 Action Forum of the Diaz Presidency. That's Five Forums in Five Cities. These Forums were a great success. Launched by President Diaz at The National Press Club on August, 4 we went the next day to Philadelphia, then to New York City, on to Denver, aborted in St. Paul when Gustav hit the Gulf, on to Los Angeles and Miami and Palm Beach ñ all in roughly eight weeks. This effort, this hard work and focus by all is a testament to our organization and breathes life into what has been described as the agility and mobility of The Conference.

At our Fall Leadership, all Five Forum Reports were adopted, plus we announced our plans to bring forth our proposals for realistic immigration reform. Reforming the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was discussed as experts and travel industry representatives continue to stress the need for more friendly and improved welcoming attitude from TSA employees. Airline reform was on the agenda and the discussion turned again to the need for an improved attitude for airline service employees. The comments bordered on airline bashing while there were issues such as alternative fuel, a new traffic control system, increased funding for airport improvements, raising the passenger facility charges and full funding of the essential and universal service program for certain cities challenged by a cut back of the number of flights to and from certain airports that took less dialogue. No doubt new technology and even existing technology used in other countries is needed. These discussions will no doubt continue as we head toward our January Winter Meeting as there were no clear and concluding recommendations emerging.

On the national economic front, on the eve of our Fall Leadership Meeting, Conference President Diaz sent a letter to Congress urging them to move with haste to take action. The response was the $700 billion ìbail-outî of Wall Street.

Oakland (CA) Mayor Ron Dellums continues to raise the question about ìthe other sideî of the $700 billion bail-out. As a former Congressman he had had conversations with House Banking Chair Barney Frank in which he raised the question if there will be any money left to fund the multi-billion dollar investments that are contained in Five Forum Reports adopted for consideration when our next President takes office in January. After some discussion, a letter was approved to be sent to Congress to remind them of infrastructure, energy, crime and work force training investments needed throughout America.

While the $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street passed, Stamford (CT) Mayor Dannel Malloy raised the question of fiscal assistance for Main Street. He indicated he has reports that there will be a third proposed Congressional stimulus package before the next President takes office that will provide stimulus to the states. Many states are going through serious shortfalls and are taking drastic budget actions that are being passed down to our cities for our citizens to bear the brunt. In addition to these reductions of needed service, many of our citizens are being hit hard by a loss of their retirement nest eggs' value based on the losses of their stocks and mutual fund investments.

USA Today this week reports a majority of Americans are bordering on depression and rage over the current economic decisions that are going to help Wall Street and not to their retirement funds or to "Main Street" where they live and work.

The economic mood darkens and declines deepen and somehow the $700 billion dollar bailout doesn't seem to be working. Further, the $85 billion bailout loan to AIG wasnít enough and yesterday the Federal Reserve announced $38 billion more in cash is on the way.

At our Leadership Meeting, I reported that the second Pelosi stimulus package totaling $60 billion for infrastructure, food stamps, extended unemployment benefits, to struggling state governments was blocked in the Senate. This report was printed in the last issue of U.S. Mayor on September 29.

The first stimulus package last February totaling $168 billion was an issue at our Conference of Mayors Executive Committee last January at our Washington Winter Meeting. This package was a total tax rebate initiative. Mayors at our Winter Meeting voiced concern about a lack of infrastructure funding but there was consensus we should hold our concern and wait for infrastructure funding in the second stimulus.

According to reports, many tax rebates went straight into gas tanks as the gasoline prices spiked earlier this year and hit $4.00 a gallon.

The second stimulus package, $60 billion, as mentioned above failed last month.
Mayor Malloy had received word from his sources as I had received which indicates another stimulus, the third one, is coming.

After we returned to Washington from our Fall Leadership Meeting, the Governors continue to make announcements about fiscal relief for their "cash-strapped" budgets. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated he needs a $7 billion loan. Almost every day another Governor comes forth. Many Governors are in trouble and are not talking about it and more bad news will come out after certain state elections.

On Wednesday of this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she may call Congress back to Washington after the November 4 election to put together a new federal spending package worth $150 million. That's $90 billion more than was passed by the House and blocked by the Senate last month. As U.S. Mayor goes to press, Speaker Pelosi has announced that House Democrats will convene an Economic Forum on October 13 to consider when, not if, we will have another federal spending stimulus package for consideration.

At issue in the third proposed stimulus package is to what extent federal funds will be provided directly to cities to meet our challenges and needs. We are making every effort and we will need the focused attention of our USCM leadership and member mayors to present viable options for job producing initiatives.

It's very difficult to keep up with the pace and swiftness of Congress as they sometimes put together stimulus and bailout initiatives without mayoral or any consultation. These packages, as we indicated to our leadership in Palm Beach, are inside operations. They are presented to us and we do our best to support them even though the spending usually favors the states. And in many instances, badly needed funds somehow donít seem to flow down to our city halls once they are sent nonstop to state capitols. We will monitor the situation and report to our membership as the third stimulus takes shape. Our goal is to demand a city portion of the total for our cities and we will need your help.

No doubt, Washington is in turmoil over the economic crisis in our nation. And the old order of our financial structure which has been propped up and protected by both the Democratic and Republican parties is experiencing a meltdown. And a new order will emerge. Today, our federal government announced they not only will loan banks money; they will move to actually buy portions of our banks.

And the other issue is the lack of both Senator Obama and Senator McCain to give us their specific proposals. The first debate was a sleeper. Jim Lehrer, of PBS, let them drone on. He asked them to talk to each other. They refused. He just sat there.

In the second debate when the candidates did start talking to one another and seemed to want to engage, Tom Brokaw acted like a high school basketball referee with a quick whistle and he impeded the dialogue. The Washington Post on the day of the second debate published five questions from mayors to be asked if they were there. Brokaw was armed with these questions but he refused to use them. Senator McCain did open with a suggested remedy on distressed mortgage holders but there was no follow up and it didnít stick. The second debate in Tennessee, left us like the first debate in Mississippi, both without a clear picture as to what specific economic recovery plans they have to propose for national financial crisis. No doubt, the national financial issue will be the number one agenda item when one of them is our President-elect in less than a month from now.

David Broder, as I have said before, one of the last true journalists left in America, wrote yesterday in his Washington Post column entitled, "Running From Reality."

"Something strange is happening in this strangest of all presidential contests. The longer it goes on, the less we know about what either of these men would do if he were in the Oval Office next year."

Broder writes that they have been asked twice once in Mississippi and in Tennessee last night what their priorities will be and, "It was a stunning rejection of reality, this nation is mired in two wars it does not know how to end. It is struggling to escape the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The federal government is staring at record deficits, with no plausible plan for financing the retirement and health care needs of a giant generation of retirees. Our transportation and education systems need help, and we are dependent on other countries for the energy we use. In the face of all this, Obama and McCain are stubbornly repeating promises they made in happier times, if either of them has a clue what to do to help this tottering economy, he is keeping it to himself."

Broder goes on to say that both men have given us "every reason to admire their character."

Today, October 9, the rhetoric from Senator McCain is to force Senator Obama to tell the truth about his association with terrorists and Senator Obama says that Senator McCain is guilty of "erratic behavior." It's as if they don't recognize what's going on on Wall Street or Main Street.

Let's hope the third debate will offer more specifics.

Meantime, hello folks! Back in Washington, we're about to go for a third try on some infrastructure stimulus.

And we have Five Reports from Five Diaz Forums with recommendations and innovations all waiting for one of them once the election is over, the sooner the better.

The 66th President

2008-07-14T12:34:00.002-04:00

The 66th President — The Speech The Vision
Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz took the gavel as our 66th President in a jam packed plenary luncheon and set a new course for us as he issued a clarion call for Washington to wake up and follow the real leaders of our nation, America’s mayors. The theme of his inaugural to The White House and to Congress is that national problems demand national investments.

Following the outstanding leadership given by Former President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer advocating the ’08 Mayors Ten-Point Plan, President Diaz will focus on 5 central themes, the environment, crime, infrastructure, poverty and arts.

The first is the environment as we go forth with the mayoral grass roots effort supporting climate protection investments such as our $4 billion Energy Block Grant Program now pending before Congress.

Last year we held three national summits on Energy in Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle. As Mayor Diaz takes the gavel he will have 870 plus mayors as signees to our Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Our new Vice President, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, the founder of this powerful bipartisan political movement, will be standing alongside President Diaz as we create with a new President of The United States a new U.S. Department of Energy that will serve to provide a working hand to the mayoral leaders of this nation. They will not stop until Washington wakes up and provides a national investment towards energy conservation and independence from foreign oil. We must seize the Energy Department as never before. President Diaz and Vice President Nickels backed up by our mayoral leaders and the business sector will join together in common cause to demand a federal department that makes practical sense as we meet the challenge before all of us.

The second is crime as it relates to youth violence, banning automatic weapons such as AK47s and working with the outstanding police chiefs of this nation to secure federal funds for more police officers and resources for the latest technology to reduce crime on our streets and our neighborhoods.

Third is the arts, which in our world includes promoting international travel by securing federal funds for the investment of promoting American cities as destinations for Americans and equally, if not more important, destinations for international tourists and businesses. This destination promotion also includes our total and enthusiastic support to Chicago Mayor Rich Daley, as he is now our USA Mayor who will lead our nation to secure the 2016 Olympics for America.

Fourth is poverty. President Diaz feels very strongly that housing must be included as a priority for the national investment to provide all persons decent housing. The workforce issues are a part of the antipoverty priority — meaningful, productive and decent wages for all who want a job must be provided. New jobs will come from the green industries, as America will change their consumption and buying habits. This means thousands of green jobs and new careers. President Diaz demands investments to modernize our schools and provide alternative measures to prevent increased dropout rates in our schools. The superb leadership last year of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as our Poverty Task Force Chair has produced the policy and strategies that will be the keystone and basis as we go forward to further our efforts to eradicate poverty.

Mayor Diaz is quite adamant about making our citizens competitive to compete with citizens of the world. He tells us we are not competing with one American city against another. He points to Tokyo, Sydney, London, Berlin, Beijing, Ireland and other cities and countries on our globe.

The fifth is infrastructure and here Mayor Diaz cites the American Society of Civil Engineers who have rated America’s infrastructure with the grade of D plus. Mayor Diaz is much aware that under his watch we will engage in a fierce battle over the mammoth federal legislation SAFETEA-LU that will pour billions of dollars from Washington across our nation. Today, Mayor Diaz recognizes that this legislation must not be another highway bill. The critical issue with traffic, the movement of goods and services throughout our economic structure plus the challenging question of getting to and from work or anywhere demands wise and smart investments. The current surge of gas prices will force the American people to demand a transportation system that is climate and energy centered. Mayor Diaz, with USCM Transportation Chair Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, will not stand for pouring additional monies in a highway bill that does nothing to produce the product line America will demand, namely smarter highways, increased capacity and modernization of rails in America.

In addition to smarter transportation investments, Mayor Diaz will push for sound investments into water and waste management. Water is the life of our nation and our cities and mayors will continue to lead the way. Present and future demands will require a new way of investing in our water infrastructure.Mayor Diaz’s inaugural words were directed straight at Washington where billions of our taxpayers’ money is sent in truckloads from our cities. He is demanding that our money must be sent home which was uttered in a simple but stern statement — “National problems demand national investments.” His vision and aim is wide like a shotgun blast; it touches every aspect of American life and his plan of action will be as focused as a microscopic rifle — to put the money where it should be put — to support the metropolitan economic engines of the nation so that America will be even stronger. Together the metro economic engines will continue to drive the national economy to maintain our economic leadership among nations of the world.

The Plan. The Visit.
After the hoopla, the stress, the adrenalin outpour lowered, I left the 76th Annual Meeting and crossed the bridge to vacation and recover with the eleven grandkids. As I splashed in the pool on the beachfront of The Loews Hotel and soaked up the sun, I pondered as to what my new President was thinking. He will be my 40th President. Yes, I live with change. With all due respect to Senator Obama, I know what change is. So I was getting myself ready for the play — the plan. And I knew Mayor Manny Diaz was thinking too. Once, not too long ago, he said to me “Tom, I don’t talk quite as much as some but I am always thinking.” So I knew he had been thinking. We had talked about priorities but that was before he became my new boss, my 40th President — So I was ready.

The call came around 10:30 on Saturday night I missed it; slow to hit the receive button on the blackberry phone but the voice mail was Mayor Diaz “Hey look I’ve been thinking and I think you and Ed Somers after everybody is gone should come over to my house for some burgers and we can do a little business.”

So Ed and I went to his home. His wife, Robin, had cooked the burgers, ready at 1:30 but before we ate, we went to his front porch and he gave us his plan in a conversation that lasted for over five hours.

He was crystal clear about what he wants to do. He spoke without a pause or a smidgen of indecisiveness.

He will create and lead five national forums between now and October 4 in five national cities on five condensed action strategies of the Mayors ‘08 Ten Point Plan.

In Chicago, there will be a ‘08 Mayors Action Forum on the Arts. In Los Angeles, there will be a Forum on Poverty. In Miami, a Forum on the Environment, in New York a Forum on Infrastructure, and in Philadelphia a Forum on Crime.

As U.S.Mayor goes to press, President Diaz is calling Mayors Villaraigosa, Daley, Bloomberg and Nutter to establish the dates to be announced.

This will be a national tour. All mayors will be invited; allies will be invited from the academic community, from the business community and from experts in the given areas.

These will not be “summits” where pontification is the rule. These forums will be focused to produce five action plans to merge into an ’08 Mayors Action Agenda that will be delivered to our leadership mayors at our Fall Leadership Meeting, October 2–4, 2008. Mayors at our Fall Leadership Meeting will work in facilitated working sessions on Crime, Environment, Infrastructure, and Poverty to forge and condense the Ten Point Plan into the ’08 Mayors Action Agenda to deliver to the next President after he is elected November 4. Mayors will be forceful to offer clear and succinct recommendations to our new President-elect and mayors will succeed in persuading the new President to include our recommendations in his 100-day agenda to Congress after he takes the oath on January 20, 2009.

At our 2009 Winter Meeting in Washington, January 17–19, mayors will meet in groups with the new Cabinet where we will forge new partnerships to implement our mayoral action agenda.

In the meantime, President Diaz instructed me to change the method of operation for our media approach to the nation and the world. He wants an “in your face” attitude of our media effort. He believes that we should wake up every day and ask, “Where are the mayors in this story?” We will be relentless because our issues relate to the issues of the day and we have a new leader who wants a respectful “edge.” He wants us to wake up Washington and again demand that national problems in our cities demand national investments.

After over five hours of his delivery of command and charge to me and Ed, we did finally get to the burgers. They were good. We needed them! Thank you, Robin.

We walked from the porch and flopped in the car. It moved slowly down Fairview and I was so proud of him for his vision and plan of action. I am energized and honored that he has given me the trust to direct and implement his plan of action. I have had 39 of them and this is my 40th President. He said the night before; we were going to “talk a little business.” It wasn’t business as usual and it wasn’t usual business. His charge to me came forth with the precision of a five-star general. Manny Diaz is as focused as I have ever seen. He is the real deal. He is strongly convinced and determined that this is the moment of history for the mayors.

And he is the man we are blessed to have to sit down in front of President McCain or President Obama. He will not blink. He will deal. And he will win.He will win for our organization and for the great mayors of the cities of America, both large and small.

It’s most important for all of us to recognize that people, the voters, yes, and the voters! are with us.

Join Manny Diaz in a new way of doing business, to wake them up, put the pressure where the pressure needs to be put and to cut the deal for us. We are crossing the river. With your support, he can get us to the mountaintop.

Thanks for your continued support to this great organization, now 76 years old. The United States Conference of Mayors stands tall and strong today because of the great men and women in city halls throughout America who support our efforts and our services. As we enter our 76th year, there is a new beginning and a new kind of feeling like we really have just begun.

This really is the moment for the mayors in American history. Let us seize it. It is ours. And with Mayor Manuel A. Diaz as our President, nothing will get in our way. Join us! We need you. Together, we will back up his words — “National problems demand national investments.” And together, we will continue to make a difference in the daily lives of all our people where the overwhelming majority of them live, work and play, in the cities of America.

Vice Presidential Short List--Two Power Players Face the Powerful Mayors

2008-06-20T08:45:00.000-04:00

As we convene our 76th Annual Conference of Mayors in Miami today, it is worth noting that we have two Governors who are being mentioned by many political observers as running mates for Senators Obama and Senator McCain.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is no stranger to us and our organization. As Mayor of Philadelphia, he turned that city around from a financial crisis and emerged to worlk closely with us to forge a Crime Bill during the Clinton years. Next month he becomes Chair of the National Governors Association and he was quite visible in the Hillary Clinton camp during the current Presidential primary campaign. On Sunday morning at eleven o'clock July 23--- Governor Rendell will speak to us on the subject of the need to modernize our national infrastructure.

On the Republican side, Florida Governor Charlie Crist will address our mayoral delegates at our closing luncheon on. Monday June 23. Governor Crist was key to Senator McCain whipping them all and lknocking our former NYC Rudy Giuliani in the quest to win the Republican sweepstakes and become the presumptive Republican nominee that he is today. Crist seems tanned and ready. Just this week he reversed his positoion on the oil drilling ban and lined himself up even more with McCain. Crist is an attractive and vibrant and fit--- with movie star looks and recently drew great tabloid and pop press as he appeared in Washington DC for the black tie Washington White House Correspondents Dinner. He looked at home among the glitz and the glamour and all agree that McCain needs a little of both as Obama has the "rock star" image of change energy and excitement

So its more than the wonky world we live in of providing basic city services of daily city life to milliopns of citizens. . Its much about the tv and what happens on the tv--- the box.
Both Rendell and Crist can handle themselves and come across as good or better than most on television.

I am not picking or predicting today. I am just telling you they are here on Sunday and Monday for you to look over and decide for yourself. If not VEEP, one or another could end up in the Cabinet that will be announced later this year in December. They are power players on the national stage of today. And they are where the power is---the mayors of the United States of America.

Trenton Mayor President Doug Palmer and Forward

2008-06-16T12:09:00.002-04:00

Doug Palmer’s contribution to The U.S. Conference of Mayors and to American cities will stand as a political landmark in our history. Without him, there would be no 10-Point Plan. Some may say that any Conference President in an election year would have asked the staff to put together a list of our priorities. Probably so, but the question is what does a leader do to breathe life into ideas and specifics he or she believes to be the top priorities of American cities.

All of us involved in creating and developing the 10-Point Plan know that Doug Palmer has been brilliant in the way he has advanced our cause to today’s political and business world. He has taken our message to Capitol Hill, to Presidential candidates, through Presidential primaries, to our corporate and business community, to the religious community, to advocacy groups, to non-profits, to suburban and rural America and into the “hood.” His political style is multifaceted, exciting, serious, funny, disarming and, yes, sincere. His presentations and performances bring a brand of leadership that combines politics and show business. He can begin with laughter and throw it into fifth gear and make you cry. Then he can switch gears and make you listen and then switch gears and make you want to follow him through hell to support the 10-Point Plan.
There’s in no way you can teach his kind of leadership and style. No one taught Ella Fitzgerald how to sing, or Frank how to croon, or Elvis how to move, or Astaire how to dance. They were born with it. It is innate. Those people in the baseball world are called naturals. Doug Palmer is a natural leader.

Deaths of other mayors have touched his soul, his being. As a young councilman, he sat in a church listening to Mayor Joe Riley eulogizing magnificently when we all went to Trenton in 1989, burying Mayor Art Holland, our President, and said to himself “Maybe I could be mayor.” He ran four times and has served five terms.

And then another death of our beloved Dearborn Mayor and Conference President Mike Guido on December 5, 2006 brought the mantle of leadership to him. It was a day I will never forget. Recognizing the depth of President Guido’s illness, I was bringing the senior executive staff to Trenton, and Mayor Guido died as we traveled and in that instant, according to our constitution, Doug became our President.

And, in that instant, Doug changed. I saw it with my eyes. He stood up in the Trenton City Hall the next day his manner, speech, movement struck me to think there had been another person inside absolutely ready to emerge and transform before our eyes.
And from that day forward, he has led us to where we are today in June of 2008 looking straight ahead at a new American era of change that is upon us. Our organization poised and ready to be at the table and be a part of creating the new America that American voters are screaming for in 2008 and will be demanding in 2009.

Senator McCain or Senator Obama will have to listen to us. The cities of America are where it is happening. They want change? They can’t take the change that we are offering and been offering and advocating since we were formed in 1932.
So at this moment, Doug Palmer passes the Presidential baton to Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and the Dearborn Accord of the Guido/Palmer/Diaz continuity will live. Doug Palmer has got us this far and he will be there with Manny Diaz, the next great President, to help us cross the river and get to the mountaintop.

Mayor Diaz, as our 66th President, starts the next phase of our campaign on Wednesday afternoon when mayors come together for their recommendations under the key priorities of our 10-Point Plan. Mayors Palmer, Nickels and others in the leadership will be there with Mayor Diaz as we begin the political journey to the coming together of the nations mayors with the next President of the United States.

This summer we will work in small groups. This Fall, our new President Diaz will bring us together on October 2 at The Breakers in Palm Beach for our Fall Leadership meeting. Before the mayors at that meeting will be a more succinct and clear agenda will be presented. So the steps to the mountaintop will begin here in Miami at The Intercontinental Hotel on Monday afternoon.

We will leave Miami more determined than ever. Mayor Diaz will take us across the river and to the mountaintop. And he will need your help to get us there. Together our member mayors, large and small, make our organization stronger than ever before. It’s an exciting time to be a mayor and I, along with my devoted and excellent staff, are honored to serve you as President-Elect Diaz puts our mayors up front and center. It’s long overdue. The time is ours.
Welcome to Miami! Thank you, Doug Palmer. Agile and Mobile Forever. And congratulations Mayor Diaz. You are a great leader. Your vibrant City of Miami, flat on its face, when you took over stands tall, strong and “hot” because of you – and your leadership. We look forward to the year ahead and pledge our enthusiastic and dedicated support to give you what we need for you to help get it done in this dynamic election year for all our mayors and all our cities. We can do it. Let’s go!

Tim Russert

2008-06-14T23:14:00.001-04:00

Saturday June 14 2008.

Washington DC

Tim Russert's death notice hit our blackberries in our headquarters yesterday during our last walk-through staff meeting for our 76th Annual Meeting in Miami which kicks off next Friday. As usual, many were dealing with messages and reading their blackberries during the meeting and while we were briefed on the mayors and police chiefs meeting we are having in Miami---there was a series of gasps and rumbles of human sounds drowning out the presentation. People felt it inside their bodies when they read the words "Tim Russert is Dead of a Heart Attack His family says" and it had to come out. But it did not stop our meeting. It is crunch time here. We are days away from rollout time We continued on. That's the way it has to be.

Tim Russert's death hits Washington as we know him as a Washington operator and celebrity, who used to be a staff guy like us, a non elected guy who became famous-- who came from Buffalo and never did let you forget how strongly he felt about cities and the life in Buffalo that made him forever be "of Buffalo" even though he was a Washington person and a national repected tv professoional journalist standing above the others.

He worked as staff for probably the best two politicians in recent history. Mario Cuomo, the Governor of New York and Senator Pat Moynihan.

Mayor Joe Riley would always say that Pat Moynihan was the smartest man in the Senate. Moynihan chose Tim Russert to run his New York political office before Tim was 30. Moynihan knew what he was doing.

Tim hosted "Meet The Press" live with mayors at our Annual Meeting in Cleveland in 1996. It was the year that President Clinton came, our homepage website usmayors.org was launched, Mayor Daley became our President and Mayor Riley threw out the first ball at the Cleveland Indians game. We were all there. Ed Somers and I had two hotdogs with lots of mustard after we had turned down the box lunch with a chicken salad sandwich and a banana! We remember the important things. Tim was a big part of our 1996 Cleveland Annual Meeting.

Tim later came to our Winter Meeting the year General Colin Powell's Americas Promise was starting. He was representing the organization and was eloquent talking about the need for young people and more college graduates to chose public service, explaining how his father raised him and provided for him while working proudly as a garbage collector, driver and then foreman in his native beloved Buffalo.

Some people come to Washington and learn to dress differently, act differently, and think differently. Tim Russert didn't. Everyone knew where he was from because he told you over and over. He celebrated Buffalo in his speeches and informal talks and broadcasted it with his Buffalo Bills shoutouts on Sunday signoffs.

Meet The Press has a strong history with The United States Conference of Mayors. Its founder, Mr Lawrence Spivak would hold one hour-yes, one hour long -- Meet The Press live shows for many years in the 60s and the early 70s. Mr Spivak would come with his wife and it was a big deal. You could go and watch it. You would be seated in a studio. The first one I attended the ushers-men and women- wore white gloves and you were properly seated. Mr Spivak would fire rapid questions for a solid hour. The set was two tiered with a row of mayors on top and another in the row below. Riots, civil rights, poverty, housing, the Viet Nam War, block grants versus categorical programs and states versus cities. They were remarkable sessions. We need more today .

When Mr Spivak retired, the Leadership of The Conference of Mayors presented him with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor we bestow upon an individual.

I would see Tim Russert from time to time at evening events and luncheons and he would say "how are the mayors" and I would say, They are fine but would be a hell of a lot better if we could get more on Meet The Press like we used to do!!.

His death has hit the nation as if a head of state has passed. It has so much to do with the power of television. I have said since President Kennedy's death in 1963, television has become the most important thing in our daily lives. It is the place we go to mourn. It used to be that we would go to our churches our synagogues mosques and temples to pray and try to find answers to national tragedies. . Now we turn to television and we stay with it as we go through another national event of pain and loss. And television is where we "got to know" Tim. That's why millions are hurting since yesterday's news bulletin.

Russert came across more genuine than the others. His smarts, his sort of rumpled look and as Barbara Walters said today, he wasn't pretty like so many anchors.

When he said it you believed it. We will never forget what he said about Florida before we ever heard of hanging chads in 2000. And he was quite brutal on May 6 of this year when he said it was over for Senator Clinton. Some were hurt. Some were angry Some didn't want to believe it. But that's the profession code of truth that he sought, faced and announced more than others.

Pat Buchanan, the Nixon warrior, TV commentator, author and former Presidential candidate himself was asked last night about the future of Meet The Press. Pat said it reminded him of when Thomas Jefferson went to Paris as our Ambassador, following Mr Ben Franklin . They asked Jefferson if he had come to replace Mr Franklin? Mr Jefferson said-Sir I have come to succeed him. No one will ever replace Mr Benjamin Franklin.

That can be said of Tim Russert. Yes he will have a successor. Life will go on. If its Sunday, its Meet The Press Meet the Press will continue. But we will remember Tim Russert. He was one of a kind who dared to be genuine---and from Buffalo.

Mayor Byron Brown ordered the flags on City Hall and city buildings to be lowered to half mast. All of us who "knew" Tim Russert through TV or personally, know that's what Tim would have wanted. He would have smiled--big--and those eyes would twinkle. It was all about Buffalo. And Mayor Brown, thanks! Thanks from The United States Conference of Mayors staff.

Senator Obama to Address Mayors in Miami

2008-06-12T14:44:00.000-04:00

The Obama Campaign has confirmed with me today that the Democratic Nominee Senator Barack Obama will address the 76th Annual Conference of Mayors Saturday at noon on June 21st at our City Livability Luncheon. He is scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. This is good news since this is his first appearance before any Annual Meeting or Winter Meeting of The US Conference of Mayors.

Many Obama Mayors have worked hard to secure the Democratic Nomination. And many Hillary mayors will now become Obama mayors. Isn't politics fun?

Senator Clinton, invited earlier, may still address our Annual Meeting. She has been with us many times in the past and we will continue to appreciate her leadership on our issues.

As to Senator McCain's attendance, we met with him two weeks ago in Chicago and his appearance before our Annual Meeting looked promising. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has enlisted Governor Crist and Senator Mel Martinez to help us get Senator McCain there. Senator McCain addressed us in New Orleans when he was running in 2000. He also addressed our Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in 2006 and received a standing ovation.

It is important to note also that possible top vice presidential candidates will be with us in Miami. On the Democratic side, we have former Philadelphia Mayor, Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. On the Republican side, we all know that Governor Crist is definitely on the McCain short list.

Another significant participant is former President Bill Clinton who will give our Mayoral delegates a report on the progress of the recently signed Conference of Mayors/Clinton Foundation Agreement on Climate Change. Look for President Clinton in our Plenary Session on Sunday morning.

More later as our world turns...