By David W. Burns
July 16, 2007

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa was never more excited to show off his town to the rest of the nation as he was when welcoming the nation’s mayors to the 75th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors on June 23.

“Never in our nation’s history has the mission of this organization and the leadership of America’s mayors been more essential,” began Villaraigosa. “While it may seem biased coming from the likes of me, I would submit to you that there is no better place for us to mark this important anniversary than here in the capitol city of the 21st century.”

As someone who was born in Los Angeles, attended college at UCLA, and served his community as a state assemblyman, city councilmember, and now as mayor, Villaraigosa’s passion for his hometown of Los Angeles was evident. “I like to call it the city of America’s hope and promise; a global epicenter of creativity.”

Villaraigosa focused on how great an honor it was for Los Angeles to play host and how important the bold leadership of Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer has been to the organization, specifically his action with the 10-Point Plan.

“Make no mistake; it was this man to my right [Palmer] who helped to marshal all of you and all of us in support of this 10-Point action plan,” said Villaraigosa.

The mayor took the opportunity to outline the goals of the meeting; to share best practices, to discuss what great ideas are working in the “laboratories of municipal government” across America. Most importantly though, perhaps was that sentiment of “hope and promise” that Villaraigosa likened the city of Los Angeles to. That hope and promise would reflect the actions of U.S. mayors in a message to Washington (D.C.).

“We’re here to stand together, united as mayors, with a clear message for our national leadership. We’re here to say that it’s time for Washington to start facing up to our biggest challenges,” echoed Villaraigosa, stressing the importance of the conference’s message.

From climate change to gun control to education reform to poverty, Villaraigosa emphasized the neglect of Washington largely due to division and fractious politics in the nation’s Capital.

“When it comes to the major challenges facing our country today, it’s no secret that many of our leaders in Washington have had their heads planted deep, deep in the sand,” remarked Villaraigosa. “When people across the country look for answers to problems they face in their everyday lives, more and more, they’re turning to city hall.”