By Jocelyn Bogen
April 12, 2004

2004 United States Conference of Mayors/Waste Management City Livability Awards Finalist LARGE CITIES Mayor Mark Begich Anchorage, AK Anchorage Trail Watch Program Mayor Martin O-Malley Baltimore, MD Baltimore Believe Program Mayor Thomas M. Menino Boston, MA Walk This Way Program Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Charleston, SC Charleston's Livability Court Mayor Charles J. Luken Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati Dental Healthcare Program Mayor Richard E. Filippi, Esq. Erie, PA "Blue Bag" & Paper Residential Recycling Program Mayor Alan Autry Fresno, CA Mayor's Fitness Council Mayor Jeremy Harris Honolulu, HI Sustainable Honolulu Mayor Jerry E. Abramson Louisville Metro, KY Louisville Music in the Metro Unites the Community Program Mayor Manuel A. Diaz Miami, FL "Heart of Our Parks" Program Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg New York, NY Operation Spotlight Program Mayor Vera Katz Portland, OR River Renaissance Program Mayor Ron Gonzales San Jose, CA Anti-Graffiti Program Mayor Keith P. Hightower Shreveport, LA "ArtBus" Project Mayor Francis G. Slay St. Louis, MO Problem Properties Program SMALL CITIES Mayor Carlos MŽndez Mart’nez Aguadilla, PR Lilliam Neris Crespo Electronic Library Mayor Peter A. Clavelle Burlington, VT Waterfront Revitalization District Mayor Michael A. Guido Dearborn, MI Dearborn Commission on Disability Concerns Mayor Dan Coody Fayetteville, AR Pay-As-You-Throw Cart Program Mayor James T. Humphrey Fort Myers, FL Wellfield Site Redevelopment Program Mayor William J. Mueller Lombard, IL "The Lilac Village" Program Mayor Chuck Oberlie Michigan City, IN Mayor's Campaign Against Cancer Mayor Manuel E. Guillen Paramount, CA Gang Resistance Is Paramount (GRIP) Program Mayor H. Abram Wilson San Ramon, CA On-line Carpool-to'school Ridematching Program Mayor Marty Blum Santa Barbara, CA Downtown Worker Housing Program Mayor Larry A. Delgado Santa Fe, NM ArtWorks Program Mayor Thomas J. Hessler Sierra Vista, AZ Senior Games Program Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence Southfield, MI Mayor's Walk-A Healthy City Program Mayor David J. Jones St. Joseph, MO Community Appearance Plan Program Mayor Lois J. Frankel West Palm Beach, FL Kaleidoscope: A Celebration of Many Cultures Program

After receiving over 200 applications, The United States Conference of Mayors/Waste Management recently announced the finalists for the 2004 City Livability Awards Program. City Livability Awards honor mayors and their cities for outstanding programs that contribute to the quality of life of their citizens. The 20-City Livability Awards are presented in two population categories — ten Awards to cities of less than 100,000 people, ten for cities of 100,000 or more.

"This flagship program showcases the creativity and commitment of the nation's leaders and citizens to the continuing improvement of their cities, and we look forward to learning more about how they are successfully meeting major urban challenges," said Conference President Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner.

In the words of A. Maurice Myers, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Waste Management, "Waste Management is proud to sponsor the 2004 City Livability Awards Program. This Awards Program showcases the leadership role that mayor's take as they strive to improve the quality of life for the residents of their cities. This is the 15th year that Waste Management has supported this program and we continue to be impressed with the innovative and creative approaches that are used to address some of our nation's toughest issues."

Participating cities submitted the initial application in early March, which briefly described their program, and indicated when and why it was created, how it has improved the quality of life of the community, and why it is outstanding or innovative.

From these initial applications, about 30 finalist cities in each of two population categories were selected. These finalist cities will now submit a more detailed application, due on April 30. An independent panel of judges will select the winners in late May. Award winners will be announced in June at the 72nd Annual Conference of Mayors in Boston.

Every municipality in the United States is eligible to nominate one or more city government programs in any policy area, regardless of whether the municipality has applied for or received a City Livability Award in previous years. All programs initiated by the city government are eligible, including those developed and implemented in cooperation with private sector and/or community group participation.

Cleveland Mayor Jane L. Campbell, one of last year's recipients of the City Livability Award for cities over 100,000, said, "In Cleveland, we are working diligently on improving the quality of life for our residents through better connections to greenspaces and access to our parks. Being recognized by the United States Conference of Mayors for our community beautification and development efforts is a great measure of our success. Cleveland is extremely grateful for the 2003 City Livability Award, but even more grateful for the local partnership with ParkWorks, whose active support makes the city's greenspace successes possible."