Washington, DC -- The nation's mayors are leading 9/11 anniversary events in more than 260 U.S. cities, according to a new online database announced today by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

"Each city and each person will mark the September 11th anniversary in different, meaningful ways," said Mayor Menino, who will host a memorial service. "This online database captures what individual cities are planning to do and how we, as a nation, will commemorate this tragic anniversary."

The database, accessible to the public and press at www.usmayors.org, already includes more than 260 cities. New listings are added daily. For each city, the database provides a contact person and a brief description of planned 9/11 anniversary activities.

City activities include interfaith memorial services, bell or siren ringing, moments of silence, free admission and special exhibits at local museums, and more. Here are a few examples:

• Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood will lead a symbolic procession around Lake Eola, culminating with the illumination of 5,000 candles and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of Mozart's Requiem. In a global Rolling Requiem, choirs around the world will perform Mozart's Requiem in each time zone over a 24-hour period. Many other U.S. cities are also participating in this effort.

• A Denver mother-daughter team has created a massive U.S. flag out of 4000 quilted squares created by survivors, family members of victims, school children, firemen, police officers, and many ordinary citizens. The September 11 Quilt Project will be on display on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol and is the subject of a Smithsonian Institution documentary, according to Mayor Wellington Webb.

• Portland, Oregon Mayor Vera Katz will honor the one-year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks with an all-day community gathering, leading into four days of volunteerism. Also, a "light memorial," twin towers of light rising 1000 feet, will be illuminated on September 11 and remain lit for two months.

• Students from William Allen High School in Allentown, Penn. have also created a commemorative mosaic. Their 35 square-foot mosaic will be unveiled and dedicated at City Hall at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2002, according to Mayor Roy Afflerbach.

• Carmel, Indiana Mayor James Brainard says the city's police department will hold a SWAT team competition with other SWAT teams from across the state in honor of the public safety officials who died in last year's attacks. The city will also host a public memorial service in the evening.

• Mayor Martin O'Malley says that Baltimore will commemorate the lives of those lost and pay tribute to everyday heroes with the First Annual 5K "Run to Remember." All proceeds from the event will benefit the Baltimore Police Foundation and the Baltimore City Fire Department.

• In Virginia Beach, Mayor Meyera Oberndorf has asked residents to fly flags at half-staff from dawn until dusk and turn on porch lights from dusk until midnight as a sign of unity. The city will also host a memorial service and concert.

  Since September 11, mayors have significantly enhanced local security measures and improved emergency preparedness and response capabilities. They have worked together to:

• Improve communications and coordination with each other, states, and the federal government on homeland security issues;

• Lobby successfully for federalization of airport security screening;

• Urge consolidation of federal homeland security efforts into a new Office of Homeland Security; and

• Gain support for federal assistance for local homeland security efforts and first responders. Mayors continue to seek distribution of these funds directly to cities.

Conference surveys on cities' security spending and mayors' security concerns are also available online at usmayors.org, as is the "National Action Plan for Safety and Security in America's Cities," endorsed by mayors at a special Security Summit in October, 2001.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The primary roles of the Conference of Mayors are to promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-city relationships; ensure that federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.

Contact:
Andy Solomon (202) 861-6766

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