Washington, DC
December 18, 2006

We all mourn the death of a great mayor, a great President and even more — a great person, Dearborn Mayor Mike Guido, our 64th President of The United States Conference of Mayors.

What a gallant effort he made.

I knew last February that things were not okay when he told me he couldn’t make it to our Leadership Meeting in Key West. He loved the relaxation of Key West and he loved the informal give and take of that meeting where mayors are more open; the discussions are livelier, more honest with no press attending.

In February he was diagnosed with cancer. He went immediately into chemotherapy, battling the cancer all the way because he wanted so badly to be given the USCM Presidential gavel from then Conference President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill and become our 64th President.

He gathered his strength for our 64th Annual Meeting and what a great and glorious victory he had, with all his family and fiends assembled, when he was inaugurated as our President in Las Vegas.

As we moved forward from Las Vegas, we adjusted his schedule to accommodate the chemo treatments on Wednesdays. Through it all, he rose to the occasion and served us well.

In Las Vegas, Ed Somers, my chief of staff, and I met with him to discuss the Guido year. He wanted to push the alternative energy strategy and to sponsor more energy and environment summits. He was the “Mayor” of Ford Motor Company and he believed that the giant automakers were key to the goal of changing and bringing us independence from Middle East oil. He decided on Atlanta for our second energy summit; and we focused on green buildings. He was most thankful for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s strong participation and he no doubt would have pushed the energy/environmental agenda through 2007/2008.

He also was very concerned about rising crime. As other mayors, he realized that you have to have a safe city in order to have a city. Working with his Police Chief Michael Celeski, he led the way for the nation to recognize that street everyday crime is on the rise in America. He participated and he co-chaired with Police Executive Research Foundation (PERF), a meeting here in DC last August and from it came a partnership that goes forward to force Congress and the White House to provide the help we need for our police departments to keep our hometowns safe from violence.

Mayor Guido also led a Mission to Sydney in September. He was quite active on the trip. We had substantive exchange meetings in Sydney and he was most impressed with Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. He invited her to attend our 75th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles and we hope she comes in June to greet all of you.

The Australian trip was good for both the mayor and Mrs. Guido, our first lady Kari Guido. It was a happy time for them. They had fun and we heard the story of their lives, how they met. Mayor Guido had us all laughing about his courtship days. We heard more about his two Bichon Frise dogs, Harley and Buddy. And we heard about their precious sons, Mikie and Anthony, who have grown up with us in our organization since they started coming to our meetings when they were babies.

Throughout Mayor Guido’s illness, we were thankful to have a special friend of the Guido’s, Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. Mayor Guido and Mayor Kautz were great friends since they had traveled together and worked together on a number of issues. They were both progressive Republicans. And Mayor Kautz herself is a twice cancer survivor. Mayor Kautz counseled and consoled Kari Guido through the difficult period and she was a special person, a special friend to them during those difficult days.

And difficult days and difficult conversations, as Mayor Guido put it, is what we had over the past few weeks.

He called to cancel his participation in the November 12 Sundance meeting with Mr. Robert Redford and mayors.

Then as we approached the time for the National League of Cities Meeting December 5-7, Mrs. Guido called to tell me there was no way he was able to come to Reno. I must also mention that my wife Carlotta is friends with Mrs. Guido and it was during this time they had conversations about the tough times they were experiencing.

In more discussions with Mrs. Guido and with Chief of Staff Mark Guido, I accepted the fact that it was highly unlikely he would be strong enough, even if he had lived, to preside at our 75th Winter Meeting here in DC next month.

So my thoughts turned to Trenton city hall. On Friday, December 1, after talking with Dearborn Chief of Staff I hit Mayor Palmer on his cell and told him we had to talk. He was on his way to Washington to meet with the new House Leadership and he said we could meet for drinks in the early evening. As I spoke to him that evening and prepared him for the transition, he was shocked to learn of Mayor Guido’s condition, since the downturn had happened so fast. His initial reaction was to go to Dearborn to see President Guido. A few days before, I had had the same reaction — to go and see Mayor Guido, but Mrs. Guido did not think this was the appropriate time and I told Palmer a visit to Mayor Guido or a phone call would be impossible.

For about three hours, Mayor Palmer and I discussed the situation. Since the election turn over in November, we were facing a different political terrain that we had discussed in September at our Santa Barbara Leadership Meeting. I told him I thought it important I bring key senior staff to Trenton via train to sit and discuss our plans for the upcoming Winter Meeting. He was sad, but determined to push our agenda forward and to honor the plans and designs Mayor Guido had given us.

I notified the staff of the emergency meeting with our Vice President in Trenton. So on December 5 we all boarded trains heading North. My mind went back to 1989 when I would take the train to Trenton often to visit another Conference President, Trenton Mayor Art Holland, our 46th President, who also succumbed to cancer in a month after he served as our President until June of that year.

My thoughts were someplace else when my cell phone went off en route to Trenton and it was our first lady Kari Guido – she said she wanted me to know that Mike had passed away and she expressed the hope that we could all come to Dearborn. She said that the boys, Mikie and Anthony, considered us family and they and asked her to host a dinner the night before his funeral. I assured her we would be there.

With that message, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer became our 65th President. And I dialed Mayor Palmer on his cell phone to inform him. He was in a city council meeting and had to step aside. My first words to him were “Mr. President, I regret to let you know that Mrs. Guido has called and our President has died. Under our Constitution you are automatically our 65th President. My staff and I are approaching Trenton and will see you at dinner tonight.”

We arrived in Trenton and went straight to Marsilios Restaurant. He arose to tell all of us how sad he was and we met the next day in a more formal setting going around the room as we always do, giving an opportunity for the senior staff assembled to brief our new President. Mayor Palmer was totally engaged. It was strategic. It was political in a bipartisan way.

I had indicated the night before we should have a brief ceremony in city hall so that, as Executive Director, I could announce to Trenton and the world that Mayor Palmer was our new President. Mayor Palmer consented.

We assembled in the historic Trenton city hall, packed full of employees and friends. I rose to “set him up” and that was all it took. He said that we must first all pray for the citizens of Dearborn, that they had lost their mayor of 21 years, that he was groomed and ready to carry out the plans of our fallen President and at the same time forge a future agenda. He didn’t miss a beat. He was totally conversant on the sensitive subject of losing a great one and totally conversant on the details of our agenda.

On Friday December 8, we all moved toward Dearborn for Mayor Guido’s funeral scheduled for December 9th on Saturday morning. I closed the headquarters in his memory and most of the senior staff went with me.

Mayors assembled at the Sacred Heart Church to present a special wreath with the word MAYORS on it. I had an interesting experience getting the size wreath but thanks to “Blossums,” Dearborn floral designers, it was a stupendous wreath and I know that Mike would want it to be special.

Kari Guido stood for two days with her boys in the Parish Hall. Thousands and thousands came through. They had put up a corridor of photos depicting his life – all so colorful and full of the zestful life he lived.

After Mayor Palmer and I presented the wreath to the open casket, I saw a special bouquet right over Mayor Guido’s body; it had the names Buddy and Harley in gold letters. Those were his two Bichon Frise – his fat little dogs as he referred to them that he and I talked about so much. I had two, too. It was emotional for me in the strangest way, because a lot of our time together consisted of talk about our dogs, our families and, of course, food.

At 8:30 in the evening, mayors and staff gathered for our special dinner with Kari and the boys, Mikie and Anthony.

After drinks and, of course, a nice buffet, Mrs. Guido rose to speak. She told the mayors from the podium that it was her wishes and desire after talking to the boys to invite us for a private dinner on the eve of his burial. It was special. It touched everyone. It was a night in our political history I will never forget.

First, our new President Doug Palmer said it wasn’t about how long one lives; he said it was about how full you lived it, and Mike certainly lived it at full speed. President Palmer was eloquent.

Then came our Past President, Long Beach’s Beverly O’Neill, giving us her view of what his life meant to all of us and how his life brings us ever closer. Then Fort Wayne’s Paul Helmke, who said he was jealous of Mayor Guido’s incredible voice. Then came Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, who talked directly to the children and related how difficult it is to be sons of famous people. He said to never forget that your father was a hero and great public servant. Then Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz rose to talk about the difficult times she had shared with Kari and how noble they were during the tough days and nights. And we heard from Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who is “Uncle Pat” to the Guido boys. Through the years, they have bonded. The boys came from their seat. They embraced Mayor McCrory with happiness at being close to someone they loved and needed at this special time.

We ended with Mr. Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “It’s a Wonderful World.” Mayor Guido was one of the greatest singers I have ever known. I had planned a duet disc to be recorded with him and others in June. All his life he sang; earlier with bands but with us it was just with friends all cheering him on. I was honored when he would say, “Mr. Cochran, let’s do this one together.” And the song was Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” We would sing it at Two Friends, our karaoke bar in Key West. Mayor Guido would laugh at two straight guys singing this song there. So we ended the dinner in Dearborn with Mr. Armstrong’s rendition, and since Mayor Guido was so perfect with Mr. Armstrong’s voice when he went into Mr. Armstrong’s character, it was as if Mayor Guido was there singing it to us. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. And we knew the spirit of God was among us.

The next day came the funeral. And Mikie, the eldest son, age 19, spoke after the traditional mass and Catholic funeral ceremony. Mikie had the crowd laughing with him as he told them that everything the mayor did with his two sons was an adventure. He told about hunting with him and he told about the roller blades that almost took Mayor Guido into their backyard pool.

What a great testament to a father to have a son speak like that and to comfort all of us knowing that the family is at peace. They – and we – will miss him. But we are at peace and so eternally grateful for the great life of our President.

Mayor Doug Palmer as our 65th President will serve longer than any other President since New York City President Fiorello LaGuardia, who served for ten years, 1935-1945, until the rules were changed giving USCM Presidents one-year terms. President Palmer will preside over two Winter Meetings January 2006 and 2007 and two Annual Meetings, our 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Meeting in Los Angeles June of next year and our 76th Annual Meeting in Miami in June of 2008.

Mayor Palmer is sent to us due to this sad event at a most critical time in recent history. The elections in November have thrust USCM friends into Congressional Chairmanships across the board. These new Chairpersons are city people. For years, they have been coming to our meetings and receiving us on Capital Hill to be advocates for mayors, cities and city people. Congressman Charlie Rangel is one who has addressed us and helped us. He and I had a good talk last week, and President Palmer and I will see him soon.

This past week, Mayor Palmer and I had a great meeting with Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi. As reported, we go way back with her and her father and brother as Baltimore mayors. As Minority Leader, she was always with us.

So we have history and access to Leadership and Standing Committees on the Hill.

In addition, Mayor Palmer is the outgoing Chair of the Democratic Mayors. He has resigned that position and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is the new Chair of the Democratic Mayors. He has had the opportunity to bond with our new leaders and he will use this relationship to help our Conference of Mayors Congressional agenda as we go forward.

We must not forget our Republican friends in Congress. Congressman Mike Turner and Senator Norm Coleman were there when the Administration’ Office of Management and Budget wanted to eliminate CDBG at HUD. We now want to double CDBG. Its long overdue and I know we count on our Republican friends to help.

President Palmer will be calling special Leadership Meetings in January as we go forward with a quick cadence once Congress comes back.

Then later the power shifts to our 75th Winter Meeting here on January 24-26, 2007 at The Capital Hilton. The new Congressional Chairs will be there. House and Senate leaders will there. 2008 Presidential candidates will be there.

And we will open with a special tribute to our great friend Dearborn Mayor Mike Guido and we will hear from Kari Guido along with Mikie and Anthony.

You need to be with us. As a USA mayor, the place for you on January 24-26 is the Capital Hilton Hotel here in Washington (DC) for our 75th Washington Winter Meeting.

May God Bless the people of Dearborn and all of us, as we and they have lost a great mayor and friend. He was a friend to everyone he met. That’s why it hurts so much.

Let us continue in the year 2007 to be happy warriors as Mike Guido was. Lets commit ourselves to renewed passion in Mike’s memory to support and give our new President Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer strength and vision and the political moves to give us the wins we deserve at this dynamic time in our 75 year history.

Rest. Take the time to hug your family and special people around you. Don’t take life for granted. Have a very Merry Christmas. See you soon in DC. We’ve got work to do. Mayor Palmer and I need your help.