Executive Director's Column

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

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!