By Lina Garcia
March 17, 2003

A coalition of local elected officials and concerned citizens working to get their City Councils and other civic bodies to pass resolutions against a war on Iraq is reporting that approximately 126 cities across the country have passed Anti-War resolutions as of March 12.

According to Cities for Peace, some of the cities so far that have proposed and passed resolutions include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Austin, Portland and Burlington.

Many of the resolutions approved in cities express concern that a unilateral war against Iraq could undermine our existing foreign partnerships and would erode support to eliminate terrorism. Cost concerns are also echoed throughout other resolutions arguing that a war with Iraq would cost millions of dollars and exacerbate a financial crisis for working families and further cut state and local budgets.

On March 12, the New York City Council approved a resolution opposing the war with Iraq, after an ongoing debate among its members. The 31'17 vote came after months of debate over whether New York should get involved and much of the debate was due in large part to the city's unique position as a symbol in the war against terrorism. The resolution backed war only if "other options for achieving compliance with United Nations resolutions calling for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction and the means of their development have failed."

Councilman Alan Jennings who lost a friend at the World Trade Center attack expressed strong feelings against adoption of the resolution. "Our troops are in the Middle East at this time to fight for our democracy," Jennings said. "I think this resolution sends the wrong message to our men and women in uniform."

Supporting passage of the resolution in New York City, Councilwoman Yvette Clarke said, "If we're going to be looking for a fight, let's fight poverty, let's fight firehouse closures, let's fight racism and sexism."

The Los Angeles resolution passed with a margin of 9 to 4 on February 21. In Chicago, Alderman Joe Moore, said response for the city's constituents regarding the resolution passed in Chicago has been overwhelmingly positive.

City Councils in a number of cities including Houston and Minneapolis have attempted to pass resolutions but they were voted down. A common objection to the resolutions is that they do not fall into the scope of the authority or expertise of city council members.

Other cities such as Tucson, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Knoxville currently are considering various proposals in opposition to the possible war with Iraq.

Burlington Mayor Clavelle Asks Mayors to Sign Letter to President Bush Opposing War with Iraq

In early March, Burlington (VT) Mayor Peter Clavelle circulated a letter to the nation's mayors urging them to sign an open letter to President Bush opposing the war. In his letter, Mayor Clavelle argued that the consequences of a war for communities across the U.S. will be profound and will likely cause economic turmoil. "War on Iraq will further isolate the U.S. and unleash a greater tide of anti'American sentiment. And, the rush to war will be yet another signal to our young people that violence is a viable option for resolving conflict in the world," Clavelle stated.

Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory sent a letter supporting President Bush's decision on the war in response to Mayor Clavelle's letter and urged other mayors not to sign the open letter to the President. In his letter, Mayor McCrory stated that "we [mayors] all have many other issues that must be addressed on a daily basis, foreign policy and state and federal issues are best addressed by those elected officials with direct oversight or as conversations between private citizens and their state or federal representatives."