By Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz
April 28, 2003

As Chair of the Conference of Mayors Membership Standing Committee, it has been my privilege to work closely with the mayors of cities of all sizes, ranging from small cities like my own to the very largest in the nation. What has impressed me the most is how our organization, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, tackles so many issues affecting our cities (and affecting local governments generally), and so often takes a leadership role in calling national attention to the challenges before all cities.

Throughout its 71-year history, our bi-partisan organization has provided the nation's mayors with a forum for speaking out on the issues of the day affecting our cities. It provides the structure for us to develop ideas and exchange information that will improve the quality of life for people who live in our cities. It offers technical assistance in a variety of areas, which helps mayors in the management and operation of our cities. And, more importantly, the Conference gives mayors the support we need to conduct our work in Washington on federal legislative initiatives. This is reflected in the policies that are adopted each year by our members. Our organization does all this and more on behalf of all cities, large, medium and small. As a longstanding member, I know how critical the support of the Conference has been in helping me to meet the needs of the citizens of my city — Burnsville, Minnesota, a city of 60,220 residents.

In my travels to other places and in my work with other mayors, I am frequently asked about The United States Conference of Mayors and its history as an organization and the role it plays in improving the quality of life in hundreds of cities throughout this nation. Most mayors know that our membership is composed of cities with a population of 30,000 or greater. However, many are startled to learn that more than 1000 cities meet these criteria. We have members in every state as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

When promoting membership in the Conference, I don't hesitate to highlight the many services, advocacy efforts and other benefits accruing to the mayor and the citizens of his or her city.

Over the years, the Conference has built a record of accomplishment benefiting all its member mayors. It works tirelessly to ensure that all member mayors have a voice and active presence in the year-round activities of our mayors' organization. One area that sets the Conference apart from other organizations is our policy approval process. Unlike other organizations that weight member-voting powers according to population and other measures of size, the Conference's adherence to its longstanding "one mayor, one vote" policy, an approach that ensures all mayors are represented equally in adopting policies affecting U. S. cities, allowing the smallest city to have the same power as the largest ones.

The Conference's core activity remains its effective representation of city interests in Washington, DC. Throughout the years, the Conference has played a significant role in shaping federal legislation and policies affecting all cities and the conference staff continues to build upon this record of accomplishment. For example, since 9-11, the Conference has been in the forefront of fighting for strengthened homeland security measures so that every city is better prepared to combat terrorism wherever it surfaces. These efforts were firmly grounded in the campaign led by the mayors immediately after 9-11 to strengthen aviation security at our nation's airports. In the debate on all subsequent legislation, the Conference has helped position mayors as leaders on these issues, making certain that city priorities are heard, even as international concerns dominate center stage.

The Conference continues to press the case for all cities on other important priorities, such as legislation facilitating the collection of local sales taxes on remote sales, an effort that benefits cities broadly. Key priorities this year are bills renewing the major federal transportation laws. In the debate on TEA-21 and AIR-21, the Conference previously fought for and won federal funding commitments to cities that own and operate airports and transit systems, regardless of size. On TEA-21 specifically, we are now urging additional reforms to ensure that more funds flow to local areas for their transportation needs. Similarly, the Conference is fighting for the continuation of Amtrak's national passenger system, working to protect the broader Amtrak network that now connects more than 500 U.S. cities, large and small.

In the last Congress, the Conference successfully secured Congressional approval of brownfields legislation that helps all cities with liability reforms that encourage private sector redevelopment of these sites. This law makes resources available to any city to support their brownfield efforts. And, of course, there are many other areas where the Conference has championed the needs of cities, large and small, in community development, public safety, housing, parks, health and human services, education, and energy and environment.

At each of the Conference's two yearly meeting, the Annual Conference in June and the Winter Meeting in January, the organization makes every effort to support Mayors and their participation in critical policy and other discussions at the plenary sessions, and at the twelve policy standing committee's meetings and other special task forces and working groups. At these national meetings, there is a continuing commitment to give an opportunity for Mayors to share ideas and "Best Practices" with their colleagues. It is hard to place a dollar value on the many benefits of sharing the best ideas to help each of the mayors manage city resources, particularly during this challenging period. There is also a strong commitment at the regional meetings and workshops where Mayors can learn what other cities are doing on more focused topics, including what practices are most effective and offer proven solutions that work in our cities, without risking costly mistakes.

U.S.MAYOR, our bi-weekly newspaper, is a forum where mayors can share news from their own locality to a reading membership, which includes, not just mayors, but every Member of Congress, the White House, Administration officials, other public interest groups and industry organizations. In addition, U.S.MAYOR covers events of interest to Mayors including what's happening in Congress, the Administration, and other federal agencies; along with important activities of the Conference.

The Conference's organizational structure offers a forum for identifying national issues of concern to all cities. This gives an opportunity for Mayors, regardless of the city size, to present their perspectives and to advocate for their positions. This opportunity to be represented and heard is reflected in the make up of the Conference's leadership as well as in standing committee and task force leadership. In fact, two of our top three officers are from small to medium size cities and more than two-thirds of our Executive Committee members are from cities with populations under 300,000. I am proud to say that the demographic profile of the Conference of Mayors leadership reflects the diversity of our organization and our country.

Through our Annual and Winter meetings, regional seminars, publications, a bi-weekly newspaper, and a variety of online information services, the Conference helps mayors find solutions fast, without having to re-invent the wheel. The diverse group of mayors who make up the membership of the Conference have a long tradition of working together, as one unit, to find solutions to the many challenges each and every one of us face. The free-flowing exchange of ideas and dialogue — regardless of city size — is what has made being a member of this esteemed organization so special.