Vice President Al Gore addressed the nation’s mayors at their 67th annual meeting in New Orleans on June 14 declaring that cities were no longer in decline, but ready to lead the nation into the 21st century.

Gore cited urban unemployment figures that have been cut nearly in half since 1992, falling crime rates, rising wages, shrinking welfare roles, and a record percentage of families owning homes as proof that cities have turned the corner and are on the comeback trail.

Speaking just two days before he formally launched his presidential bid in Carthage, TN, , Gore told the mayors that their job was not done. "We have worked hard together the past seven years to rebuild America’s communities," he said, "but in the 21st Century, I think we need to do even more to rebuild America’s sense of community."

He pledged to work with the mayors to build communities that bring people, families and children closer together where "there are sidewalks and parks and playgrounds - not just exit ramps and strip malls, but places to walk and bike and play."

The Vice President, speaking for the need for spiritual rejuvenation, defined community as a place where faith and values flourish, calling on churches, synagogues and mosques to help lift up people who have been left behind.

Asking the mayors help in creating economic expansion that reaches new heights, Gore quickly struck a broad theme of leaving no one behind during the current economic resurgence. He called on Congress to fully fund the second round of Empowerment Zones, to raise the minimum wage by one dollar over the next two years, to pass proposals that help parents manage family and work, and to provide American women with equal pay for equal work.

Safer Communities

Gore pledged to continue working for safer communities. Speaking about the tragedies in Littleton, CO, and Conyers, GA, he acknowledged that there were no easy answers. He called for more school counselors and mental health services for children, also proposed in the mayors’ Agenda for Action on School Violence, developed in the fall of 1998 in Salt Lake City under the leadership of Mayor Deedee Corradini.

But the Vice President saved his toughest language for the National Rifle Association (NRA) who actively opposed gun safety proposals in both the Senate and House’s juvenile crime bills. By releasing a Treasury and Justice Department report showing that 18-20 year olds make up just 4 percent of the population but commit 24 percent of the nation’s gun murders, Gore dramatically defined the current epidemic of gun violence among teenagers.

The Vice President said, "In simplest terms, 18 to 20 year olds are the most likely to kill, the most likely to kill with a gun, and the most likely to use a gun when committing a crime other than murder."

He called on the House to strengthen the Senate’s gun safety provisions, and to raise the age limit for possession of a handgun to age 21, require child-safety locks on guns, and background checks for those who buy guns at gun shows.

"Will we let the NRA call the shots in Washington? he asked. "Now is the time for every parent, every citizen, every elected official, every national leader to take stand," he told the mayors.

Gore also called on Congress to continue the community policing program (COPS) which to date has funded 100,000 new police officers on city streets. He implored Congress to give the nation "more cops and fewer guns - not fewer cops and more guns."

The Education Decade

Gore pledged to work with the mayors for revolutionary change to public schools and to make the next decade the education decade. Linking the future of cities to change in their educational systems, he called for high-quality pre-school to be available to every family, child and community. And he challenged the teaching community to improve teacher quality through tough tests for new teachers, rewards for good teachers, and fast and fair removal of poor teachers.

The Vice President called for dramatic changes in America’s high schools through smaller classes, smaller class sizes, and "schools within schools". He pledged to help parent save "tax-free and inflation-free" for college tuition.