The Excellence in Public/Private Partnership Awards, recognizing outstanding partnerships between cities and companies, were presented at The U.S. Conference of Mayors' 69th Winter Meeting at a ceremony led by Providence Mayor and Chair of the Mayors and Business Community Task Force Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. Mayors and their private partners from 10 cities received awards. In addition to Mayor Cianci, Boise Mayor Conference President H. Brent Coles hosted the ceremony.

In announcing these awards, Mayor Cianci remarked, "today we, as mayors, are called upon to lead our cities like CEOs lead major corporations, guiding the economic infrastructure and quality of life of our metropolitan areas in the most creative, efficient and effective manner."

Two top Awards of Excellence were presented at the breakfast. Dallas Mayor Ronald Kirk and Linebarger Heard Goggan Blair Graham Pe–a & Sampson partners DeMetris Sampson and Steve Blair proudly accepted the award for their Privatization of Delinquent Tax Collections Partnership. The results of this partnership, which began in 1983, yielded an unprecedented crackdown and today the City of Dallas enjoys a 98.3 percent tax collection rate, one of the highest of any major city in Texas.

St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman and David W. Powell, President of the 3M Foundation, also received the Award of Excellence. Since its inception in 1994, the Capital City Project has contributed to bringing more than 1,000 jobs downtown; filling two city blocks with new offices, parking, and street level retail; building a new $100 million Science Museum; and creating over 700 units of housing. The Partnership also played a key role in bringing the state a National Hockey League franchise, along with a new $175 million arena.

The Conference announced the February 1st release of its "Public/Private Partnership Awards Best Practices Guide" on the Web at www.usmayors.org. This report describes the winning partnerships and will provide a blueprint for other cities to emulate the winners.