August 25, 2008

The National League of Cities (NLC) and engineering firm CH2M HILL on August 18 announced that the city and county of Denver is a finalist for the 2008 Awards for Municipal Excellence. The awards recognize cities and towns for outstanding programs that have improved the quality of life in their communities.

Denver’s "5 By 5 Project" provides the city’s Head Start families with children under the age of five year-round access and educational opportunities at 12 of Denver’s top cultural venues free of charge. The goal of The "5 By 5 Project" is to strengthen families and support school readiness.

“We are honored to be named a finalist for this prestigious award,” said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. “We salute our cultural partners for their collaboration on The -5 By 5 Project;- this program simply would not be possible without their support.”

Hickenlooper also praised the Office for Education and Children staff for its role in implementing the program. He added, “Cultural experiences afforded by The "5 By 5 Project" combine with the learning opportunities offered by Head Start to give our children the best possible foundation for school and life, regardless of family income.”

Of 173 nominations received by NLC, 57 programs were selected as finalists. Denver and its “5 By 5 Project” are one of ten finalists in the population category over 501,000. The winners of 2008 Awards for Municipal Excellence will be announced at NLC’s Congress of Cities and Exposition in Orlando, November 11-15. A complete list of the finalists can be found on NLC’s website at www.nlc.org.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley August 14 announced a series of new steps aimed at helping renters who are evicted when their landlords are foreclosed upon by lending institutions.

“The nation’s home mortgage foreclosure crisis is having a profound effect on hardworking families throughout our country – and unfortunately it’s expected that the number of foreclosures and late payments on home mortgages will continue to rise,” Daley said in a news conference.

"The facts show that Chicago is seeing an increasing number of foreclosure filings on the small, multi-family rental properties that have always been the backbone of affordable housing in many of the city’s neighborhoods," Daley commented.

In 2007, more than 35 percent of Chicago foreclosure filings were on two to six unit properties. In some neighborhoods, that number is 80 percent.

“Obviously, this has a significant and often painful impact on renters who are evicted when building owners are foreclosed on by lending institutions,” Daley said.

A robust 80 percent of those interviewed in the Hawaii Poll approve of the job Mayor Mufi Hannemann is doing running the city, according to a July 30 story in the Honolulu Advertiser. The mayor’s approval rating drops to 57 percent when respondents were asked to evaluate his handling of the proposed commuter rail system.

Either way, the poll indicates Hannemann is the strong favorite for re-election this fall.

“I think he’s pretty invincible,” said Ira Rohter, a political science professor at the University of Hawaii, who is not connected to the Hannemann campaign. “Except for the rail, there’s been no striking opposition to what he’s been doing,” said Rohter. “He’s basically doing his job and the people appreciate that. That’s what I think 80 percent represents.”

The Hawaii Poll was conducted by the Ward Research Inc. for The Honolulu Advertiser and KGMB9. A total of 510 Oahu residents were surveyed by phone from July 12 to 17. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.