By Conference of Mayors President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz
December 20, 2010

The November 2 elections have changed the political landscape in Washington (DC) without any doubt. The focus has moved to tax cuts and deficit reduction, which clearly will have an impact on the priorities that The U.S. Conference of Mayors has been advocating through our Metro Agenda for America.

But based on every poll I have seen, and every discussion I have had in my city and across the nation, I strongly believe that there remains one priority issue for the American people: JOBS.

Saving and creating jobs has been the top priority for the nation's mayors and our organization since the day I became President in January of 2010. And jobs will remain the overriding issue as we begin to work with the 112th Congress and the Administration next year.

With unemployment remaining at almost ten percent nationally, and much higher in many of our cities and metro areas, the simple fact is that every level of government – federal, state and local – will continue to face dire fiscal and social strains until we find a way to create sustainable jobs in our nation.

Through our Metro Agenda for America, we have been pushing transportation and water infrastructure investment, energy security, the creation of sustainable green jobs, and affordable broadband expansion.

All of these investments would primarily create jobs in the private sector, and are much more likely to be done in the United States than exported overseas.

As a mayor who must balance my budget every year, I fully understand that our nation must address the growing national debt. The question is how should the federal government balance this need with the priority to invest in our metropolitan economies and help spur job creation.

During the election, it appeared that the business community was at odds with the leadership in Washington on the direction of the country. It pained me to see and hear so much division between political and private'sector leaders, because no city, state or nation can succeed when these two groups stand divided.

I recently spoke to a private meeting of the Managing Board of Siemens. During those discussions, I stressed the importance of mayors – the public CEOs of our cities – and corporate leaders coming together on a bi-partisan agenda that promotes national investments needed to ensure an economically competitive America.

We need to make a business argument for smart, sustainable investments in energy efficiency and infrastructure. We have to promote public-private partnerships. And we have to find ways to use the tax code to encourage innovative financing – as is being done with Build America Bonds.

Washington must reduce unfunded federal mandates and provide flexibility to America's mayors – something that private'sector leaders should well understand.

Successful programs that leverage private'sector investment - such as the Community Development Block Grant and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant - must be fully funded.

And we have to reduce traffic so people can get to work, and so the private sector can move goods to where they are needed.

This does not need to be a debate about providing new money. As we all learned from the recovery act, so much more could be done if we simply get funding away from the states and provide it directly to America's cities.

We all know that America's private sector depends on infrastructure, as well as affordable and dependable energy resources. What we must do is work together on defining and messaging these priorities.

To help move this effort forward, I will be convening a special plenary session on January 20 during our 79th Winter Meeting in Washington (DC). This interactive session will be entitled: Mayors and CEOs – Building a New Strategy to Retain and Create Jobs in America. We have confirmed major CEOs for this discussion from Siemens and Philips Lighting. These CEOs represent manufacturing, transportation and energy efficiency – sectors our nation will depend on to create jobs and the infrastructure of a 21st Century economy.

In addition, mayors who have led in the area of public-private partnerships and local innovation will take part in this discussion, which I will moderate.

The discussion we begin on January 20 will empower our organization to build a stronger consensus for a national job creation agenda, and help Washington bridge the partisan divide.

I strongly encourage every mayor to join us for our 79th Winter Meeting during January 19-21, and be a part of this process as we help move America forward.