March 19, 2007

St. Paul (MN) Mayor Chris Coleman participated in Meals on Wheels February 14 to raise awareness of senior nutritional programs. The mayor, working in collaboration with Meals on Wheels, delivered Valentine’s Day greetings and a nourishing lunch to homebound residents. The program delivers 20,000 meals to senior and disabled individuals and relies heavily on over 100 volunteers, serving 80 homebound residents every weekday.

Tampa (FL) Mayor Pam Iorio signed on to support the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement February 1 that urges the federal and state governments to enact policies and programs to reduce global warming pollution and seek to promote positive climate change at the city level. The city government is already working on many of the proposed actions in the agreement in order to protect the local environment for future generations. Tampa is developing a residential city center in downtown and Channelside to help reduce sprawl and create an urban, walkable community; preserving open space and green space throughout the neighborhoods through parks and pocket parks; providing city employees with a discounted buss pass a part of their benefits package; working to develop Tampa’s Greenways & Trails to connect the neighborhoods through bicycle trails; developing The Tampa Riverwalk to connect all of downtown’s amenities; working on green building and sustainability policies and codes through a committee that includes the local business community; promoting mass transit and improved commuter initiatives such as meaningful circulator system; increasing recycling efforts; and promoting tree planting through annual 1,000 Trees program and beautification efforts. In addition, Tampa is one of only two cities in the state that owns a waste-to-energy facility. The city’s McKay Bay Refuse-to-Energy Facility, a viable source of renewable energy, processes more than 300,000 tons of non-recyclable municipal solid waste, producing the energy equivalent of 713,000 barrels of oil, which can supply the energy needs of 20,000 homes.

San Jose (CA) Mayor Chuck Reed led a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony February 7 that recognized completion of Lockheed Martin’s TSAT Missions Operation System building. The project is part of a $2 billion U.S. Department of Defense contract that includes an advanced Air Force network that will provide secure global communications to transform the speed of command and provide a vital information link to deployed mobile forces. Lockheed is also adding more than 300 jobs to the Silicon Valley city.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and his city were in the national spotlight March 11 on the CBS Sunday Morning program. CBS spent a full day documenting the mayor’s new leadership and examining how Pittsburgh has changed from a “smoky city” to a “smart city.” Ravenstahl, at 29 years old, was billed as the youngest mayor of a large American city. On September 1, 2006, he became the 59th mayor of the city when former Mayor Bob O’Connor died. He had been President of the city council and considered himself a friend and colleague of O’Connor. Ravenstahl said he is going to work to make Pittsburgh a safer and cleaner city, keeping and attracting business and families in the city, and in moving forward with many of the goals of O’Connor.

Beverly Hills (CA) businessman Jimmy Delshad is set to become the first Iranian-American mayor in the United States. Election officials declared his victory March 14 after a tally of absentee votes cast March 6. Delshad, 66, emigrated from Iran at age 19 and was re-elected to the city council. Since council members serve as mayor based on seniority, he is next in line to assume the office. He will be the highest-ranking Iranian-American elected official in the country. According to a USA Today story March 15, census figures show that 8,000 of Beverly Hills 35,000 residents are of Iranian descent.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was host to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg March 8. The mayors exchanged ideas on addressing and promoting sustainability in their cities while touring Miami’s newest, state-of-the-art green building. As part of the visit, they toured the cutting edge University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine’s Clinical Research Institute Green Building. Among the green technologies, the mayors viewed doubled-paned, argon-filled glass that keeps the windows cool even in direct sunlight; high-efficiency light fixtures tied to a building energy management system; and a unique clean and efficient air management system that places air vents on the floor instead of the ceiling. Diaz, a strong proponent of green initiatives said, “Mayor Bloomberg has done an excellent job in leading a major sustainability effort in New York City. I welcome the opportunity to meet with him to exchange ideas on how to continue positioning Miami as a national leader in integrating sustainability and economic growth.”