Washington, DC
April 13, 2012

Mayors Defense Transition Task Force

We announced this week a new Mayors Defense Transition Task Force, established by Conference President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in response to President Obama’s call in his State of the Union Address for “a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget.” President Obama also said that night, and he has been constant ever since, with his strong support to “take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation building right here at home.”

Conference President Villaraigosa has appointed Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton to Chair the Mayors Defense Transition Task Force. In announcing Mayor Stanton’s appointment to Chair, Mayor Villaraigosa said, “The nation’s cities will be affected, directly and indirectly, by the transition that is occurring in this nation’s approach to national defense. In this current climate of change, managing the human and economic impact of reduced military/industrial activity or a smaller military presence in and around cities must be recognized as a national goal that is shared by the Department of Defense and the local governments affected.”

In accepting this most important position, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton pledged his hard work along with the nation’s mayors on the challenges ahead. Mayor Stanton said, “We must never lose focus on how important it is to attract high wage jobs to Phoenix, while fiercely protecting the jobs we have. As Chair of this task force, I will work hard with mayors across the country to ensure that if cuts to the defense budget are made, they will be made in a thoughtful manner that protects jobs and our national security.”

We thank Mayor Villaraigosa for his vision and action to establish this task force at this critical time. No doubt, as we discuss the investments President Obama supports in the post Iraq/Afghanistan War era, certainly the defense facilities in and near our cities must be sites for future manufacturing and service industry sites. For example, there is no need for us to buy the batteries from Asia if we can transform the military sites into manufacturing sites. In Denver, they converted Stapleton Airport into a city as they opened the grand mega Denver Airport there.

We are most grateful for Mayor Stanton’s desire to serve, to work hard, and to help us create new approaches for this new era. Mayor Stanton brings new energy and new leadership to the pending defense transition, a transition that will cause chaos, upheaval and human misery unless we start now and work hard together with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, his team, other top Administration officials, defense industry leaders, and equally non-defense corporate partners. With a unified approach, led by the bipartisan mayors of America, working with the federal government and the business sector, we can and we will build a better America.

In Orlando, at our 80th Annual Meeting, June 13–16, we will bring the defense transition issue to the forefront. Conference President Villaraigosa has reached out to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and invited him to be with us in Orlando. Secretary Panetta is a friend of cities and mayors. Throughout his illustrious career, he has been a supporter of mayors and cities. We want to work with him as we go forward to ensure that the metropolitan economies of our nation that continue to drive this national economy out of the ’08 meltdown and the greatest recession to an even stronger national economy than before.

The mayors are ready to work on the challenge before us. Come to Orlando and be a part of helping us to influence decisions affecting your cities. It is most important for you, your city, your constituents and the nation for you to be in Orlando as we learn and move forward into this new era.

Please register now for our 80th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 13–16. You can register online at: usmayors.org/registration or call Carol Edwards at 202-293-7330.