May 12, 2003

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels was a guest on C-Span's "Morning Journal" on May 6 to discuss his participation in the nation's largest homeland security drill. Nickels fielded 30-minutes of questions from the host and numerous callers. During the exercise, scheduled for May 12-17, a mock "dirty bomb" will explode in Seattle. Local, state, federal, and Canadian officials will all be involved in determining how best to respond.

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who chairs the Conference's Homeland Security Task Force, and Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory joined CNBC's Maria Bartiromo on May 5 for a live primetime discussion of the budget crisis facing the nation's states and cities. Both mayors agreed that state governments are making city budgets more difficult by cutting aid, transferring costs, and passing mandates.

"What's happening in Charlotte is basically the state is often transferring their budget deficit to the cities, and many cities like Charlotte have actually had very good fiscal responsibility during the past 10 years, but the state, especially during good economic times, spent all their money and now they-re in extreme deficit. And, therefore, they-re passing on some unfunded mandates and holding on to tax dollars that are collected on behalf of the cities," said McCrory.

O'Malley said, "[States] don-t feel any compulsion to help us...So we-re getting sort of a double whammy. Our deficits are being passed down to us, and we-re also getting these unfunded mandates." He also cited tremendous homeland security costs that the city has "paid for off of the back of an already strapped local property tax. And we-ve started a fire foundation to solicit private donations, but, you know, you cannot fund a robust homeland security on the backs of property taxes and the proceeds of fire hall bingos. We really need the federal government's help. To provide for the common defense is the basic reason why we even have the federal government."

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin set the agenda for his coming years in office during the State of the City address on May 6 and he said the tide is starting to turn for New Orleans.

"The first year was about laying the foundation for change. In the coming years, I-m not going to rest until we accelerate that change," Nagin said.

Nagin's Agenda for the Future includes unleashing $150 million in street projects; working with the City's Workforce Development Director, labor unions and churches to help fill 5,000 high-paid positions in key industries that have long been vacant, such as healthcare, ship-building and construction; encouraging new investment opportunities around the historic intersection of Canal and Rampart Streets via the completion of the Canal Streetcar; completing preliminary plans to build a mega municipal complex to replace city hall; and collaborating with the Port of New Orleans to make the city an even bigger magnet for big cruise ships by building more cruise terminals along the river.

In an OPEP column in the Boston Globe April 30, Worcester Mayor Timothy P. Murray describes various cutbacks in services his city has made. With 175,000 residents, Worcester is, in the mayor's words, anxious to "find private funding for swimming pools in hopes of providing some bit of relief to nearly 40,000 citizens who use the pools, most of them children."

The mayor notes that cities and states are strapped with all the cuts and to restore the trimmed services, they will have to raise revenues to cover basic needs.

Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez last year became the first Hispanic mayor in the city's 367-year history.

In a New York Times article May 5, the paper notes that Hartford's population has a 40 percent Hispanic population. This is the largest concentration among major cities outside California, Texans, Colorado and Florida, as reflected by the 2000 census count.

Mayor Perez, a New York City native of Puerto Rican heritage, moved to Hartford as a boy in 1989.

The article further notes that Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the U.S. and, if population trends continue as predicted, Hartford will be the first state capital with a Hispanic majority.

Conference Vice President Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner is now a member of the National Advisory Council of the Small Business Administration. His appointment was made by SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto and Mayor Garner will serve a two-year term, starting from March 13.

Jackson (MS) Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. was recently elected President of the National Conference of Black Mayors at their 29th Annual Convention held in Houston in April. Johnson was elected the first African American mayor of Jackson in 1997.

Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido, left, introduced President George W. Bush on Monday, April 28 during the President's remarks on the reconstruction of Iraq at Dearborn's Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. The President was greeted with enthusiasm by the audience of Iraqi Americans and other Arab Americans during his 25-minute speech, in which he outlined America's commitment to help Iraq rebuild its infrastructure and forge a representative government. The Mayor praised Bush for his courage and conviction, and the President remarked on Guido's leadership. President Bush also met in a private roundtable discussion with 17 leaders of Metro Detroit's Iraqi community and talked with the chiefs of the Big Three Automakers while in Dearborn.

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, left, chats with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg during the annual Kentucky Derby May 3. Representative Harold Rogers (KY) had invited Mayor Bloomberg as a special guest, while the mayor was in Washington recently to lobby for more homeland security assistance. Rogers is chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. Bloomberg also had a chance to visit with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) and other dignitaries. Funnyside, a New York-bred horse, won the Derby. Photo courtesy Louisville Courier-Journal.