Mayors Head to Orlando to Focus on Policy, Share Best Practices, and Engage with National Leaders
Ed Somers
June 4, 2012
Under the leadership of Conference of Mayors President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, mayors from across America will gather in Orlando June 13-16 to debate and adopt policy, learn in special forums, and engage with top political, media, and thought leaders.
Vice President Biden will address the mayors on Friday morning, June 15. And, Conference of Mayors Second Vice President Mesa Mayor Scott Smith with Republican Mayors and Local Officials President Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett is working directly with the Romney campaign on securing an official surrogate.
Additional speakers include former Bush Administration Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and national pollster and media strategist Frank Luntz.
Villaraigosa has arranged a special panel discussion that will focus on pending budget cuts resulting from the failure to reach a budget agreement, as well expiring tax provisions, and the potential impact on cities. The panel will be moderated by Ron Brownstein, Political Director of the Atlantic Media Company, and feature Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden and Heritage Foundation Vice President for Government Studies Mike Franc.
Conference of Mayors Second Vice President Mesa Mayor Scott Smith will lead a plenary panel discussion on "Serving America’s Veterans" on Saturday morning.
There will also be a discussion of the 2012 presidential campaign, and other top speakers will be announced soon.
Villaraigosa/Nutter
Villaraigosa will make his President’s address on Thursday morning and review the accomplishments of the organization over the last 12 months.
On Saturday, there will be an inaugural luncheon where the 70th USCM President, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, will outline is priorities and goals for the year ahead.
Also, a special celebration will be held on Friday night at Hard Rock Live honoring both Villaraigosa and Nutter.
Policy
Important policy discussions and votes will take place in ten standing committees on Wednesday and Thursday, and then during the business session on Saturday morning. Copies of the proposed resolutions are available at usmayors.org.
Special Forums
Special Forums have been designed to highlight local innovation and provide mayors with takeaways to bring home to their city:
Preparing the Future Workforce to Generate Jobs and Ensure America’s Energy Independence (Wednesday)
Growing Exports to Create City/Metro Jobs (Thursday)
Using Technology and Innovation to Build a Better City (Thursday)
CeaseFire – An Effective Approach to Reducing Violence in Cities (Friday)
Innovative Approaches to Social Media (Friday)
Expanding Local Food Economies and Access to Healthy Food in Cities (Friday)
Impact of Defense Transition on U.S. Cities (Friday)
Task Force/Meetings
There will be a series of task force and other important meetings that will discuss best practices and feature key speakers, including:
Mayors Professional Sports Alliance (Wednesday)
Energy Independence and Jobs Task Force (Wednesday)
Census Task Force (Wednesday)
Mayors Water Council (Wednesday)
Council for Metro Economies and the New American City (Wednesday)
Small Business and Franchising Task Force (Thursday)
Education Reform Task Force (Thursday)
Vacant and Abandoned Properties Task Force (Thursday)
Amtrak Mayors’ Advisory Council (Saturday)
Best Practices
Awards presentations will be made on Climate Protection (Wednesday) and City Livability (Thursday) featuring best practices that can be replicated in cities across America.
Women Mayors
There will be a Women Mayors Pre-Meeting on Tuesday with a viewing of the film Miss Representation and special leadership discussion.
Then on Wednesday, the Women Mayors will meet to discuss ways to fight human trafficking.
New Mayors/First Time Attendees
A special orientation will be held on Wednesday morning for new mayors, new members and first time attendees to learn all that the Annual Meeting has to offer.
In addition, mayors are invited to attend the membership committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon for a discussion of membership benefits and the 50'state Membership Campaign.
The Best of Orlando!
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has arranged a fantastic series of host city evening events:
Wednesday: Universal CityWalk® and Universal’s Islands of Adventure®
Thursday: Downtown Orlando and Lake Eola Park
Friday: SeaWorld and Hard Rock Live
Saturday: Walt Disney World (EPCOT)
An updated agenda and link to the host city website is available on usmayors.org, as well as the link for mayors to register if they have not done so already.
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