By Ed Somers and Kay Scrimger
April 14, 2003

The nation's mayors will gather in Denver on June 5-10 for the 71st Annual Conference of Mayors, presided over by Conference President Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and hosted by Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb. The front end of the conference will feature the 2nd International Conference of Mayors, which will begin with a reception on Thursday, June 5.

The major themes of the Annual Meeting will be homeland security and economic security. The Conference will hold a major plenary session on the issue of homeland security on Sunday, June 8. This interactive session will feature a national conversation among the mayors as to how the domestic war against terrorism is impacting their cities, and what steps have been taken to improve homeland security.

Issues related to economic security such as stimulus through the tax code and investment programs, transportation, housing production, brownfield redevelopment and others will be covered over the course of the meeting in discussions with major plenary speakers. The Conference has invited:

• President George W. Bush
• Key Administration members
• Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN), Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (SD), House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (IL), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA)
• Democratic aspirants for President - invited to speak on Monday, June 9.

The policy committees of the Conference will meet on Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 to consider new resolutions, which will be presented to the entire membership for consideration on Monday, June 9. Member mayors wishing to submit resolutions for consideration must do so no later than Friday, May 5.

Other meetings in Denver will include the Mayors Business Council, the Urban Water Council, the Council for Investment in the New American City, the Women Mayors, and the Republican and Democratic mayors.

In addition, important task force meetings and workshops will be held during the Denver meeting, and there will be an orientation session for new mayors on Friday, June 6.

International Conference of Mayors

A key part of the Annual Meeting will be the International Conference of Mayors, which will give U.S. and mayors from other countries the opportunity to jointly address the role of mayoral leadership in achieving sustainability in the world's cities. Mayors will share ideas and give best practices presentations on strategies for successfully managing major challenges in areas including travel and tourism, transportation, safety and security, the environment, health issues, sustainable urban development, affordable housing, diversity, and education.

International mayors who have confirmed thus far represent the cities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Banjul, The Gambia; Barcelona, Spain; Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; Calcutta, India; Calgary, Canada; Castiglione del Lago, Italy; Esfahan, Iran; Harare, Zimbabwe; Jeju City, Korea; Jinja, Uganda; Phuket, Thailand; Quito, Ecuador; Stockholm, Sweden; San Fernando City (Pampanga), Philippines; Tagaytay City, Philippines; and Winnipeg, Canada. Other mayors have also expressed strong interest, and are expected to confirm soon.

The International Conference of Mayors will begin on Thursday evening with a reception in honor of the international guests, and will conclude on Sunday, June 8. Simultaneous translation will be provided for the formal sessions during the international portion of the Annual Meeting, June 5-8.

This international portion of the upcoming Annual Meeting continues the Conference's development of a strong network of international mayors, which began with Trans-Atlantic Conferences in Lyon and Berlin in 2000 and 2001, and the First International Conference of Mayors Summit in April 2002.