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.
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2 comments:
some of the job outlines are good and some are with question, when things are built that are already under-utilized- I can see maintenance, but there are questions.
many of the jobs creation listing, are for specific skill sets. but not much on the education needed for entry level in the green sector.
"Sorely underfunded" is revolving business loans. any city with 1/2 million people and above should have no less than 10 million allocated for this, 3-5 million does not thing, considering the modification most location require- the current funding only provides for people already in business with a functioning income generator. there is no up start.. yet every city in the country is full of empty store fronts.
there has to be a way to provide people true Economic Equality in uplift opportunity. some of the jobs have set term limits on them, and no family can plan on that, they can cover the meantime, but there are massive gap that simply get delayed to pay out at a later date.
There will be challenge in any plan, but if you are not creating a new era of small business people.. then here is what you loose.
Small Business provides:
1. Jobs for young people
2. After school work
3. They learn crafts and skills
4. They learn ethic and value
5. They learn to save and how to spend
6. They develop pride
7. They learn the value of integrity
8. They learn responsibility and social interaction.
9. they develop goals, and know how to plan for them.
10. They restore a sense of youth involvement in community.
These things have a great value, that society has totally forgot. But we are quick to want to tell the youth how we did these jobs when we were growing up.
But Mayors across the Nation are allowing Wal Marts to surround their cities, and Wal mart does not give young people jobs, They also take the money from the community, then the community based banks close, the community business close and the only thing that fills up is Wal Mart parking lots. We cry about work, but we spend without thought to import more things, never realizing buy cheap stuff that needs replacing next weeks send our money to the Wal Mart corporation and that dividend they promise employee'' is denied and the money goes to build another store, and the employees get nothing, and we get more imported goods. and more closed business.
We make our problems by not paying attention to what makes problems.
We build parks but don't fund programs at parks.
We build community centers, but they don't design programs that attract the people who truly need them.
Concept- of image of design are good, but concepts that considers the character building communities is what is lacking. We have many years of social erosion, because things we no longer care about, but become the same things we criticize the youth for not engaging, but we don't support the funding of anything with a program, process and attraction to engage..
so they wander and create their own drama.
Everyone will be so busy patting themselves on the back about, many things, which is not totally a bad things if they do good things.
but we can't afford to forget our youth.. and we of true certainty can't forget what is Small Business and understand the value far beyond what we may consider to be it's value.
It is the core of a communities success.
"Economic Empowerment."
Mayors should unite for common solutions. I am concerned about the rebuilding of America and the passing of billions to the cities while transparency is not available. Usually this leads to wasted dollars.
Many contractors are unaware of the opportunities that are available through US agencies such as HUD, GSA or others that are engaged in the hiring of contractors for the upkeep of properties owned, occupied or affiliated with the agencies. These agencies act in a similar manner as a general contractor deploying work to many subcontractors. The government is set to grant billions on community development projects. Nearly everyone calling for more government spending is also calling for better accountability of where this money goes. These goals are impossible to achieve while the agencies deploying work are vastly inefficient. Many recipients of government agency contracts operate their business with limited use of technology.
Ms. Donovan who runs HUD has stated that "HUD is a generation behind what's happening in housing in state and local areas across the country. And so, first of all, what HUD needs to do, is to catch up. To modernize its programs, to use the private sector, to bring the private sector in a way it hasn't, to public housing and to a range of other programs. And, we have to create accountable government." There is a big problem with this because 1) HUD does not accept private ideas to get better and 2) currently passes all the responsibilities to the cities and states and 3) the cities and states look to HUD for advice that does not come, except the money keeps flowing.
It has been very difficult to introduce innovative ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies with the government federal agencies, and now it will even be worse with mind blowing numbers.
Keep in mind that FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter were small ideas when the last President was in charge. In my case, I run MyOnlineToolbox which is a collaboration platform for contractors in the repair and remodeling space, which can easily assist in the bidding and tracking in a uniform manner from HUD to the States and Cities to the Contractor. How does a small start up introduce working ideas to help the masses?
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