Washington, DC
February 12, 2010

Jobs Bill-Blizzard-Congress Shut Down

The 201O record-breaking blizzard has shut down Congress and stalled further the much needed jobs bill that will provide jobs for the thousands of Americans without work living in our metro areas.

House passed, still being negotiated by the Senate; this jobs legislation is now the number one priority of our new President, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and our nation's mayors.

In San Antonio (TX) this week, President Kautz took our "2010 Metro Agenda for America" to the International Franchisers Association, as she and Past President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer heard from small business and franchise owners about their needs as they live and face each hour, each day and each week, their bottom lines and their payrolls. The joint priority concern of both the nation's mayors and small business owners and franchise operators is creating stronger small businesses in our metro areas. President Kautz continues to say that making our small businesses stronger will create and save jobs for Americans who fear the loss of their jobs or for those who unfortunately have already lost their jobs and are now out of work.

In Washington, as the blizzard freezes political action, press reports continue to feature leaked information as to what is in and what is out of the Senate jobs bill. President Kautz has been back in DC after our January Winter Meeting, and she met with Senators advocating a more balanced approach to regular state highway funding. She strongly argued on behalf of the mayors that the current distribution mechanism needs changing to move the funding needle to a more equitable distribution of funds between the states and our metro areas. Today, traffic rules in our metro areas – causing misery, and unemployment rages – causing pain, suffering and indignation to the woman or man who wants work to pay their rent or mortgage, buy food and provide for themselves, their loved ones or their family. Congress needs to understand this before they get hit hard this November when they face frustration and outrage against Washington.

Until Congress modernizes the national transportation funding system to meet the needs of 2010 and forward, we do have the transportation TIGER grants. Transportation Secretary LaHood lauds this program at all our meetings and funded at $1.5 billion, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, a strong advocate, points out that there are applications at the Department of Transportation for projects that total an effective utilization of $57 billion. These grants are not in the House-passed jobs bill. We are urging the Senate to include them now.

Absent from the House bill and having support in the Senate is funding for another top mayoral priority – the continued funding of our green job energy block grants, our new initiative administered by The Department of Energy. Today, we have 1016 USA mayors within our Conference of Mayors Climate Center all ready to use these grants to create green jobs. There is a disconnect in Washington and failure to recognize by some as to the vital role of mayors and cities when it comes to creating green jobs. Together, we must push for green jobs energy block grants inclusion in the Senate jobs bill.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to be an advocate for additional summer youth jobs funds. Jobs are needed for the youth and he sees a direct relationship to lower crime when funds are there for our youth. We request the Senate to increase these funds over the amount in the House-passed bill.

The give and take, conference calls with Senate staff and USCM staff, e-mail after e-mail flow are all intensely centering on components to be included in the Senate jobs bill as U.S.Mayor goes to press. Things are moving. We just have to make sure the final bill is written so that the jobless persons in our metro areas are employed.

President Kautz will preside over out 2010 Winter Leadership Meeting week after next – February 24 to 25 – here in DC. It is most important that you join us as we still need heavy lifting to convince Congress that any jobs legislation providing precious federal funds to be sent from Washington MUST come to our cities and metro areas where unemployed Americans are without jobs and are doing their best to make it through this national economic downturn.

We still need lots of political work centered on Congress. Its not a matter of cities vs. states. It’s about Congress investing in a way that will give the biggest bang for the buck. The issue is whether Congress sends money to where the overwhelming majority of the unemployed lives and wants to work every day.

The political polls tell us what the mayors know without the polls telling them and that is the fact that people in our cities and metro areas out of a job want a job now. The unemployed out there don-t think Washington right now is on their side. They are sick and tired of the gridlock. They perceive a Washington tied up with health care legislation and helping the banks, Wall Street and the fat cats.

People want Washington to focus on Mainstreet, and if Washington doesn-t watch out, people are going to focus on the incumbents when they face the ballot boxes this year.

A large percentage of the American voters think the $787 billion dollars spent in the first stimulus went straight to bail the banks and Wall Street out. The general public doesn-t know just how close we came to losing the economic structure when this recession hit.

As Dr. Larry Summers told us in The White House last month, the states did not get the shaft in the last stimulus. That's true! We know the states spent and are spending the money as they see fit. The fact is that so many American citizens are not aware of what happened to the billions that were sent to the states because the mayors and large urban counties officials did not get the chance to coordinate metro funds for the unemployed centered in our more densely population places. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley continues to strongly make the point. People have to feel it. People have to see it. Projects in our cities not only would put millions to work – and even more – it would give confidence again to Mainstreet American people that Washington is working for them.

We still believe we can turn this around.

The recent election of Senator Scott Brown was not a surprise to many mayors. We lost two dynamic mayors in our own leadership who faced the ballot and were victims of a ravenous electorate who wanted change and action.

As Washington – Congressional leaders and President – push the reset button to move toward what we have been pushing from day one – jobs for the unemployed, Conference of Mayors President Kautz has pledged to work with President Obama and Congressional leaders. Mayors want to be a part of the next move and that's why we must this time around have a jobs bill that puts people to work in our cities and metro areas.

Mayors of this great nation are united behind President Kautz and her 2010 Metro Agenda for America. We need you in Washington February 24-25 as we work with The White House and with the Congress to focus on providing jobs now. I look forward to seeing you then. Meantime, if I can be of any assistance and service to you during these challenging times, please let me know.