July 24, 2006

Hallandale Beach (FL) Mayor Joy Cooper sent a $1,000 check from her city to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to help purchase landscaping equipment. Nagin had sent the request for equipment assistance through The U.S. Conference of Mayors. In her letter, Cooper said, “Fellow mayors and cities should always be available to lend a helping and support where necessary.”

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, 48, announced July 10 that she would not run for a second term in May 2007. A former city council member, Miller said she wanted to spend more time with her husband, Steven Wolens, and their three children. Miller is credited with spearheading plans for a vast revitalization of the Trinity River on the city’s west side, and pushing tax incentives to stimulate inner city development.

Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf attended the official exoneration of Grace Sherwood, Virginia’s only convicted witch tried by water. That was 300 years ago. Former Richmond (VA) Mayor Timothy M. Kaine, now Governor of Virginia, agreed that trial by water is an injustice. On July 10, 1706, Sherwood was dropped into a river and floated. According to belief at the time, she was guilty because pure water cast out her evil sprit.

Former Milwaukee Mayor Frank Zeidler, 93, a staunch Socialist and mayor of the city from 1948 to 1960, passed away July 10. He was the last socialist to run a major American city.

His daughter, Jeanne Zeidler, just reelected as mayor of Williamsburg (VA), said her father taught her what made a great city: strong public education, libraries, public transportation, and good housing. Born September 30, 1912, Zeidler was part of the Socialist Party’s stronghold, which was fueled by German immigrants who flocked to the Midwest. He served as mayor for three four-year terms.

Houston Mayor Bill White led an international trade mission to China this month. The 64-member delegation visited the cities of Shanghai, Dalian, and Beijing. White chose to lead the mission because of business ties the nation of China has with Houston, especially in the energy industry. This is the first time White has participated in a China trade mission. “I do not like to travel,” White said.

Park City (UT) Mayor Dana Williams has come up with a creative way to power an unusual vehicle. The mayor has proposed developing a wind-powered zamboni. If approved, a small wind turbine will be installed at the city’s new recreation complex which the zamboni can plug into to charge its batteries. “I want people to see where energy comes from. It’s easy to flip on a switch when you don’t have to look at a coal mine,” Williams said. This is not the first time the mayor has suggested alternative energy ideas. The city just switched its bus fleet over to soybean oil-based biodiesel fuel, and the new police headquarters will be heated by geothermal devices and solar panels.

President George W. Bush celebrated his birthday in Chicago with Mayor Richard M. Daley. The President turned 60 July 6. Bush met with Daley at the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant and blew out candles on a birthday cake decorated with strawberries. After the event, Bush commented that Daley was “awfully kind to host” the event, and said he had told First Lady Laura Bush, when asked what he wanted for his birthday, that he wanted “to have a dinner in Chicago with the mayor.”

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has called for the resumption of the city’s Clean Needle Exchange Program, a program that Sanders called a “vital public health service.” The program helps reduce transmission of hepatitis C and HIV and educates citizens with drug abuse problems about health related issues.

Syracuse (NY) Mayor Matt Driscoll held a “Picnic with the Mayor” event for city residents to meet with the mayor and voice their opinions. The event is the first of many, and the city hopes to make it a tradition. “I wanted to change it up and do something a little bit different… have more of a picnic-like type atmosphere, casual, but still be able to answer and address any questions and concerns from the people we serve,” Driscoll said.