February 14, 2011

Conference President Elizabeth Kautz hosted a call February 7 for the Leadership of the Conference of Mayors for the purpose of discussing the White House notification call received February 1 and OMB Director Jacob Lew’s op ed piece in the Sunday New York Times both confirming that President Obama is proposing a 7.5 percent cut to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Recognizing that CDBG is now on the chopping block of the new Congress, Conference of Mayors Leadership directed staff to provide strategic examples of political action to stop further cuts to CDBG. Below are suggested recommendations for immediate action:

1) Call Congress Now: First and foremost, call your Representatives and Senators personally and ask them to provide full funding ($4 billion) for BOTH the current fiscal year (2011) and the next fiscal year (2012). Please provide your delegation with specific examples of how you are using CDBG. Talk about the jobs that depend on CDBG. Talk about the private funding you have leveraged with CDBG.

2) Invite Congress to Events: Invite your Representatives and Senators to local media event to highlight the benefits of CDBG. It is critical that these federal officials feel they are a part of the program, and are seen as local champions for funding that benefits their districts.

3) Activate Sub-Recipients: CDBG funding does not stay in city hall. It goes to thousands of local businesses, contractors, and service providers. Ask your community development and housing directors to provide a list of the sub-recipients, and tell them how serious the threat to CDBG is this year. Ask these sub-recipients to contact your delegation ASAP, and provide real stories and facts as to what would happen if CDBG is cut or eliminated.

4) Call on Faith Community: Engage members of the faith-based community in this campaign. These local leaders can help express the social and economic pain that will hit your community if jobs and services disappear without CDBG support.

5) Leverage Business Leaders: Talk to your local business community, Chamber of Commerce. Local business leaders know the value of infrastructure investments – something made possible through CDBG - and these leaders can be a powerful voice regarding how a reduction in critical services will negatively impact the business climate in your city.

6) Put a Face on CDBG: Help focus on real people who benefit from CDBG. This campaign cannot be about one level of government helping another level of government. It must be about the people whose lives are improved each and every day because of CDBG.

7) Talk to the Press: Consider doing a local Op-Ed on CDBG and what it does in your city, or hold a press event with the partners mentioned above.

8) Use Social Media: Many of you are using tools like Twitter and Facebook to promote the good work you do everyday. Consider posting pictures, videos, or stories of projects or persons who are benefiting from CDBG. Use the hashtag #cdbg.

9) Link with USCM: It is very important that we know what you are doing, so we can help tell your story in Washington and to the national media. Please send copies of your press statement, activities, photos, video, and more to David Burns via twitter @usmayors, on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors or via e-mail at cdbgaction@usmayors.org.