By Kay Scrimger
May 3, 2010

Conference of Mayors Past President Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley brought together more than a hundred mayors and local government officials from all across the globe to the annual Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum April 25-27, held in conjunction with the world organization of United Cities and Local Governments.

At a news conference with the visiting mayors, Daley said, “As we all know, creating worldwide partnerships to help us share experiences and best practices with each other is a critical part of the work of any mayor.

“Especially in difficult economic times such as these, it is critical for government, private industry, and foundations to work together in new ways to ensure the strength and vitality of our cities,” he said.

Held at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Sixth Annual Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum focused on the theme, “New Partnerships for a New Economy: Driving Innovation in Cities.” The Forum series is named for Daley’s late father, Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago from 1955 until his death in 1976, and a giant figure in national politics throughout his career.

The goal of this year’s forum was to foster idea exchange among mayors on how public-private partnerships help municipal leaders develop and deliver innovative programs and services in challenging economic times.

Business leaders, key policymakers, leading scholars, and commentators joined the mayors for a lively discussion of issues that concerned Richard J. Daley during his life and that continue to challenge government leaders, policymakers, and scholars today.

In addition to Daley, U.S. mayors were Philadelphia (PA) Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Columbus (OH) Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor Mick Cornett, Rochester (NY) Mayor Robert J. Duffy, Syracuse (NY) Mayor Stephanie A. Miner, Carbondale (IL) Mayor Brad Cole, Bluffton (IN) Mayor Ted Ellis, and Channahon (IL) Village President Joe Cook.

International mayors included Paris (France) Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, Mexico City (Mexico) Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Johannesburg (South Africa) Mayor Amos Masondo, Greater Amman Municipality (Jordan) Mayor Omar Maani, Peñalolén (Chile) Mayor Claudio Orrego Larraín, Nairobi (Kenya) Mayor Geoffrey Majiwa, Florence (Italy) Mayor Matteo Renzi, Québec City (Canada) Mayor Régis Labeaume, San José (Costa Rica) Mayor Johnny Araya, Galway (Ireland) Mayor Declan McDonnell, Glasgow (U.K.) Lord Provost Bob Winter, Montréal (Canada) Mayor Gérald Tremblay, Brazzaville (Congo) Mayor Hugues Ngouélondélé, San Luis Potosí (Mexico) Mayor Victoria Labastida, Kathmandu (Nepal) Chief Executive Officer Ganesh Rai, Windsor (Canada) Mayor Eddie Francis, Olketuado (Kenya) Mayor Tarayia Kores, and many others.

The 2010 Forum opened with roundtable discussions on infrastructure and public safety.

Matthew Miszewski, Worldwide Government General Manager of Microsoft, discussed Microsoft’s work in 172 countries to help cities “unleash the power of their data,” and to jump the “Doing Divide” – the difference between the “desire of a city to do something and the ability to do it.”

Sarah Dunn, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture, discussed the “catalytic nature of infrastructure,” describing how “water will be the new oil” in the future and how innovative design of water-based infrastructure can attract jobs and resources.

“Every municipality must be on the cutting edge of thinking about how to solve its problems and of looking at the future,” Daley said in thanking the panelists.

Daley offered examples of how Chicago has created partnerships with the private and non-for-profit sectors, which, in turn, are creating economic opportunities for the city’s residents, such as Chicago’s major new workforce training partnership – Chicago Career Tech – aimed over the long term at helping about 30,000 unemployed Chicago middle class workers get retrained in technology.

In discussing how Chicago has brought about the “largest transformation of public housing in the world,” replacing the old high-rise public housing buildings of the 1950’s to structures that house families while nurturing community, Daley said, in our housing policy, “We must rebuild souls.”

“Making Our Cities Safe”: Resolution on International Cooperation to Address Challenges of Guns, Gun Violence

The second panel opened conversation between mayors on innovative partnerships designed to help reduce crime and build stronger, safer communities.

Nutter pointed out how his city has engaged with Temple University to design foot patrol patterns for his police department in troubled areas.

He also discussed his city’s aggressive approach to reporting lost or stolen weapons. “In my one hundredth day in office,” he said, “I was sued by the National Rifle Association [NRA], a case now before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. But in the meantime, as it works its way through the state courts, our laws stay in effect.”

Ebrard posed the issue of the huge influx of weapons coming into his country from the United States and asked: “Is it possible to control the flow” across this huge border? “In Mexico, we cannot bear arms,” he said.

Coleman said, “The U.S. public does not fully comprehend the impact of the U.S.’s leniency on guns. We need to have a statement of some sort [from this gathering of mayors] that mayors can use to apply external pressure on our government to tighten gun control laws.”

Nutter agreed that international pressure on the U.S. government could show that mayors across the world recognize that this is not just an issue for cities in the United States, but that is having an impact on the world.

“Mayors are out front with regard to violence in their communities, especially gun violence,” he said.

After the discussion of gun violence, lax regulation and oversight of the gun industry in the U.S., more than a dozen mayors agreed to a resolution calling for a new level of international cooperation among themselves, their governments and other entities to address the challenges of guns and gun violence.

On day two, panels discussed innovation, generating new value from local assets, and stimulating local economies through education and job creation.

Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, PBS NewsHour, moderated the first panel, which included Motorola Co-CEO and CEO, Motorola Solutions Greg Brown; Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

Emmanuel discussed innovative public-private partnerships, such as the infrastructure bank, with business, community colleges, and in the housing area. The infrastructure bank will blend public and private dollars, he said.

Woodruff asked about anger within the American public. Nutter noted that he experiences less partisanship at the city level and quoted former New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, “There is no Democratic or Republican way of sweeping the streets!”

Daley summarized the forum, saying, “I believe the overall message today is that, despite the great challenges everyone is facing right now, cities are in a time of great opportunity to serve as creative engines for growth and to provide ways to stimulate our economies.

“I believe that is one of the keys to leadership – having a vision for the future, supported by innovative policies that will take you there.”

Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said, “Mayor Daley’s great annual Global Cities Forum brings U.S. mayors together with their counterparts from other countries and greatly strengthens mayoral relationships worldwide.

“This network of municipal leaders, galvanized by the excellent panels and the opportunity to share ideas about their own innovations, creates a critically-important synergy for finding solutions to urban challenges, both for today and for the future.”

The Daley Forum has annually drawn more than 2,200 registrants from the private, civic, and academic communities. It is a collaboration among Chicago Sister Cities International, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Daley family to honor the legacy of Mayor Richard J. Daley.