October 13, 2008

Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran, as requested by mayors at the Annual Meeting in June, briefed the leadership of the Conference on the White House transition that will occur within the next few weeks.

The presentation, prepared with the assistance of Conference senior staff, covered the key appointments in all federal agencies and departments. While the nation’s mayors have been involved in a policy development process with five Action Forums in five cities, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, along with Stamford (CT) Mayor Dannel P. Malloy, have urged the mayors to use their influence to get the best people in federal jobs so that city interests will not become lost or confused as the new government is formed.

In addition to the personnel possibilities from “The Plum Book,” the publication listing all federal appointive jobs, Cochran also expressed Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz’s plan to appoint mayoral transition teams for the different agencies and new White House that will start to form immediately once the voters of America decide on November 4.

It was pointed out by Cochran that each President-elect throughout history since President Kennedy has a different process of forming a new government. But throughout history, he indicated, the federal agencies remain the same. Key to all of this is how much emphasis or power the new President will give his Cabinet or new Secretaries of the Departments. Some Presidents before have held the development of policy very close and inside the White House, while other Presidents have given Cabinet officers a freer rein in developing and creating domestic initiatives for a new Administration.

Cochran also emphasized the need for the next President to allow the new Cabinet to come and sit with mayors at their January Winter Meeting. Past experience has shown that Cabinet officers, not confirmed, are reluctant to come to Winter Meetings. This issue, usually espoused by the lawyers, has been resolved if the Cabinet officers are assured they will come to the Winter Meetings in a “listening mode” to learn and not be put in a position to announce or discuss new policies of the Administration on key issues.

It was also confirmed that John Podesta, former Chief of Staff to President Clinton and now Director of the Center for American Progress organization is the person Illinois Senator Barack Obama has put in charge of his transition. Arizona Senator John McCain has chosen William Timmons, Sr., a respected Washington operative, veteran of Republican White House Presidential teems and now Chairman Emeritus of Washington-based Timmons & Company.

Political reports continue to indicate that the Obama campaign is further along in preparing for the transition. It is the goal of the mayors, led by Diaz, for the Conference of Mayors to engage with the Obama and McCain transition teams as we go forward.

Cochran stressed the need for the mayors not to just focus on who was going to be Secretary of HUD as in years past. He pointed to the White House Domestic Policy and Intergovernmental staff, the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Justice and Labor as possible for top cabinet and sub-cabinet appointees.

Malloy indicated that the Small Business Administration should not be overlooked and he is suggesting a White House Summit on Small Business with the next Administration after the President takes the oath and moves forward.

As to compiling a list of Democratic and Republican names interested in serving, Providence (RI) Mayor David Cicilline, President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, suggested that he choose three Democratic mayors along with three mayors to be appointed by Diaz and three mayors to be appointed by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, all to comprise a committee of nine mayors to recommend to the next President’s personnel team key mayors for key positions.

This discussion did not center on policy recommendations. It was solely devoted to placing mayors in power positions within the new Government that will be formed over the next three months of November, December, and January as the President-elect announces his new team before he takes the oath on January 20.