By Ed Somers
March 19, 2007

Led by Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, more than 3,000 local officials came to Washington on March 10-14 for the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference.

The NLC delegates promoted a legislative agenda that calls on the 110th Congress to:

• protect or restore funding for critical domestic programs including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOPE VI, transportation projects, and law enforcement programs;

• enact comprehensive immigration reform;

• keep local governments in control in any reform of the Communications Act;

• support legislation that will strengthen America’s housing finance system; and

• recognize the critical role cities and towns play in delivering services 24 hours-a-day to shared constituencies.

Peterson called on the federal government to create a genuine partnership with America’s cities and towns. “Some great things are going on in America’s cities. Just imagine what we could accomplish with a real federal partnership,” he said. “It’s not just about money, it’s about seeing a genuine partnership.”

He also expressed a desire to create a national dialogue on media violence and its impact on young people. Peterson will host a summit on the topic April 17 in Indianapolis to explore the issue further.

The NLC delegates heard from a number of national leaders over the course of the meeting including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD); Senators Hillary Clinton (NY), Joe Biden (DE), Christopher Dodd (CT), and Norm Coleman (MN); House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (MN); and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

Hoyer, Coleman, Clinton, Dodd and Biden all expressed support for the CDBG program.

Hoyer told the delegates, “You know what works and what doesn’t better than just about anyone else in the business of government – and you should be able to count on your federal counterparts for support and for the freedoms you need to keep providing the American people with the highest level of service.”