By Dave Gatton and Carolyn Merryweather
February 9, 2004

Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, Chair of the Council for the New American City, addressed the mayors at the Opening Plenary session January 21 of the 72nd Winter Meeting. Kilpatrick addressed the continuing need for investment in the nation's cities, and described the mayors 5-point agenda, "Keeping America Strong" which addresses Homeland Security, Jobs, Infrastructure Investment, Tax Incentives to Foster Public/Private Partnerships, and Health. The agenda will be presented to all the presidential candidates and the general voting public in the 2004 election year.

"Our message is simple and straightforward," Kilpatrick said. "Our goal is to keep America strong, and that means we must keep our metro economies strong."

Over the last 10 years, U.S. metro areas have generated 87 percent of the nation's growth, and over 85 percent of its economic output, jobs, and labor income. While the nation is showing economic growth after a recession that hit cities and metro areas hard, job growth remains troublesome. According to a report commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in November 2003, jobs are slowly returning to U.S. cities, but have an 18 percent lower wage than those which were lost during the recession. Additionally, many manufacturing jobs will not be returning.

"We must finally get serious about creating jobs through a national infrastructure investment plan and improving our public schools and education so we can compete and be smarter than our competitors," Kilpatrick said.

"If we know anything it is this: the world is changing. The American worker is facing new realities and new competition in the global marketplace," Kilpatrick said. "We will only remain competitive if we stay ahead of the curve. Our metro economies must create jobs faster than we lose them."

Kilpatrick also described the Council for the New American City's plan to launch a national financial literacy campaign in the Spring of 2004. "We will be asking Mayors from all across the country to join the campaign and develop alliances to promote financial literacy in their communities," Kilpatrick said.

In closing, Kilpatrick thanked Conference President Hempstead Mayor James A. Garner for his leadership and hard work and said, "This coming year will be an important one for the American people, and we want every citizen to know that we want an agenda for America that will keep America strong," he said.