By Larry Jones
August 11, 2008

After being sworn in as the new chairman of the National Governors’ Association on July 14, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell immediately announced he would spend his year in the leadership post focusing on strengthening infrastructure investment. Rendell, who served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 1999, has spent more than a decade in various leadership roles as a strong advocate of improving the nation’s infrastructure. He told delegates attending NGA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia that, “America’s infrastructure urgently needs attention. From outmoded ports to crumbling bridges to underinvestment in public transit, we must begin a new era of investment in the systems that support our prosperity and our quality of life.” As chairman of NGA, Rendell plans to spend many hours urging groups and organizations across the country to join him in urging support for more investment in the nation’s infrastructure.

t in the nation’s infrastructure.

The Conference of Mayors has invited Rendell to join mayors at a New York City action forum on infrastructure planned August 13 – 14 to get the presidential candidates to make a commitment to invest more in the nation’s infrastructure.

Immediately after becoming chairman of NGA, Rendell took his message to county leaders attending the July 15 closing plenary session of the National Association of Counties in Kansas City (MO). He urged county officials from across the nation to demand that the federal government increase investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, water systems and other critical infrastructure.

He explained, “In the past 30 years, state and local governments across the country have been picking up more of the tab to build, maintain and expand the facilities and infrastructure people rely on.” However, he said, “If America is to continue competing in the global marketplace, we need an efficient and sound infrastructure; we need the commitment of greater federal resources to help counties and states meet these pressing needs.”

To make the case for federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure, Rendell told county leaders that, earlier this year, he teamed up with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to establish the Build America’s Future coalition, a non-partisan group committed to raising awareness about the infrastructure crisis facing our nation and the need for greater federal investment.

Rendell is trying to build a broad based Build America’s Future coalition of elected officials from all political parties, all sections of the country and from all levels of governments. The group plans to be an effective voice in making the case for more federal infrastructure investment to the next President and the next Congress.

He is encouraging local elected leaders who support greater federal infrastructure investment to join the Build America’s Future coalition by registering online at www.InvestInInfrastructure.org.