Executive Director Unveils New U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center/President Palmer and Leadership Endorse Center and Pledge Action Now
March 5, 2007
In keeping with the enthusiasm and momentum evident during the special plenary session on global climate change at The U.S. Conference of Mayors 75th Annual Winter Meeting in Washington, and the leadership and vision of Conference President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran officially announced on February 20 the creation of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center. The Center will conduct a series of on-going and escalated activities to serve the needs of mayors as they strive to meet the goals set forth by the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, the 2030 Challenge and other, similar climate change initiatives.
Cochran presented on February 23rd the structural detail and strategic work plan of the Center at the Key West Leadership Meeting. Mayor Palmer and other members of the Conference leadership warmly endorsed the new Center, and hailed it as a much needed service of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. Cochran’s memo, below, lays out the details of the Center, its staff and how it will fit within The U.S. Conference of Mayors organization.
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: THE CREATION OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS CLIMATE PROTECTION CENTER
Following our 75th Winter Meeting, with the outstanding leadership and vision of our President, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, and pursuant to the need to strengthen our efforts for climate protection, as Executive Director, I am today announcing the creation of The United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Center.
To accommodate the need to fully fund and equip the Center with resources needed, I have adjusted the USCM budget and changed the strategic fund raising targets and goals to assure we have the resources to support the leadership and bipartisan climate protection activity of the nation’s mayors in every region.
Since the 75th Winter Meeting I have hired three new top staff people who will be joining us immediately to work full time on those activities within our new Center.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
I am pleased to announce that Kevin McCarty, who previously served as the Conference’s Assistant Executive Director for energy, environment, transportation and telecommunication issues, will be the new Managing Director of the Conference’s Climate Protection Center. He rejoins the Conference staff after more than five years of service as the Director of Federal Policy for the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP), a coalition of national and regional organizations committed to transportation reforms that expand travel options and empower communitybased transportation solutions. Previously in his career, Kevin has worked for the City of Seattle’s Executive Department, National League of Cities and the National Wildlife Federation and has represented city and other public agencies on public finance, stormwater, water and wastewater issues. His familiarity with mayoral interests and needs and the many core services provided by cities will be a real asset as we expand the Conference’s efforts to provide stronger support for mayoral leadership on climate protection.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND GRASSROOTS ACTIVITY
Lina Garcia will serve as Director of Communications and Grassroots for the Center. She was most recently the Director of Local Arts Policy at Americans for the Arts, also working on their national public service awareness campaign about arts education, in partnership with the Advertising Council. She previously served as Press Secretary for the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Before joining the Convention, Lina was Deputy Communications Director at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and prior to that worked for Fleishman-Hillard Communications, a world-wide public relations firm based out of San Francisco. She also served as Press Secretary for Congressman Silvestre Reyes (TX) and as a Deputy Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee. Lina received her B.A. in international studies from George Washington University at Mount Vernon and is fluent in Spanish. She will bring a combination of grassroots, policy and strong media relations skills that will help promote all the efforts that mayors are making to increase climate protection.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, BEST PRACTICES AND RESEARCH
Brett Rosenberg has been on our staff here since 2003 as Director of our Clean Air Mayors Program and also provided invaluable assistance with our Mayors Water Council, Environmental Best Practices, and our Brownfields Redevelopment initiative. He came to us with a Masters degree from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. His experience includes work with The United States Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center at Ann Arbor Michigan, the National Governors Association - best practices center, the Advent group here in Washington as a staff scientist on compliance and water resource management, and The Washington Post as a staff associate.
As Executive Director, I will be directly and personally involved as we go forward with a dynamic Center to serve our nation’s mayors. Also on our team already are Assistant Executive Directors for Energy Debra DeHaney Howard and for Environment Judy Sheahan. As a team member, USCM Business Council Managing Director Geri Powell will be most valuable because of her previous career with Waste Management, Inc., and she will direct our fund raising and marketing strategy as we go forward to provide the additional resources needed to support our increased mayoral activity. Also involved for guidance and assistance will be David Gatton, a senior environmental veteran, and Director of our New American City Council. Ed Somers will serve with us as Chief of Staff to help us with guidance on the substance of the Center and its prominent role of work within the Conference structure.
No doubt, other Assistant Executive Directors and Department Heads within the Conference will add impetus when needed as the climate protection activity requires attention to transportation, housing, health, and other issues.
I am confident in the selection of the best staff of this new mission. With the continuing effort of current staff and new staff, we will lift the climate protection issue within the Conference to new heights as we help our mayors lead the way in addressing the challenge of climate protection before our nation and our planet.
ESCALATED ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS CLIMATE PROTECTION CENTER TO SUPPORT CURRENT ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES
1. NEW STAFF — WORKING FULL TIME ON CLIMATE PROTECTION
First, hire the best staff possible, integrate new staff with existing staff for overall work plan and goals. I’m pleased to say that this action has taken place and new staff have been working with us over the past two weeks and will be full time housed and working at my direction at our headquarters, 1620 Eye Street, Washington, DC by March 16.
2. CLIMATE PROTECTION AGREEMENT — A SIGN UP CAMPAIGN
We will continue our campaign to sign up mayors to our Climate Protection Agreement. Our leader in this effort Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has does a masterful job. We signed up more at our Winter Meeting and this week he announced that more than 400 cities have signed up. Our goal is to reach 500 by June to be announced at our 75th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, BEST PRACTICES, RESEARCH
Our Center will become the hub for Climate Protection resources for cities nationwide. Included will be: climate protection best practices, advocacy tools and technical assistance, surveys, polls, education and action research. The mayors will have a resource center, a place to call or email for inquiries and for sharing.
4. COMMUNICATIONS, GRASS ROOTS
Mayors preside over millions of people the gold standard UN Committee two weeks ago in Paris reports that human behavior is the reason for the serious threat to protecting our climate. Mayor leadership can change human behavior. A communications strategy will be developed to promote what mayors and other groups within cities are doing to change human behavior. The media, public awareness campaign and strategic messaging will be a part of our activities. In addition we must use on-line resources, a dynamic new website, blog, e-blasts, v-mails, video conferencing and conventional newsletters.
5. FUND RAISING
We will continue to provide the opportunity to corporations, foundations and the Federal government to support the Center’s effort. We are encouraged by our current fund raising efforts and are confident we will reach goals of our new redesigned marketing and fund raising strategy.
6. AWARDS PROGRAM
We have established a USCM Climate Protection Center awards program similar to our City Livability Award program. We will also have special awards for individuals who have assisted our cities or nation on global warming.
7. CLIMATE PROTECTION COUNCIL
For corporate Sponsors, we are folding our present USCM Energy Council into a new Climate Protection Council.
8. 75th ANNUAL MEETING — LOS ANGELES
Featured Session
Awards Presentation Luncheon
9. ADDITIONAL SUMMITS
After two most successful summits in Chicago and Atlanta in 2006, we will have our third National Summit on Energy and Environment with a focus on Climate Protection in Seattle in Fall of 2007. More summits and regional meetings, large and small, will be a big part of the USCM Climate Protection Center
10. FORUMS
Through our new partnership with the Robert Wagner School at New York University, we will schedule a Climate Protection/Global Warming Forum this year.
We will incorporate a climate protection/global warming session at our New Mayors School that we have established for new mayors with the prestigious JFK Institute of Politics at Harvard. In addition, we will have press forums from time to time in Washington with Congressional leaders and mayors.
As a member of The National Press Club, we will also sponsor forums there when needed or deemed appropriate to assist us with our communications and bipartisan political strategy.
11. COALITION BUILDING
Soon, with the new team leaders, McCarty, Garcia and Rosenberg, I will convene Washington based environmental and energy groups. There are many old allies that we have had in our present coalition. The present sentiment among our mayors and the American people gives opportunity to new coalition partners including public sector organizations, bipartisan nonprofits, religious, civic, corporate and business associations. These groups will be invited to be part of the USCM led coalition. The missions and goals are multifaceted and confront the Congressional challenges but also provide opportunities for meeting our goals set by our mayoral leaders.
12. ‘08 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
The USCM Climate Protection Center will work with the policy directors of the ‘08 Presidential campaigns to keep them aware of the grassroots activity and the sentiments of city voters concerning climate protection and global warming. President Palmer and other leadership will push our 2007 10-Point Plan and climate protection is in the forefront of our efforts.
13. OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS OUTREACH
Our history, since the 1980s, with international groups has grown and throughout these relations, sustainable development and global climate has been brought to the table by our international counterparts. Today, with our Climate Protection campaign and other developments, we will engage them in a different kind of activity than before. We can finally be more aggressive about what the USA is doing, thanks to our USA mayors and their local initiatives.
14. CONGRESSIONAL AGENDA
The Climate Protection Center will provide aggressive back-up to our mayors as we push forward through Congress and to the White House for a signature on a new Energy and Environmental Block Grant providing $4 billion for cities and counties for the purpose of supporting local climate protection city innovations and initiatives.
The climate protection issue will also affect other legislation and we will work across the board in areas of housing, transportation, etc., to support congressional action in support of our USCM climate protection policies.
15. ENTITIES WITHIN THE CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
The Climate Protection Center will support our President as he or she is the spokesperson for us in the nation and the world.
The Center will also lend special support to the Climate Protection Task Force, Chaired by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard.
The Center will offer research and analysis to our lead Standing Committees on this issue — Energy, Chair, Austin Mayor Will Wynn and Environment Chair Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.
The other USCM Standing Committees will also have our Climate Protection Center to use for data and information as needed
Please join me in welcoming our new staff and join with us as we will need your help across the board to make our new Center one we can be proud of knowing that we will give our best to our mayors as we move ahead on one of the most challenging issues we have faced in our 75 year history.
I look forward to your advice, assistance and cooperation on this most important task as we go forward together.
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