September 22, 2006

In Santa Barbara at our Fall Leadership Meeting, Conference President Mike Guido led our leadership mayors toward a consensus on key priorities. President Guido is focusing on new approaches to confront rising domestic crime, new energy technology and climate protection and poverty/workforce/education challenges.

As he leads the nation’s mayors for a common bipartisan agenda, Mayor Guido has invited all Democratic and Republican ‘08 presidential aspirants to participate in USCM Democratic and Republican forums held separately at the United States Conference of Mayors Washington Winter Meeting January 24-27 here at the Capital Hilton Hotel. The word “aspirant” includes persons who have announced their intention to announce and those who are being mentioned by political observers and the media as strong contenders for the nomination if they would announce. See box on page 6 for list of invitees. So, we are casting a wide net to include as many as possible. Mayors are expressing their deep concern that the ‘08 presidential primary contenders discuss, advocate and debate the serious and real challenge facing the American people in our cities, urban/suburban and large and small.

Mayors are starting earlier during this campaign season to affect the debate. Throughout out USCM history, we have attempted with some success to use the presidential sweepstakes to advance our agenda. There is general sentiment that the last campaign between President Bush and Senator Kerry did not include a discussion of the major issues mayors faced then and are still facing today.

Conference President Guido has a strong team of dynamic mayors who are committed to do their best to put forth a bipartisan constituency-based agenda that will be accepted by the American people, and thus easy for the candidates to embrace, support and implement if elected to be our 44th President.

We continue to remind mayors that many Presidential candidates are already testing the political terrain in Iowa and New Hampshire. We also know that once the November Congressional elections are over, the Presidential campaign will go into full swing. That’s why we want the candidates to meet with us this coming January in 2007. If we wait until the next year 2008, we won’t get them. They will be in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Mayor Guido will need your help and we ask you now to encourage candidates from your state or candidates that you know to come and be with us during our Winter Meeting. Lets join together on a common agenda and a common strategy that will lift our cities and our people up to be a part of this most serious national discussion and debate that will continue until election day November 2008.

On behalf of our offices, we urge all mayors to join with us in Atlanta October 26 and 27 for a strong Summit, as we continue to strengthen our movement for change from the bottom up. We continue to be encouraged by the response from mayors as they learn about best practices and new technology that is doing so much to make our cities cleaner, healthier and providing climate protection to our globe.

The USCM Energy Summit #2 in Atlanta will focus on buildings and we will continue to strive toward our goal of carbon neutrality for all buildings by the year 2030.

We need you in Atlanta and believe me, you need to be there. You don’t want to miss this meeting. That’s October 26 and 27 in Atlanta; please register now. Check your mail for registration materials or contact Monica Adams in Convention Services at 202-861-6789 or send email to madams@usmayors.org now.

Congratulations to Mayor Tom Menino and his Boston team for winning the coveted 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education. Boston Public Schools is the winner of $500,000 this year. Boston has been a finalist for the Broad Prize for the past four years, and this year’s top honor brings the district’s five-year winnings to $1 million. It is an annual award to the most improved urban school district in the nation. Public schools continue to be a challenge to so many cities and to our national competitiveness. No doubt mayors can continue to learn from Mayor Menino and his team. And we commend our partners at The Broad Foundation for their leadership and advocacy for a strong role for mayors in the decision-making and leadership of our public schools. Mayor Menino has, through the years, brought his concerns and best practices to our members and we are most grateful as we salute him and the great City of Boston for this significant honor at this time.