Washington, DC
October 14, 2005

Fiscal Assistance for Katrina/Rita Cities

The United States Conference of Mayors has continued to push Congress, with Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu leading the way – to provide federal fiscal assistance to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas cities hard hit by the Katrina and Rita hurricanes.

At issue on the Senate floor was whether or not the legislation to assist the cities would contain language that would make the loans forgivable in light of the fact that these cities are going to be hurting for some time before they get their tax bases back.

The fact of the matter is unless you have funds for basic police, fire and sanitation, you don’t have a city. The loss of tax bases for many cities was a top priority voiced by all mayors when Conference President O’Neill and I met with Mayor Ray Nagin, the New Orleans City Council members and Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, former Mayor Mike Dow of Mobile and Mayors from the Gulf Coast region during our fact finding mission to Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi on September 15 and 16.

During the debate on the Senate floor, Senator Landrieu cited our support and read the letter we sent on behalf of all of you. The legislation was approved but the forgivable language we supported being sponsored by Senator Landrieu was not accepted. This was the first time in history when community disaster loan money was approved by Congress that the forgivable language was excluded. The only reason given was the House of Representatives leadership said they wanted it that way. We will continue to work on this issue since our primary goal is that the cities be provided funds the same way they have been provided since the federal government started providing relief many years ago.

Another concern expressed, early-on, in our discussions with New Orleans Mayor Nagin, Council President Oliver Thomas and other city council members has been the question of design as the rebuild discussions begin. Design questions were also raised in our meetings with the Mississippi and Alabama mayors. We promised them assistance and we are responding.

We were pleased to announce last week that Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who heads our own Mayors Institute on City Design (MICD), will take our city design institute in to the Gulf Coast region and into New Orleans in early November. Our strong partners, the American Institute of Architects Foundation (AIA) and the National Endowment for the Arts, will be working closely with Mayor Riley and key persons in the Gulf Coast region and the government of the city of New Orleans to find ways and resources to ensure that the mayors and their city governments are involved in the rebuild and design issues from the “git-go.” Our Institute is unique in that it is mayor-centered to make certain that the people in the devastated cities get what they want for their hometowns once the rebuild efforts are over. Money and federal contracts bypassing local governments to rebuild without the voices of the people and the mayors and city governments will produce god-awful structures that we have seen in this country which resemble the big boxes Russia built all over Europe during the Cold War.

The region of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and inwards of Mississippi and Alabama is one of the most historical and cultural places in the United States and the world. The great Mayor John Robert Smith, with his multifaceted mind and eloquent voice talked about this when Mayor Beverly O’Neill hosted our Fall Leadership Meeting in Long Beach last month. Meridian (MS) Mayor John Robert Smith just came out and said, “I have lost a part of my country that I will never see again – its gone – and it will never be the same.” But inside of him and so many local officials in the region there is an overwhelming desire and passion to fight to the end to keep the money crowd from coming in and turning their cities into bland monolithic structures or cute little Disney-like villages.

Mayor Riley’s leadership in our design institute, MICD, has the credibility for us at this time. There is an opportunity to do something big, something wonderful, something that will carry the culture of these great American places forward into the ages for our children and our grandchildren to enjoy – just as our ancestors enjoyed. We are determined to support the requests we have received in the design area. And we are so pleased to have been an integral part of the MICD as we plan and prepare the programs for the November meetings. And we will be offering a sustained effort to stay in the region or to come back when needed to provide the strategies and approaches the mayors have requested of us as we go forward.

Conference President O’Neill has charged us to take actions on Katrina efforts but she also said she wants us to go forward with other priorities. On November 3 in Denver we will hold a Transportation Summit “Cities for a Strong America: Security, Evacuation Planning, Investment.” Our host for this meeting in Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Chair of the USCM Transportation and Communications Committee. Conference President Beverly O’Neill will preside and I along with Assistant Director Ron Thaniel will be there to discuss and get strategy on some of the most challenging issues facing our cities and our nation.

Before Katrina hit us and after the London transit system bombings, we expressed deep concern over Washington being out of touch and non-responsive to the need for mass transit and rail security in our nation. Congress had the audacity to cut, yes cut, our proposed funding for transit security after the London bombings and the Administration, through Homeland Security Chertoff, made statements to the media that were confusing and somewhat baffling relative to the federal government’s responsibility to mass transit and rail security. Of course, when hurricane Katrina hit, he had his hands full with the incompetents they had over at FEMA and we certainly understand the pressure the worst natural disaster in modern history has given him. But the fact is our mass transit and rail security systems need careful attention. While cities are doing their best, we need to know that our federal partners, Washington – both Congress and the Executive Branch are with us as we daily face the security challenges.

Hurricane Rita raised the challenge of evacuation of an American city. Mayor Bill White of Houston did a masterful job of getting people out of his city but we all witnessed the big traffic jam on the interstate highway until the authorities made the interstate a one-way, multi-lane highway to get away from Rita. We are inviting Mayor White and his team to Denver so we can learn from him and help other cities in the event that other evacuations of other cities are needed due to another hurricane, a terrorist attack with a dirty bomb or some other need that calls for a systematic evacuation.

Since the current transportation bill was signed, we also have to monitor the billions of dollars that will flow to the statehouses in the 50 states to make certain that our cities get their fair share of federal funds for the movement of people and goods and services in our metropolitan areas. Today, in some states in the rural areas and countryside, you can drive at 75 miles an hour but if you approach a city where you are trying to get to work, to an airport, or to get your children to school, you could take a horse or a horse and buggy and beat those people in cars all headed to the same destination. It’s just that simple and there is something wrong with that picture.

We will be discussing these issues and more in Denver on November 3. All mayors are invited. We encourage you to come. Call Assistant Executive Director Ron Thaniel at 202-861-6711 or e-mail him at rthaniel@usmayors.org if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing many of you in Denver.

At our Long Beach meeting last month in the post-Katrina world, mayors decided under the direction of Conference President O’Neill that it is time for a special ad hoc task force of mayors to develop new improved strategies on homeland security federal laws that we have lived with since 9/11.

Elizabeth (NJ) Mayor Chris Bollwage, Chair of our Criminal and Social Justice Committee, has been working with his Committee members this fall to advise us as we continue to live with a flawed system that does not provide the direct response and resources directly to our cities. Katrina was an example of a system that puts much emphasis on the Governor’s actions and decisions affecting cities. From the very beginning since 9/11, we have warned all that there is needed a direct connection between our federal government and our cities in the homeland security challenges we face.

We are bringing together a number of key mayors who chair our Task Forces along with Chairman Bollwage and Conference President O’Neill in Washington on October 23-24. We have invited DHS Secretary Chertoff to come meet with us and many mayors want to discuss key areas that need work and careful attention in order for us to meet the security challenges before us.

We are encouraged by the responses we are getting and this meeting will produce new recommendations to be circulated to all mayors with the hope that we can revisit the flaws and provide new thinking and solutions to help us protect the millions of USA citizens that live in USA cities. Assistant Executive Director Ed Somers is the lead staff on this meeting. Please contact him at 202-861-6706 or e-mail esomers@usmayors.org with your thoughts and recommendations.

This week Conference of Mayors President Beverly O’Neill leads a USA mayors mission to China to preside over the 4th USA-Sino Mayors Summit. In addition, she addresses the 2005 Asia Pacific Cities Summit, the first ever on mainland China, where hundreds of mayors from the Pacific Rim and the USA and elsewhere are assembled to hear her keynote address. She will also be meeting with the Shanghai City Government in Shanghai and will go to Beijing to meet with the Mayor of Beijing and several top national cabinet officers to learn and share what Chinese and USA mayors are doing to provide the best cities and the best services to USA and Chinese citizens. Mayor O’Neill is well established and recognized in China and the Pacific Rim because as Mayor of Long Beach with one of the largest ports in the world, she has spent much time during her tenure as mayor fostering goodwill and trade between her city and China which affects the trade and relationships between China and the USA today. As USMayor goes to press, the China mission is underway and we will report on the historic mission with its successes in the next issue. She makes us proud!

her city and China which affects the trade and relationships between China and the USA today. As USMayor goes to press, the China mission is underway and we will report on the historic mission with its successes in the next issue. She makes us proud!