Washington, DC
October 29, 2004

Conference President Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic continues to reach out to others as he promotes The United States Conference of Mayors' '04 Metro Agenda.

In Baltimore last week he addressed the American Society of Civil Engineers where he joined with this knowledgeable group of Americans pushing a common agenda of modernizing America's infrastructure. Last year the civil engineers released their national report card and gave the overall nation's infrastructure a whopping D- grade.

Mayor Plusquellic has effectively used this report as he pushes the USCM '04 Agenda which has the infrastructure question high on the list of the four major issues the nation's mayors have adopted as their major concerns during this 2004 Presidential campaign.

Mortgage Bankers

Mayor Plusquellic also addressed the Mortgage Bankers Convention in San Francisco this past week. He reaches out to the business community as we plan to involve the business sector during the transition period after November 2. Through the years the Mortgage Bankers have allied with us on more than just housing issues. No doubt, they will provide us with additional validation on a number of issues as we go forth with a new agenda after the Presidential Inauguration in January and the new Congress in January.

Election Day 2004

As U.S. Mayor goes to print we face Halloween and then the day we have all been waiting for — Election Day USA.

Let us hope there will be no "tricks" to leave us in the mess we had four years ago in the 2000 Presidential Campaign, which prolonged the election through Thanksgiving and into the Holidays. The "treat" for all Americans is that this election be over and final November 2 so we can go forward to work on the real issues of the nation.

We must face the fact that no matter who wins the White House, we start this century as a divided nation. The rhetoric and talking heads twenty-four hours a day has given us "blow by blow" of "slugfests" in the "Battleground States". We need to get this state of mind behind us and remove these words from our vocabulary. Our country, the United States of America has the word "united" first, but we are a divided nation in 2004.

We have to ask the question of what The United States Conference of Mayors can do after November to help bring new unity within The United States of America.

After November 2, we need a healing period and the nation's mayors, as in other divisive periods in our history, can play a major role in the process of healing so we can put the words "Battleground" behind us and provide us with a national consensus and unity the body politic deserves.

Mayors work each day to bring unity and consensus within their own political jurisdictions and even beyond their jurisdictions, they bring consensus for all citizens within their metro areas. The healing the nation needs must be done on a bipartisan basis. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is one organization that has the cardinal virtue of bi-partisanship — one of a few bastions of bi-partisanships left in our nation. Washington, D.C. has become more partisan than ever and it is recognized now as a place where you can't get things done that need to be done — a city of partisan bickering and divisiveness. Now after months of that same political atmosphere, this 2004 Presidential election leaves the nation more partisan than in recent history. And the national body politic has a serious virus of divisiveness that goes beyond whether you are a Democrat or Republican. The virus of divisiveness in our nation goes beyond party affiliation. Unfortunately it goes to some very personal issues involving religion, class, culture, sex, style, attitude and race.

Many believe there must be healing. As an organization we are reaching out with others who share our concern with the hope that we can play a part after November 2 to bind up the wounds of the nation and as local elected officials, be a part of catalytic political movement to unite us once again and get us out of the ditch and on the road to meet the challenges before the people of our America. Mayors have done this at other critical points in our history in the last century. We must stand for unity — for healing — for a united United States of America for our cities, counties and our states but even more for this most diverse group of people on earth — the diverse people of the United States of America that make up our citizenry. The diversity of our nation is our strength. But with diversity, unity and consensus is essential.

Because we are a land of diverse people, all free, like no other country on earth, tolerances toward unity and consensus must be nurtured and cared for every day by the people the diverse people have elected to serve in all three levels of government. Today we are devoid and bereft of unity and consensus. Let us hope that we can be a part of the healing — a part of simply bringing the nation back together so we can go forward to face and produce results of the major issues facing the people of our nation. Mayors do it for their cities. As our cities are our cities, our nation is our nation. If mayors can bring consensus in the great metro areas of the nation, we must bring that feeling forward with other leaders from all sectors in an effort to bring us closer together to rid the nation of this virus of divisiveness within our body politic that is so rampant today.