Washington, DC
November 19, 2004

Now that the Presidential election is over and the nation — including the White House and Congress — will get back to work and to the business of governing, the nation's mayors must be ready to enter the political arena with relevancy and reality.

To help us frame our bipartisan political agenda, Conference President Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic along with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who heads up our Reinvestment Council, have called for an Economic Summit here in Washington December 8 and 9. The Summit will include mayors and business leaders. We will draw the business leaders from our Mayors Business Council and from our Reinvestment Council. Plans call for other business leaders to participate as well as representatives of the White House and Congress.

The Mayors '04 Agenda that we pushed during the Presidential campaign is still very much alive, real and relevant. Hence, the Mayors '04 Agenda is now the Mayors '05 Agenda. Now that the red state/blue state rhetoric and cultural and religious issues are off the television screens, we will use our bipartisan political agenda to remind all that the economic strength of the nation lies with the metropolitan areas of the nation that are indeed the metro engines that drive our national economy. We also let all people know that we stand ready to show the way. The bottom line for us is "what works" in America. And we will continue to educate and inform Washington, the business community and other sectors to pay close attention to the excellent best practices of mayoral and business community partnerships now flourishing in cities throughout America.

In addition to our '04 Agenda which includes infrastructure modernization, job development, providing sound homeland security, and stopping more unfunded mandates, we must be very much aware that the tax code is up for discussion and further changes. We must have a keen eye on tax proposals that would hamper growth within our metro economies. Hence, we must discuss this and be most honest about the trial balloons that are going up since the election concerning any tax changes that would affect the continued economic vitality of the thousands of cities within our metro economies.

As U.S. Mayor goes to press, President Bush is coming forth with his new team at the Cabinet level and we must meet with his new team and find common ground to work with them over the next four years. There are a number of issues we have already identified that are most important to President Bush and to The United States Conference of Mayors and together we must work to keep our nation and our cities economically strong and safe and secure for the millions of people in our cities that make up our great nation.

Mayors gather at our 73rd Winter Meeting in January to prepare for a new Congress and the inauguration of President George W. Bush for his second term. Inauguration time which coincides with our Winter Meeting has always been an opportunity for mayors to meet new Cabinet officers, and to participate in inaugural activities that are so special for our nation. Conference President Plusquellic and I, along with our officers, urge all mayors to join us here in Washington for our Winter Meeting. Together, mayors from all over this great nation- can make a difference. We must reach out and remember it is not red and blue. Within the Conference of Mayors it is red, white and blue. Again, we are about "what works" in America. And we must continue to be focused on illustrating "what works" in America to help our cities, our people and our nation. We are about the business of doing our best to work with Washington at any opportunity no matter how small or grand. It is our heritage, our way. 2005 begins a new era. And we will be there — when it starts and when it ends — fighting for our cities with old friends and new allies from the business community as we go forward.

If you have not already registered for our Winter Meeting, please do so now. Contact Carol Edwards at our Convention/Meeting Services — (202)293-7330 or fax your registration form to (202) 467-4276.

On this holiday — so special to America, we are thankful for the mayors of our nation. May you have a good Thanksgiving with your family, friends and loved ones and I hope to see some of you at the National League of Cities Annual Meeting in Indianapolis November 30 — December 4, 2005. Meantime from your staff here in Washington, Happy Thanksgiving! — And thank you for your continued personal presence and hard work you give everyday that strengthens your city and in turn strengthens your organization — The United States Conference of Mayors, as well our nation.