August 25, 2008

Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has been invited and has accepted to speak before the Democratic National Convention August 25, primetime. Diaz will be featured in a special segment prior to Michelle Obama’s address titled “One Nation.”

Diaz has not endorsed either candidate. His position is that he must continue to push in a bipartisan fashion the mayors’ 10-Point Plan that is being further developed by the five Mayors ‘08 Action Forums that the Conference has had and will continue to hold through October 1. When Diaz took the gavel as President of the bi-partisan national mayors organization in June, he declared, “Washington has lost its values, lost its principles – lost its sense of purpose.”

Since then, Diaz has launched a “Third Campaign” focused on the Presidential candidates, the media, and the voters. In order to drill-down on the priorities contained in the Mayors 10-Point Plan: Strong Cities, Strong Families, for a Strong America, and help raise public awareness, Diaz is leading a five-city tour between August and October called Mayors ’08 Action Forums that focus on 1) Crime; 2) Infrastructure; 3) Poverty; 4) Environment; and 5) Arts/Tourism.

In Denver, Diaz is hosting a luncheon and reception from 11:30 to 2:30 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel where The United States Conference of Mayors will welcome and salute America’s mayors. Diaz will also host a press conference to present the findings from the Crime Forum in Philadelphia; and Diaz will continue to promote the 10-Point Plan with a plan to visit state delegations during their morning breakfasts.

As the 66th President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Diaz is also the second Hispanic mayor to become the Conference President and the first from Florida in more than 40 years. Before Diaz was elected, Miami was in financial trouble and was dealing with drug problems. Today, Miami is financially sound and the city is doing well as a result of Diaz’s leadership. Diaz has an international view of our nation and its place in the global market, and has held three World Hemispheric Meetings bringing the mayors and advisors from Latin America to work on key issues together.

Led by America’s mayors, America’s cities drive our national economy – the strongest national economy in the world. Metro economies now account for 85 percent of national employment, 87 percent of labor income, and 86 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Of the largest 100 international economies in the world, 42 are U.S. metro areas. Clearly, U.S. metro areas are a dominant force in both the national and global economy.

Diaz speaks for the nation’s mayors when he says the next President should be “Mayor of the United States.”