By
July 14, 2003

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline welcomed the 2003 Pan-American Games ceremonial torch at the City Hall June 25. Providence was the first stop of the torch's multi-city journey through the United States, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The XIV Pan-American Games will take place in Santo Domingo, August 1. The Pan-American Games are held every four years. The torch run will include New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami before heading overseas.

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) issued a report in May entitled "100 New Democrats to Watch: The Next Generation of Democratic Leadership."

The rising stars casts a spotlight on elected officials including: Ron Gonzales of San Jose, Dannel P. Malloy of Stamford (CT), Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, John Fernandez of Bloomington, Bart Peterson of Indianapolis, Preston A. Daniels of Des Moines, Martin O'Malley of Baltimore, Kwame M. Kilpatrick of Detroit, Randy C. Kelley of St. Paul, Jane L Campbell of Cleveland, and Michael B. Coleman of Columbus.

Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist is leaving office three months early. Norquist will become president and chief executive officer for the Chicago-based Congress for the New Urbanism whose members include architects. The mayor was to leave office April 1 but his resignation becomes effective January 1.

Norquist is the longest serving mayor for a city of more than 500,000 who announced last year that he would not run for a fifth term.

Common Council President Marvin Pratt will become visiting mayor from January until the scheduled election in April.

Pratt, an African American prominent in Milwaukee politics and former Congressman Tom Barett, are among the candidates in the nonpartisan mayoral race next year.

Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard, Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick announced on June 23 their support of the matricula consular, or matricula cards, or Mexican ID card, as valid forms of identification. The cards are issued by the government of Mexico at consular offices in the United States and identify the holder as a Mexican National living abroad.

The ID cards help residents obtain bank accounts and purchase goods or services but do not change laws related to immigration or legalize undocumented aliens. Richard believes that the ID cards will also help the local economy because of their investment in their communities.

Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy announced that the city of Pittsburgh will merge its 9-1-1 emergency operations center with Allegheny county's. It is estimated that the merger will save the city $1.5 million annually and will enhance emergency call service for Pittsburgh residents.

Government Technology magazine ran a very positive story on Elizabeth's (NJ) effective efforts to upgrade city technology. The piece offers praise for Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, calling him "savvy" with "an appreciation for technology's potential." Bollwage says the city's IT investments have helped during difficult fiscal times. "We are struggling this year. But technology has helped us because even though we have fewer personnel, we are working smarter. You can't touch it or feel it, but technology is paramount to success in government."

Hempstead (NY) Mayor James Garner was featured on BET's Nightly News on Wednesday July 2, to talk about his priorities as the new President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. During the interview, Garner mentioned that he plans to travel to Africa with a delegation of mayors this year to help promote AIDS awareness. "The number of infected individuals in many African nations runs quite high," said Garner. "We are joining the President in his prevention efforts and support his proposed bill, where he would devote $15 billion for AIDS relief in Africa."

Providence Mayor David Cicilline was interviewed for a story on the CBS Evening News about the costs that cities have incurred for homeland security. During the interview, he emphasized that cities large and small are faced with the burden of providing increased security while their budgets are strapped for cash. "The federal government isn't very good about setting forth very ambitious standards or lofty goals but has left the cities to fund the homeland security initiative in this country," said Cicilline.

Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn announced July 9 his plan to modernize Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). His comprehensive plan addresses airfield needs (including runway and taxiway safety improvements), ground access (roadways and transit), automobile parking and rental cars, terminal facilities, and security concerns. The 11-year project is expected to commence next year. Airport improvements will create 49,000 construction-related jobs.

"The goal of creating this Enhanced Safety and Security Master Plan is to modernize LAX to protect one of Los Angeles' key economic engines," said Mayor Hahn, who chairs the Conference's Airport Security Task Force. "At the same time, the plan addresses community interests and concerns by designing the facility to serve only LAX's fair share of the total regional air service market."

Hickenlooper Elected New Denver Mayor

In a June 3 runoff, brew pub owner John Hickenlooper defeated City Auditor Don Mares to be elected the new mayor of Denver, the nation's 26th largest city. Hickenlooper's independence and optimism appealed to voters across all geographic, ethnic and political lines. He captured nearly 65 percent of the vote.

Hickenlooper will replace Mayor Wellington E. Webb, who has served as mayor for 12 years. Webb, a Past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, served recently as host for the Conference's 71st Annual Meeting. At the meeting, he was presented the Mayors Award for Distinguished Public Service, the Conference's highest honor.

Hickenlooper, who takes office on July 21, said he will bring innovative approaches to governing and leading the city out of an economic slump that has eliminated 35,000 jobs over the last 18 months.

"The first thing we have to do is address the city's budget," Hickenlooper proclaimed. "We also need to change the culture of city government to be more pro-business. We need to protect the public interest, but we need to help small businesses grow."

Difficult Choices Lead to Balanced NYC Budget

On June 27, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the city council agreed on a $43.7 billion budget, closing the city's $6.4 billion deficit. A combination of cuts, tax increases, federal and state aid, and a surplus from the current fiscal year enabled the closing of the city's deficit.

In balancing the budget, Bloomberg avoided some of the more severe service cuts that were threatened earlier, including funding for zoos, health care clinics, scholarships and curbside recycling of plastic and glass. Still, the budget included painful cuts, including the closure of six fire companies and 5,500 layoffs. The city also raised property taxes by 18.5 percent and increased the sales and the income tax for high earners. "We did not cut a lot of services," the mayor stated. "In most cases, we found ways to do more with less. That's what I was hired to do."