Executive Director's Column

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.