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.
