November 4, 2002

Newark Mayor Sharpe James, a member of the Conference's Board of Trustees, won his battle to fund a new arena on the Newark waterfront. The battle, which began four years ago and was spearheaded by Mayor James, finally concluded last week as the Newark city council approved funding for the arena by a vote of 5-2.

The 18,500 seat arena will be the new home to the New Jersey Nets basketball team, as well as the New Jersey Devils hockey team, both of which now play in the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. Mayor James and other city officials are hoping to open the new arena by the fall of 2005. In addition to hosting the Nets and Devils, the new arena will play host to other events such as concerts, car shows and the annual Newark City High School Basketball tournament.

Funding for the $355 million arena is coming from several different sources. Yankeenets, the joint owners of the Nets and Devils are putting up $130 million, the city of Newark is contributing $200 million, including $165 million from a renegotiated lease with the New York/New Jersey Port Authority for Newark Liberty Airport, and $35 million out of other city funds.

Mayor James is thrilled with the outcome and looks forward to the economic boost that the arena will provide for the city of Newark. "This is the most important economic engine in the history of the city of Newark," said Mayor James. "Construction of this arena will move this city to a higher level, bring tourism and luster to our city, provide jobs and opportunities and championship sports teams to a stunning home."

Indianapolis, Tampa, Miami-Dade, Honolulu, and Dallas were honored as 2002 Best of the Web award winners. The annual contest by the Center for Digital Government requires sites to post a privacy statement, allow citizens to process transactions from start to finish, and offer a written accessibility policy. Sites are also evaluated for innovation to deliver government or education services and efficiency.

"The worldwide web has brought government closer to the people it serves, and we will never stop looking for ways to give the people of Indianapolis more online access to government service," said Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, a member of the Conference Advisory Board.

Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard, joining community's representative from The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), unveiled on October 23 a "Community Wide Volunteer for All Ages" guide. The volunteer booklet lists dozens of Fort Wayne organizations, groups, and boards in need of unpaid help.

Stockton (CA) Mayor Gary A. Podesto on October 11 announced that the city received $225,000 in Federal funds for the renovation of the Fox Theatre. The effort will help revitalize the city's downtown area. The Fox Theatre, on the National Historic Registry, was built in 1930 and the city expects the theatre to reopen in December 2003.

Former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson has announced an organization that will focus on increasing minority voters in the so-called "Black Belt" which stretches from Virginia through Georgia and westward to Texas. According to the October 7th Washington Post, Jackson said the group, the American Voters League, will focus on motivating registered voters to go to the polls at every level. Jackson emphasized that the new group will not endorse candidates or platforms.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson left October 25 for New Delhi, India, to attend the COP 8 meeting. The event, an international "Conference of the Parties" is sponsored by the United Nations on the implementation of The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to slow global warming.

Mayor Anderson's trip is being paid for by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly and San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. agreed on a friendly wager between their two cities as the American League Champion Anaheim Angels prepared to meet the National League Champion San Francisco Giants for the World Series title.

Mayor Daly agreed to wear a specially designed, black-and-orange fedora, a signature of Mayor Brown, and a Giants jersey to work one day. As loser, Mayor Brown will host a deserving Anaheim area family in San Francisco, and wear an Anaheim Angels jersey and cowboy hat to work, honoring the man responsible for bringing baseball to Anaheim, the Angels' original owner, the late Gene Autry.

"This friendly wager captures the spirit of fun and excitement of this truly historic event, while allowing us to showcase the best attributes of our cities," said Mayor Daly.

About Anaheim: Founded in 1857, Anaheim is one of the nation's premier municipalities and California's 10th most populous city. As the oldest and largest city in Orange County, Anaheim covers 50 square miles, with nearly 330,000 residents and 2,100 city employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.067 million and boasts world-class companies such as Boeing, Carl Karcher Enterprises, the Walt Disney Company, L-3 Communications and Pacific Sunwear. Annually, Anaheim also welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it a great place to live, work and play.