Washington, DC
December 9, 2005

Seventeen months ago ten Americans, five Democrats and five Republicans, from all walks of life, issued their final report of the 9/11 Commission. Their report totaled 567 pages when it hit the streets in July of 2004 and surprisingly to some, their work riveted the nation and it was an immediate best seller. They made 41 recommendations. They spoke to the American people through television and appearances before Congress.

Since the release in 2004, they felt a need to stay together so they created a non-profit group for the purpose of pressuring Congress and the current Bush Administration to adopt its recommendations.

You don’t get bipartisan national figures standing up together on critical issues any more. This week was indeed a most unusual display of national courage. And through this whole process since 9/11, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has stood in a bipartisan manner to protest to the President and the Congress that sending millions of dollars out to Governors would prove and present a flawed system that would not get the money down to our first responders to do the job they need to do. Lately in this town everybody seems to just go along to get along but we do remember that right after 9/11 Senator Hillary Clinton stood with us to discuss a targeted approach for homeland security so that the federal money would go straight from Washington directly into our city governments. The distribution structure we discussed resembled the Community Development Block Grant HUD program. All our efforts with Senator Clinton and others went to no avail when President Bush and House leaders insisted that money go to statehouses for states to decide how first responder monies would be spent. Even our sister organization, the National League of Cities, took the position that first responder monies should go to the statehouses. And too, our other local partner, the National Association of Counties, also supported giving the money first to the Governors.

We did two major surveys showing that no one knew where the money was. Indeed, so many cities where the local responders live and work reported they had received very little or no funds.

Our President at that time was Hempstead Mayor Jim Garner, a Republican. He stood in front of the cameras and told the American people that the funding system was flawed and “totally unacceptable.” We knew then and we still know now that the funding system for homeland security is flawed and it needs to be fixed.

Former N.J. Governor Thomas Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, who served as Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission, said this week that some of the failures are “shocking.” Their statement was, “It is scandalous that police and firefighters in large cities still cannot communicate reliably in a major crisis. It is scandalous that airline passengers are still not screened against all names on the terrorist watch list.” They argue that scarce homeland security dollars should not be distributed on the basis of pork barrel spending, rather than risk. They expressed outrage and frustration by the lack of urgency in fixing these problems and charged that our leadership is distracted.

Quoting the Governor Kean and Congressman Hamilton statement, “Bin Laden and al-Qaeda believe it is their duty to kill as many Americans as possible. This very day they are plotting to do us harm ... We believe the terrorists will strike again ... While the terrorists are learning and adapting, our government is still moving at a crawl.”

Their report this week in the form of a report card is replete with “Ds” and “Fs” in key areas of most importance to cities. The ten Americans stood this week before the nation to say, “The first responders to any attack will be local police and firefighters and emergency medical technicians. They are a crucial part of our national defense.” Let’s repeat that last sentence, “They (the local police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians) are a crucial part of our national defense.” This was The U.S. Conference of Mayors position from the very beginning. Now, years after 9/11, this group of dedicated, courageous and frustrated Americans are saying that our first responders are a part of this terrorist war. It’s not just Baghdad, where our brave soldiers are; it is also on the streets of American cities where our brave local responders are. We are all a part of this terrorist global war.

The report card this week gave information sharing a “D”. Quoting the report, “We need improved information sharing not only within the federal government, but especially with state and local authorities. Disasters, whether natural or manmade, happen in localities ... Their officials need the best information the federal government can provide ... Right now, they are not getting it.”

The ten Americans who announced on December 5, this past Monday, as the last time they would appear together as a group concluded their report with these words, “Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Preventing terrorists from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction must be elevated above all other problems of national security. Why? ... Because it represents the greatest threat to the American people ... Given the potential for catastrophic destruction, our current efforts fall short of what we need to do. The President should request the personnel and resources, and provide the domestic and international leadership, to secure all weapons grade nuclear material as soon as possible. There is simply no higher priority on the national security agenda.”

Governor Kean and Congressman Hamilton and the other eight Americans thanked those who have helped them and they said they carried out their mandate “to the best of our ability.” This week, it is over for them as a group and they said; “Now it is time to take the responsibility we were given and give it back. To whom? First, to all of you.”

And so this group of ten Americans who have dedicated their lives to this important project are this week calling for a huge citizen involvement on this issue.

And finally, they call on our elected leaders, quoting them, “The first purpose of government, in the preamble of our Constitution, is to ‘provide for the common defense.’ We have made clear, time and again, what we believe needs to be done to make our country safe and more secure: The responsibility for action, and leadership, rests with Congress and the President.”

They recall that day, September 11, 2001, as a day of unbearable suffering but they say, “It was also a day when we were united as Americans. We came together as citizens with a sense of urgency, and with a sense of purpose.” They call upon our elected leaders to come together with that same sense of urgency and purpose. And their final quote, “The terrorists do not target Republicans or Democrats – they target Americans. We will not defeat them as Republicans or Democrats – We will defeat them by working together. We call upon our political leaders to act as one again on a bipartisan basis, to take all necessary steps to make our country safer and more secure. The American people deserve no less.”

Let us hope this report will foment change in the legislation to correct the flaws. Conference President Beverly O’Neill has led our mayors to update our post-9/11 policy recommendations this fall and we will continue with our advocacy on this issue as the nation’s mayors convene here in Washington, DC for our Winter Meeting, January 25-27, 2006.

Six months have passed since Beverly O’Neill was elected to be your President last June in Chicago. Little did we know that Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma would hit us with such force and devastation. With Katrina, it was a test of governments – federal, state and local. No doubt, finger pointing will continue. A debate is needed. We do need to get it right before more people are killed. We are indeed thankful that so many local governments responded to the survivors and through this holiday period many persons are safe in so many of your cities. And we will continue to support rebuild efforts for New Orleans and the Gulf Region cities as we go forward.

President O’Neill has also insisted that we not forget that there are other issues that need work other than Katrina. And we have through the Fall held a number of forums on water, education and transportation. These forums are all a part of President O’Neill’s Stronger Cities for a Stronger America campaign. We plan two after the Winter Meeting, one on energy and another on the national economy with special emphasis on our metro economies and their significance to the nation and the world.

The Winter Meeting here in Washington on January 25-27, 2006 is where you want to be if you are a mayor. Major issues are being cast aside due to the Iraq War and our Washington leadership is somewhat distracted. We must push our issues forward. New Orleans and the Gulf Cities must be rebuilt with guidance and direction from mayors and their local people. We must continue to hammer our needs for homeland security reorganization and reform. We must force a sensible dialogue of the threat of pandemic bird flu. Transportation security and funding patterns are important and will be up for discussion and the telecom issues will seriously affect our local budgets.

So much is going on in Washington these days and it seems there is chaos as we have never had before in recent years. Where there is chaos, the mayors have stood up in the past to provide leadership. President O’Neill continues to be your advocate here and throughout the nation and she needs you here to support her and our other leaders during this crucial time.

Meantime, rest and have peace and take the time to be with your friends and loved ones during this Holiday Season. From your headquarters team here at 1620 Eye Street in Washington, we simply say thank you for making our organization what it is today – standing tall and always looking ahead. We welcome 2006 as an opportunity to help mayors make the difference. We look forward to seeing all of you here in Washington next month for our Winter Meeting, January 25-27, 2006. Register now! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!