August 5, 2002

In an effort to combat prostitution by publicizing pictures of individuals who have been convicted of soliciting prostitutes, Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb has announced the creation of Johns TV. The new television program displays mug shots of so-called "johns," which are also viewable on the city's web site, www.denvergov.org

"The city has given ample warning to those who choose to engage in the crime of prostitution," Mayor Webb said. "If you choose to risk being arrested for prostitution, if you choose to risk catching a sexually transmitted disease, you now also choose to take the risk of having your picture appear on TV and on the city's web site for the whole world to see."

Other U.S. cities, including Orlando, Oklahoma City, St. Paul, Kansas City, and Aurora (Col.), have also posted pictures of johns on the web, on television, or in local newspapers to discourage prostitution.

Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell is hosting the Mayor's First Day Festival on August 11, the third annual citywide celebration designed to get students excited about school and to encourage parental involvement in local public schools. The festival, which will feature games, music, exhibits, and educational activities, is expected to draw more than 10,000 parents and students. Making it easier for parents to get involved with their child's school, the metropolitan government allows employees three hours of leave on the first day of school and an additional six hours for parent-teacher conferences.

Schenectady Mayor Albert Jurczynski is working hard to persuade Guyanese immigrants living in New York City to move upstate to help stem the city's population decline. The mayor's efforts, which drew the interest of The New York Times, include leading weekly bus tours of the city, offering homemade wine at his in-laws- house, and calling in to a local radio program with a largely Guyanese audience.

The mayor's hard work is paying off. About 2000 Guyanese immigrants have moved to Schenectady, with many buying and repairing dilapidated or condemned homes. Schenectady boasts an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent.

Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy continues to improve the city's public housing stock, using funds from the HOPE VI program to "continue the rebirth and revitalization of the city's Hill District neighborhood." Upon completion of this project, Pittsburgh will have developed more than 1400 new mixed income rental and for sale housing united through the HOPE VI program, leveraging more than $330 million of investment in some of the city's previously most depressed neighborhoods.

In 90 cities across the country, local housing authorities and their partners are using HOPE VI funds and billions of dollars in other private and public investment to demolish, revitalize, and construct housing units in inner city areas. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has endorsed reauthorization of the HOPE VI program for an additional 10 years, funded at levels recommended by the Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing — $1 billion per year.