January 20, 2003

An informal association formed to strategize about how to best represent Ohio's cities gathered in Akron January 13 with an agenda focusing on homeland security issues and their impact on urban areas. The Big Cities' Mayors meeting was held at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron where the mayors of six Ohio cities came together to sign a memorandum of understanding on mutual aid.

Included in the meeting with Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic were: Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin, and Toledo Mayor Jack Ford.

"The Big Cities' Mayors' goal is to be a force in Columbus with the Ohio General Assembly, which has long been championing the cause of suburbs over cities," said Plusquellic. "Our urban centers are hubs for jobs, entertainment, recreation, infrastructure and important public safety services that are also used by our suburban neighbors. Without strong cities, the suburbs will not survive," continued Plusquellic.

This is the third meeting of this organization. The mayors met informally last summer at the annual meeting of the Conference of Mayors in Madison. The group then assembled in Columbus in October when the mayors sent an outline of issues to the legislature that deeply concerned them.

The agenda focused on homeland security. The mayors are combining all of their skills and talents in the area of public safety to create a mutual aid pact that would allow them to move easily from one city to another in the event of a mass casualty or disaster or terrorist attack. Only Ohio's cities are equipped with advanced-training units and sophisticated equipment to perform any specialty functions such as hazardous materials cleanup, deep excavation and explosives detection and destruction.

Mayors Plusquellic, Campbell, Coleman, Luken, McLin and Ford gathered at a news conference for the signing of the memorandum of understanding on mutual aid.