By Juliette Jardim
February 2, 2009

Emanuel Focuses on Mayors' Part in Economic Recovery

By Juliette Jardim

In the opening plenary session of the 77th Winter Meeting, the newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel emphasized the importance of the Economic Recovery Act and highlighted the crucial role played by mayors in confronting the current economic crisis.

Emanuel spoke of the possibilities presented by the crisis to elected officials across America, by saying, "We have an operative theory in the administration: never allow a serious crisis to go to waste."

He described the crisis as an opportunity to fix many of the problems that existed even before the crisis, he noted, creating a much stronger and more resilient America.

While the act will address the hardships of the current crisis, it could not be just a temporary relief of its symptoms, and must be an investment for the future. Emanuel called for major advances in technology development and infrastructure, including energy independence, health care information technology, and expansion of broadband across America. Yet what he saw as the most critical investment was investment in the people, particularly in their education and health. Emanuel was adamant about passing the Children's Health Insurance Program, and talked about the need for a complete renovation of the school system from classroom modernization to Pell Grant extension. He declared that these investments, done correctly, would repair America's economy and ensure it remains competitive far into the future.

Emanuel warned of many possible pitfalls in executing the Recovery Act. "This is the opportunity," he said, "Now the challenge to all of us is not to do this the old way."

Speaking on the need to develop a new way to invest in our nation, he urged the mayors not to make a single mistake, cautioning that one bad investment could affect us all tremendously. He underscored the purpose of the act as a means to get families back to work as members of a productive economy rather than simply the alleviation of unbalanced budgets.

He also challenged the mayors to maintain transparency and accountability in their performances, emphasizing the responsibility of government officials to their elected bodies. "This is the American People's investment in their future," he pronounced. "You are the stewards of it, with us, with the governors, with the state legislatures, and as those stewards, we should be held accountable to make sure that these dollars go to the greatest economic impact in turning this country around."

Emanuel assured the mayors that the federal government was their partner and would maintain a relationship of honesty and support, and together they must do their duty to guarantee the future success of America.

"So as we make these investments, let us all be held accountable, not to just do it the old way, to do it in a new way. To make sure these dollars have the greatest impact in making this country turn around and produce those 3.6 million jobs and give America a brighter future tomorrow," he said in concluding his remarks.