August 7, 2006

Honolulu Municipal Building was renamed July 27 to honor former Mayor Frank Fasi, now a month shy of his 86th birthday. Fasi, first elected in 1968, was mayor for 22 years. Hundreds of supporters and former cabinet members came out for the ceremonies.

Hillsboro (OR) Mayor Tom Hughes visited Mexico City last week to meet with government officials and to discuss issues that Mexican nationals face in the United States. The Mexican government invited Hughes to attend the conference that included mayors and state legislators from 13 states. The mayor was the only invited city official from 13 states, and the only city official from Oregon. Of the city’s population of about 82,000, about 22 percent is Latino. Hughes was chosen because Hillsboro includes a significant and rapidly growing Mexican population, said Fernando Sanchez Ugarte, Consul General of Mexico in Portland. “It’s important for me to know what needs are out there,” Hughes said. “We’d like to partner up with the Mexican Consulate and learn what services they offer so everyone in the community can enjoy what they get from government.” The meeting, consisting of a visit with Mexican President Vicente Fox, panel discussions, speeches, and tours, that offered Hughes a chance to meet Mexican leaders and learn about Mexico’s efforts to improve its economy and become more familiar with the culture. The conference’s agenda did not specifically address immigration, but elected officials were be able to raise the issue.

The American Society of Landscape Architects has invited Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to deliver the closing general session October 9 at their annual meeting in Minneapolis. The organization's newsletter credits Daley’s leadership adding more than 120 acres of Parkland and many new Chicago recreation facilities. The mayor also spearheaded the Chicago landscape ordinance, award-winning streetscape ordinance, median projects throughout the city, urban forestry initiatives, and even built a “green” roof on city hall. The society also will present the mayor with the ASLA 2006 Olmsted medal in recognition of his environmental leadership, vision, and stewardship.

The July 31 USA Today headline story in U.S. MAYOR featured the new mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, and his efforts to expand the city of 280,000’s potential and progress. Booker, 37, became Newark’s first new mayor in 20 years on July 1, succeeding Sharpe James. A Rhodes Scholar, Booker also has degrees from Stanford and Yale Law School. He has made public safety his main priority.

The feature also has vignettes of other new mayors that are, to their cities, “leaders of hope.” They include San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard. Newsom promoted a health care plan to cover 82,000 uninsured residents, recently approved. Villaraigosa is the first Latino mayor in Los Angeles since 1872 and since taking office has balanced the city budget. Richard is pushing technology to keep the city competitive as it transitions from a manufacturing-based economy. The city’s 80 schools are connected via a broadband network.