Boston
June 25, 2004

As the nation's mayors gather in Boston this week for their 72nd Annual Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors, we are ever more aware of bipartisanship within our organization. It has been said and written by some observers that our organization is the last bastion of political bipartisanship in America.

Over the past few weeks in our nation there have been encouraging signs of peace in the current atmosphere of the everyday bloodsport of American politics. Memorial Day weekend brought Senators Dole and McGovern, both former standard bearers for their party, along with former Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton to join President Bush on our Washington Mall to dedicate the World War II memorial. Our leaders recalled a time in a history when we were all united against the Nazis, who invaded Poland in 1939 with an evil eye on the world, and against the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor killing thousands in 1941.

The political leaders of both parties ceased the bloodsporting when President Ronald Reagan died and his majestic state funeral brought all our living former Presidents to our National Cathedral to hear both President Bush (41) and his son, President George W. Bush talk to the nation about the far reaching and broad appeal of our 40th President which was in some way based on the civility and above the fray, nature of President Reagan's personality.

And this past week, President Bush honored President Clinton and former First Lady, now Senator Hillary Clinton in the White House for the official unveiling of our nation's portraits that will remain in the White House forever. The words of President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush along with President Clinton and Senator Clinton manifested their appreciation and respect for one another in their shared experience of facing each day decisions made in our White House that affect them in their daily personal and professional lives and all of us. It was a rare moment; it was a good moment. Both young and vibrant presidents appreciating each other for the public service both have given of their young lives to our nation.

As we gather in Boston here today, we reflect back to last year in Denver when we elected Hempstead Mayor James A. Garner as our 61st President of The United States Conference of Mayors. As "America's Mayor" for a year, Mayor Garner has used his power to be a stalwart for standing firm in a difficult year to follow the political cardinal virtue of those 60 presidents before him in keeping the bipartisan strength of our organization strong and resolute.

The White House and Congressional decision to send our homeland security funds to our State Capitals caused great concern and doubt among Democratic and Republican mayors. Our Homeland Security Monitoring Center issued its report in Mayor Garner's midterm as our President last January at our Washington Winter Meeting. At our press conference releasing the report, President Garner cited the fact that homeland security funds were not being passed down to our police and fire departments. Garner said this is "completely unacceptable." His remarks were addressed to the White House and the Congress. But some mayors rose to defend the process saying more time was needed for the present process to work. Some mayors were offended by the perception that mayors were not supporting our President, Mayor Garner. Tempers flared; confusion was rampant. But President Bush took the podium later at our Washington Winter Meeting at the Capital Hilton hotel to agree with his friend Mayor James Garner and President Bush told the assembled mayors and the nation that the funds were "stuck" somewhere and he wanted to help us get the funds "unstuck."

But all was not well and Mayor Garner took the leadership out of the limelight down to Key West for our Winter Leadership retreat and it was there we had a most intense debate and internal heated discussion during the formal and informal meetings concerning the perception that partisanship and the virus of bloodsport politics might infect the healthy state of bipartisanship that has flourished within our organization since Democratic mayors and Republican mayors went to Detroit to found our organization in 1932.

When the discussion in Key West was heating up and the decibel and inflection of speech seemed to rise over the usual civility of our political discourse, Mayor Garner took the microphone to calm and cool the turbulent political waters. He said, "Let me say this, The United States Conference of Mayors is a political church and we have all come to worship." Mayors listened to him and we left Key West having aired concerns with clearer heads and with a continued respect for his position as the first African American Republican President in our history who stood up to his own party and called it like it is in support of the facts before him that were gathered from mayors throughout our nation by our Homeland Security Monitoring Center.

Sometimes it's tough to preside over this organization with such a group of strong "standup" men and women mayors with unusually strong and diverse egos. As Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Bob Dole, once said that getting a consensus on anything in the U.S. Senate was like "herding cats." Cat people understood that statement. Even some dog people like me understood it. And certainly fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers understand it. It's all about bringing a common understanding of family or organization goals of groups that are people. And people do have egos. And most mayors have an extra dose of ego. That's what makes you what you are. You have to stand above the fray and call it like it is everyday. Its called leadership...using the power given to you to bring consensus for the good of your city and your people.

James Garner rose to the occasion as a President ever mindful of the need for our bipartisanship and even mindful that he, as our 61st president, must be the guardian of the long history of bipartisanship within the Conference of Mayors that has given us strength and refuge throughout our history during other political eras when political civility was more prevalent instead of the recent era of "bloodsport politics" that is still with us today. So before we let you go, Mayor Garner, we thank you. We are stronger and more resolute because of you.

We come to Boston, hosted by our former President and Boston's great mayor, Mayor Tom Menino. His leadership and business skills have brought Boston to be the 23rd largest economy of the world outranking Taiwan and Austria and even nations such as Norway, Denmark and Poland. His innovations and new initiatives of "best practices" has earned the respect that the nation and the world has for Mayor Menino and his team. People come to Boston from all over to learn from him and his team. And when you witness how he operates ... doing the deals and working the people on the streets and in the neighborhoods you truly appreciate how he knows his city and his people. It is a wonder to behold. He lives and breathes this city and he is totally Boston.

Today he welcomes the mayors at our 72nd Annual Meeting. Next month, for the first time in history he hosts the Democratic National Convention. He is facing many challenges but nothing stopped him from the Menino style of hard work and commitment to make our Annual Meeting one that we will never forget. Thank you Mr. Boston ... Mayor Menino and your team for all you do everyday making us proud and for all you have done to make our Annual Meeting meaningful, enjoyable and productive for the greatest group of politicians on earth ... the Mayors of the United States of America.