About the Mayor

April 17, 2000

Elizabeth (NJ) Mayor Chris Bollwage helped celebrate the 100th birthday of The Holland VI, the first submarine commissioned by the U.S. Navy. The April 11th special luncheon banquet hosted by Mayor Bollwage featured various state, county and municipal dignitaries as well as many decorated navel and submarine veterans from the Elizabeth area.

Former Burlington (VT) Mayor Bernard Sanders is the subject of a lengthy profile in the April 10 New York Times. Sanders, now a U.S. Congressman, was Burlington Mayor from 1981 to 1989, and is Vermont’s only Member of the House of Representatives. The profile detailed the Congressman’s goal of fighting for fairer prices for prescription drugs, and other health-related issues. As mayor, he created a task force on health care, Medicare, and health programs for the elderly. One of two independents in the House, the 58-year old Sanders aligns with the Democratic party on most votes.

The Detroit Tigers have a new $300 million home. The center for a new burgeoning entertainment district in downtown Detroit was inaugurated April 11th. A New York Times story that day quoted Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer that his city is making significant progress on the path to revitalization but still has a way to go. As Mayor Archer puts it, “we’re still not where we want to be.” But city leaders are enthusiastic about the fact that Comerica Park will pull investment as well as thousands of visitors back downtown.

Stockton Mayor Gary A. Podesto received an Environmental Protection Agency $200,000 grant April 7 to help his California city assess 56 Brownfields properties, located on the waterfront, for potential contamination. The grant, according to a city hall press release, is one of 50 to be announced by EPA this month.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined with cycling legend Greg LeMond, April 19 to unveil “Face of America,” a month-long sporting and humanitarian project. It will involve two teams of athletes traveling across America from opposite coasts to help bridge communities and promote health and fitness for all. The teams will travel towards St. Louis where they will connect as one team under the Gateway Arch.

Chicago Mayor, Illinois Governor Push Joint City-State Agenda in Washington

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor George Ryan were in Washington, D.C. April 5 and 6 to seek the support of the Illinois Congressional delegation on federal legislation benefitting the city and state.

It was their second trip on behalf of a unified federal agenda. On March 11, 1999, the Republican governor and Democratic mayor began what they called “an unprecedented partnership on behalf of the people of Illinois,” when they made a joint appearance before the state’s Congressional delegation on behalf of a number of federal programs.

That appearance helped achieve additional transportation and education funding, as well as an historic agreement to rebuild Chicago’s shoreline.

“I’m very impressed by the bipartisan support we’ve received from the Illinois delegation,” Mayor Daley said. “We will never agree on every single issue, but there are a great many things we can agree on – issues that cross party lines and regional boundaries.”

The mayor and governor had dinner with the Congressional delegation and held meetings the next morning, followed by lunch with the delegation. The mayor was accompanied by Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools; David Doig, general superintendent of the Chicago Park District; Wayne Watson, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago; and Jeff Morales, executive vice president for management and performance of the Chicago Transit Authority.

Issues on the joint agenda included federal assistance for school construction; class-size reduction; mass transit; Wacker Drive and Stevenson Expressway improvements; shoreline reconstruction; parks and rivers; child care; substance abuse programs; summer jobs; and technology development.

Dearborn Mayor Debates E-Commerce at Harvard Symposium

Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido participated in an April 8 Symposium titled “Tolling the Superhighway: Debating the Prospects of E-Commerce Taxation.” Sponsored by the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, a student-run publication at Harvard Law School, the Symposium took place on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Mayor Guido was a member of a panel called “Point, Click and Tax?  Arguing the Merits and Disadvantages of E-Commerce Taxation.” The panel discussed the non-binding recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, with Mayor Guido noting that the Commission left many companies in “loophole heaven” given the numerous tax breaks proposed by the anti-tax faction of the Commission.

Further, Mayor Guido stated that diminishing sales tax revenues by exempting electronic commerce would further erode the resources that local governments use to deliver services. “Local government is closest to the people, and delivers the vital services our residents need. Resources should be in the hands of those who are closest to the people being served,” explained Mayor Guido. Reductions in the sales tax base, like those proposed by the anti-tax members of the Commission, would only cause hardships for states and local governments in the future, Mayor Guido indicated.

Mayor Guido asserted that instead of following the Congressional mandate, the Commission chose to examine other areas, such as telecommunications taxes, simply to benefit the special interests represented on the Commission. The group should have adopted the proposal supported by the Conference and other government groups called the “Streamlined Sales Tax System for the 21st Century.” Mayor Guido explained that this proposal would preserve the revenue base local government needs while minimizing burdens on remote sellers, by using technology to assist in sales tax collection and remittance. “This is not a new tax,” Mayor Guido noted, “it is a simplified way to collect a tax that is already due.”

Return to Previous Page.