Washington, DC
January 24, 2001

Mayors are encouraged about the new Administration because of the remarks of Mr. Josh Bolten at our 69th Annual Winter Meeting here in Washington during the Inaugural of President George W. Bush last week. Conference President and Boise Mayor H. Brent Coles, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the new President of our Republican Mayors, along with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino all worked hard to secure a Bush spokesperson to be with us as hundreds of mayors came to our 69th Winter Meeting.

The attendance of our new Cabinet officers at our Winter Meeting was challenged due to the unique transition period, cut dramatically short, and also because of the turbulent and confusing political situation caused by the electoral process in the State of Florida.

Mr. Bolten set a good tone for us in his remarks at our dinner during the Winter Meeting. I was directed, by Mr. Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to President Bush, to relate to Mr. Bolten in light of the fact that Mr. Rove told me the intergovernmental function at The White House is being reorganized and consolidated into the policy function. When The Washington Post reported the new Bush White House was abolishing the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, I called Mr. Karl Rove in Austin, Texas and he assured me that their move to consolidate the two functions will bring mayors in earlier on the policy process and put us in a better position to affect major policy decisions impacting directly on cities of the United States. Mr. Josh Bolten is the Deputy Chief of Staff in a direct line to Chief of Staff Andrew Card in the new Bush White House team. We appreciate his joining us and we look forward to working with him.

President Bush and Cabinet

Invited to our Winter Meeting, Cabinet officers who could not be with us because of the Senate confirmation process, are receiving letters from the Conference leadership this week to meet with Conference President H. Brent Coles and our officers as soon as possible. Calls are being made this week and we will also invite key Cabinet officials to be with us at our Annual Winter Leadership Meeting in Key West, Florida, February 22-24.

We are encouraged that Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams had lunch with President Bush and Mr. Josh Bolten this week in The White House. The lunch took place three days after President Bush was sworn in. The Washington Post reported that as our mayors and our new President posed for pictures, President Bush "reiterated his desire to reach out to his constituencies - in this case, urban areas and African Americans - that did not support him."

The Executive Committee of the Conference of Mayors during our Annual Winter Meeting directed me to seek a meeting with President Bush and mayors as soon as possible. They want to discuss common ground issues and also seek his participation in our Summit on Investment in the New American City that is scheduled to take place with business leaders here in Washington April 4-5. The call for the Summit and the date was established at our September Leadership Meeting which took place in Boise/Sun Valley, Idaho in September.

Letters are sent, calls are being made - as we go forth to establish a working relationship to bring the full talent and entrepreneurial mayors to the decision table of President Bush and his team.

As reported in my column of the last issue of U.S. Mayor, our President, Boise Mayor H. Brent Coles, has positioned us through the transition process to now advocate, with corporate and private sector validation, key common goals for our new President and mayors. Brownfield redevelopment, national rails policy, reducing crime and drug abuse, housing production, improving our local and regional parks are among many issues we can and will work with the Administration as we go forward.

Mayors/President Clinton

It was an emotional day last week when President Clinton was presented our Distinguished Public Service Award by our President, Mayor H. Brent Coles of Boise. Over 300 mayors cheered as Mayor Coles spoke for the many times, over the eight years, mayors have been in our White House to work on major issues confronting the nation. HUD Secretary Cuomo introduced Mayor Coles. It was Secretary Cuomo who came up with the idea that the President of the United States should issue State of the Cities report to the nation. President Clinton presented the first report to the 65th Annual Conference of Mayors Meeting in San Francisco in 1997.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone

USA mayors were honored that the first elected Mayor of London, Mayor Ken Livingstone, came to our meeting to learn of our best practices and training as he goes forward to be the first elected Mayor of London. We had two major addresses from Mayor Livingstone, the first at our Rails Summit and the second to a well attended plenary session. Mr. Livingstone brought fourteen key staffers and elected officials from London with him. Many meetings - one on one - took place and we are pleased with the bonding and friendship that has taken place with our new Mayor from across the pond.

Rails Summit

At Union Station we met and were most fortunate to have Republican Majority Leader Senator Trent Lott with us to pledge his help to establish a more balanced transportation system in our nation. Senator Lott has, in the past, been a strong supporter of Amtrak and rail service to his home state of Mississippi. We thank New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial for his vision and implementation of our first rails summit. We are pleased with the team spirit we have developed as well as the entrepreneurial leadership mayors are experiencing from Amtrak President George Warrington. All Aboard, mayors! We're off to a good start to modernize an obsolete transportation system that is not adequate to keep up with a young nation, the USA, now the number one nation in the world. Fast and smart transportation must be developed as we start this new millennium. The Rails Summit is landmark and a first step toward further strengthening the economy of our nation. The polls are on our side. Hello Congress! Hello Bush II! And thank you President Bush for giving us the one and only Norman Mineta as the new Secretary of Transportation to steer us all as we move together to do what has to be done to provide a safer, smarter, and saner way to move people and goods throughout our nation.

Business Community/Private Sector

We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made with our Council for Investment in the New American City. Our April Summit will be the place where USA mayors and USA business come together to establish a joint message for the Administration Council. Through our Business Council and Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci's leadership our ties with business - large and small - continue to gain momentum and give us the validation we welcome as we pursue new investments and develop new partnerships.

Arts

Congratulations to Mayor Wellington E. Webb for the 2000 Mayor of the Year for Arts. Mayor Webb continues to strengthen the world class city he leads. He along with his partner, Wilma J. Webb, set an example and best practice for the support of arts for USA cities and cities throughout the world.

Our Future

Inaugural time in Washington is the time of a new beginning.       As Americans we are proud of our country. We welcome our new President, the new Administration and the new Congress as we in the street and neighborhood in our cities work every day and every night to keep our cities safer and economically strong for our nation as a whole.

We are optimistic as we start this new Administration. Over the past few years cities continue to be "comeback" cities. The business community is now with us. We will work hard to further convince governors, state legislatures, Congress and our new White House that today's mayors are national and international players on the economic world stage.

As the new government forms and takes shape, we urge all our members to play close attention to Conference phone calls and faxes asking your support and endorsement of policy positions where we find common ground with the Bush Administration in helping urban/suburban America. Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you mayors for your continued strong support for your organization, The United States Conference of Mayors, as we move forward together.

President Bush Calls President Coles

As U.S. Mayor goes to press, Conference President Coles has called to say President Bush telephoned him in Boise expressing a strong desire to work with the nation's mayors. Please see special message on the opposite page reflected in a memo to me from Mayor Coles.