February 9, 2004

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recognized outstanding partnerships between cities and companies at the Conference's 72nd Winter Meeting January 23. Laredo Mayor Elizabeth Flores presented awards for best practices in Portland, Washington, D.C., Augusta (GA), Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Cedar Rapids and New Orleans. In addition to Flores, who serves as Chair of the Mayors and Business Community Task Force, Conference President, James A. Garner participated in the awards ceremony.

In announcing the awards, Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran remarked, "All of these partnerships share in common a synergy that has changed the way city services are delivered. Time after time, we have seen how public-private partnerships have resulted in new and creative approaches to solving some of the most intractable problems faced by cities. These award winners will inspire more cities and companies to work together to improve the quality of life for all city residents."

The Mayors Business Council established these awards to encourage businesses and cities to work together to improve local communities. An independent panel of judges was appointed by the Conference of Mayors to review the submissions. The judges are former Mayor of Santa Clara (CA) Judy Nadler, Former Mayor of Rockford (IL) Charles Box, and Neil Hare, Vice President of Corporate Communications for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Criteria upon which their selections were made included: improvement in delivery of services, replicability, sustainability, cost savings, creativity of approach, benefits to both public and private partners, economic and business benefits, and measurable results.

Following the awards presentation, The Conference also released its "Public/Private Partnership Awards Best Practices Guide" (available on the web at usmayors.org). This report describes the winning partnerships in two award categories: the Award of Excellence and the Outstanding Achievement Award. The guide will provide a blueprint for other cities to emulate the winners.

The award winners are as follows: Two Awards of Excellence — City of Portland and Bechtel Corporation for Portland Airport's Light Rail ; Washington D.C., Comcast and Fannie Mae Foundation for the Mayor's Lifelong Learning Initiative; Six Outstanding Achievement Awards — City of Augusta and Operations Management International (OMI) for the Augusta , Ga. Wastewater Treatment System; City of Baltimore and Motorola for Cititrack (CRM); City of Chicago and Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP for the City of Chicago Fees and Fines Collection Program; City of Cleveland and ORACLE Corporation for the ORACLE Academies for the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Municipal School District; City of Cedar Rapids and Fannie Mae for William B. Quarton Place; and the City of New Orleans and Intrado for the Safe City Plan that includes Intellicast.