By Ed Somers
June 7, 2004

Installation of Officers and Inaugural Address: Monday, June 28 at 5:00 p.m. On Monday, June 28 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Boston there will be a special session at which the new officers of the Conference will be installed and at which President-Elect Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic will give his inaugural address. At this Monday afternoon session, Mayor Plusquellic will outline his agenda for his term in office, and announce his new leadership team of committee and task force chairs. There will be a short reception beginning at 5:00 p.m., followed by the inaugural remarks in a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel. There will be a plenary session on the morning of Tuesday, June 29 to which Senator Kerry has been invited.

Just months prior to the national political conventions and the presidential election, the nation's mayors will gather in Boston on June 25-29 for the 72nd Annual Conference of Mayors. The meeting will be presided over by Conference President James A. Garner of Hempstead and hosted by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Both President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry have been invited to participate in the meeting.

Confirmed speakers include HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, Assistant Attorney General Deborah Daniels, Author David Osborne, Cape Town, South Africa Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe, with many more confirmed and still pending.

Issues related to homeland security and public safety, economic development and housing, e-governance, prisoner re-entry, brownfields development, the environment, public health, transportation, tax policy, and others will be covered over the course of the meeting.

The policy committees of the Conference will meet on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 to consider new resolutions, which will be presented to the entire membership for consideration on Monday, June 28.

The Conference will present its 25th City Livability Awards at a luncheon on Saturday, June 26. And, the USCM/DuPont CUSP partnership will be awarding a total of $500,000 to three cities for the 2004 Lead-Safe...For Kids' Sake Grant Program.

The Conference will release a number of important reports and surveys in Boston including:

• The 3rd Homeland Security Monitoring Survey
• The 4th Metro Economies Report
• A special report on the employment outlook in metro areas
• Best Practices of Community Policing in Reinforcing Community Trust

Meetings in Boston will include:

• A Mayors Business Council session on e-governance and cities
• The Urban Water Council
• The Council for Investment in the New American City
• The Women Mayors
• The Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council

Workshops being held include:

• Community Policing: Reinforcing Community Trust
• TEA-21 Reauthorization
• Jobs and the Future Workforce
• Winners of the 2003 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence

Task force meetings include:

• Amtrak Mayors
• Cities and Borders
• Homeland Security
• Sustainable Development

There will be an orientation session for new mayors and a Habitat for Humanity home construction on Friday morning, June 25.

Menino is arranging a series of wonderful social and educational events, which include:

• Friday evening opening reception at the Historic Boston Public Library
• Saturday evening dinner at the Kennedy Library and Museum
• Sunday evening with the Boston Pops featuring their famous gospel program
• Monday evening event at Kings, Boston's hottest new entertainment center featuring retro ten pin bowling lanes, a billiards hall, music, and, of course, food!

And much more including spouse and children's events, host city workshops and tours.

In addition, there will be a series of late-night events including:

• Saturday night celebration honoring Past Presidents and Conference Officers featuring a musical performance by O'Malley's March.
• Sunday night celebration, honoring Conference President Hempstead Mayor James Garner and the mayor of Cape Town, South Africa.
• Monday night celebration honoring President-Elect Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic.

Additional details on the meeting will be continually posted on usmayors.org and registration information for mayors can be obtained by calling Carol Edwards at (202) 293-7330.