By Megan Cardiff
January 31, 2011

Conference of Mayors President Burnsville (NM) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz kicked off the Mayors' Special Breakfast Session, It's All About Jobs!, sponsored by the Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council. The Special Session, which also included Conference of Mayors Business Council participation, was moderated by JobWorks President Steve Corona, and focused on putting Americans back to work. The session highlighted ways in which mayors from across the nation are training the high skilled workforce of tomorrow to retain and attract employers and create jobs.

In her remarks, outgoing Workforce Development Council President Baltimore Office of Employment Development Director Karen Sitnick emphasized that the current state of the economy allows mayors and city officials to be innovative and do things differently to get citizens back to work. Throughout the session, mayors shared their 2010 job creation strategies and ways they planned to accomplish employment growth in 2011. The information was captured and shared using a ‘game show' approach, through an audience participation response system -- with a series of questions posed to and answered by various mayors. To kick off the interactive discussion, Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis and Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland discussed their first jobs for pay, as a means to reinforce the importance of early work experience.

This led to a dialogue on the youth employment crisis, the 2010 Summer Jobs program, and funding for Summer Youth programs going forward.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and Harrisburg (PA) Mayor Linda Thompson also discussed their youth employment efforts, as well as programs and initiatives they are undertaking to increase youth participation.

To reduce unemployment, St. Louise Mayor Francis Slay outlined his work not only to create new jobs, but also to connect displaced workers with jobs that already exist in his city. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard shared that he brought 8,700 new jobs to his city — a 4,000 increase from the prior year. Emphasizing public-private partnerships, Hallandale Beach (FL) Mayor Joy Cooper discussed her work with developer Village Gulfstream Park. Their partnership created nearly 300 full-time jobs, and the development agreement requires job training and employment directly to residents on a first-come, first'served basis. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer outlined the three basic areas he will focus on to improve job development and increase the number of skilled workers in 2011: make Louisville an easy place to start and grow a business; cut through or streamline the city's regulations; and attract business by focusing on quality of life.

The session highlighted what mayors, working with their Workforce Boards, have been able to accomplish in job creation, particularly given the limited resources of today's economy, and reinforced the fact that skilled workers make for strong cities.