Washington, DC
August 4, 2006

Conference of Mayors Survey Shows Serious Gaps

One month before the anniversary of Katrina and five years after 9/11, Conference President Mike Guido brought mayors to the National Press Club July 26 to release our recent Homeland Security Survey on the state of America’s readiness.

It is astonishing how little progress has been made to have full communications interoperability so that cities can talk to neighboring cities, counties and states. An alarming 80 percent of cities responded with a NO.

Days after September 11, 2001, mayors and first responders, led by Conference President Marc Morial, came to Washington and warned the nation of the interoperability, the communications gap. For five years we have discussed this need before Congress, the Justice Department and all related federal agencies. So we knew all along that the problem was not fixed.

Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and it proved so vividly that the communications infrastructure was not there.

And today one year after Katrina, five years after 9/11, many cities still can’t talk to their neighbors. And we all know that for the first 72 hours, cities will on their own in disasters caused by God or humans.

We will continue to bring these issues before the Justice Department and FEMA. We will continue to bring these issues and other gaps and deficiencies to the Congress, the White House and the public. Survey highlights and our press conference start on the front page of this issue. For copies contact Ed Somers at 202-861-6706 or send e-mail to esomers@usmayors.org.

Over the past few months, we are seeing spikes in murders in a number of American cities. Juvenile crime is definitely on the rise again. We have warned America that this would happen. The reentry of millions of young people into our cities from prison and the new breed of gangs in urban and suburban America has been presented to the American public in two of our National Gang Summits.

Gangs today are even more sophisticated than they were during the Clinton era when we were working very closely with the Justice Department.

There is confusion today when we talk about crime. Americans have heard so much about the terrorist threat, that they are not as focused as they once were about what we call regular street crime such as rape, murder or robbery. We are obsessed with terrorists and Washington has turned a deaf ear on street crime. Many ask, where is the Justice Department? Where is Congress? Mayors and police chiefs need their help on domestic crime now.

Conference President Guido has announced our second Mayors Energy Summit will be held in Atlanta on October 26-27.

In Atlanta, we will focus on buildings, the renovation of all buildings, as well as new construction. We are continuing to learn so much about the activity of cities as they step up and lead on energy and environment issues that all, in their own way, assist all of us together in our efforts to protect our planet.

At our last very successful Energy and Environmental Summit in Chicago, May 10-11, we focused on transportation and we had experts there focusing on building.

A lot of attention has been on the gas crisis and the primary focus has been on alternative vehicles and fuels. Architects who have been looking at climate protection for years now are recommending basic steps consumers and builders can do that will make us be carbon neutral with our buildings by the year 2030.

In Atlanta, we will continue in our partnership with The American Institute of Architects (AIA) to promote initiatives and best practices that will help us attain the goals of our 2030 project. It is realistic. We will reach out for other partners and discuss how we promote builders who are building “green” and still making money.

With almost 300 cities signed on to the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Resolution, we are moving forward with our partner ICLEI to establish a clearing house to promote best practices and initiative that will produce measurable results toward climate control and protecting our earth.

We were pleased with our turnout in Chicago. We need you there in Atlanta October 26 and 27. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and her “green team” are working with your “green team” to make this a meeting you don’t want to miss. So mark your calendar and we will be following up with you soon with more information on our Summit.

Two More Makes It Twelve!

On June 17, Abigail Elizabeth Adams was born, our third granddaughter. On August 1, Jake Carlson Riddle was born, our ninth grandson. That makes twelve for Carlotta and me. Nine boys and three girls and no, they are not cheaper by the dozen! We are blessed and thankful.

Have a great August. Try to stay cool and in your job try to keep things cool in our cities.