November 1, 2004

The Center for Civic Innovation presented Miami Mayor Manny Diaz with the 2004 Urban Innovator Award October 26 for changing the culture of government and building a 21st century city. The award ceremony was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami.

Diaz gratefully accepted the Manhattan Institute award. "This idea of returning power to the local level, of empowering mayors and other local officials is the central theme in a book published by the Manhattan Institute called The Entrepreneurial City," Diaz stated in his acceptance remarks. "This book served as my guide when I ran for office. I wanted to join the list of entrepreneurial mayors like [Chicago Mayor Richard M.] Daley and [former New York City Mayor Rudy] Giuliani — many of them past recipients of this award - as innovative leaders who take charge of urban problems. This award is in many ways the ultimate validation of the work we-ve done during my first term."

Henry Olsen, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Innovation, remarked, "Mayor Diaz has taken a city that was nearly bankrupt and restored an A- credit rating, while also cutting crime and improving the quality of life. That's urban leadership at its finest."

Diaz is the sixth recipient of the Urban Innovator Award. Previous award winners were Washington (DC) Mayor Anthony Williams (2003), Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (2002), Oakland (CA) Mayor Jerry Brown (2001), St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman (2001) and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (2000).

The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) is a program of the Manhattan Institute. CCI is dedicated to non-partisan pragmatic public policy solutions, which improve quality of life and aims to enrich the public discourse on urban issues.

CCI is chaired by Senior Fellow and former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, Special Advisor to the President for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. CCI's bipartisan advisory board includes St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, Oakland (CA) Mayor Jerry Brown, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, and Miami Mayor Manuel A. Diaz.

The Manhattan Institute, a 501(c)(3), is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.