The Mayors Are In Town ... 1 of 5 >
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Jan. 24-26, 2018 - New Orleans
Mayor Mitch Landrieu speaks during a plenary session of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors' 86th Winter Meeting at the Capital Hilton
Hotel. The Conference brings together mayors from cities with
populations of
30,000 or more. They meet in working sessions on subjects such as
public safety, homelessness, food policy, education and workforce
development, climate change, and preparing for the next
census. During plenary sessions the mayors hear
from additional speakers; at this meeting, for example, Sen. Jeff Flake
(R-AZ)
spoke on partisanship
and Second Lady Karen Pence talked about her art therapy
initiative. These meetings afford mayors an opportunity to learn
about current developments, network with each other, and highlight
issues facing cities, and they also interact with representatives of
various
trade
associations and businesses. While the mayors were in town some
of them
also met with President Trump (+).
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Karen Flint, mayor of Flint, MI
since 2015, said the city has made great progress in addressing the
lead problem but still needs resources to replace pipes in individual
homes. She also touted Lear Corporation's construction of an
automotive seat manufacturing plant in Flint.
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Doing an interview Boston Mayor
Marty Walsh addressed a reporter's question
about his city's efforts to attract Amazon 's second
headquarters. Amazon recently announced 20 finalists to host its
HQ2, and Boston is considered among the favorites. Also of note,
Boston is to host the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Annual Meeting in June
2018.
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti,
who is said to be considering a run for president in 2020, had a high
profile during the meeting. He appeared at the opening press
conference on Jan. 24. On Jan. 25 he appeared at a press
conference to announce a new nationwide effort to invest in affordable
housing; led a discussion on DACA; spoke on the importance of gender
equity during the plenary luncheon; hosted an Infrastructure Task Force
discussion; and appeared at a What Works Cities ceremony.
Additionally in the evening he spoke at the Latino Leaders Network's
28th Tribute to Mayors dinner. (Garcetti's lapel pin marks one of
his
successes, that of leading Los Angeles' bid to the Olympic Games; the
city had
originally sought to host the Games in 2024 but accepted 2028).
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Mayor Garcetti presided over the
discussion on infrastructure that included DJ Gribbin, Special
Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Policy.
Infrastructure is expected to be a major theme of President Trump's
State of the Union Address next week.
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Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait talks
with Tom Gatton, director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Council on
Metro Economies and the New American City.
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Oklahoma City Mayor Mick
Cornett, immediate past president of the Conference, was honored.
After serving four terms as mayor Cornett, a Republican, is running for
governor of Oklahoma (campaign slogan "Fix the Mess").
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Tom Cochran, CEO and executive
director of the U.S.Conference of Mayors. He has worked for the
Conference since 1969 and became executive director almost 30 years ago
in March 1987.
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Willie Brown, who served as
Mayor of San Francisco from 1996-2004, delivered a moving tribute to Ed
Lee, the San Francisco Mayor who died suddenly in Dec. 2017.
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Spotted in the luncheon audience
were former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin (served 2002-10) and former
Denver Mayor Wellington Webb (served 1991-2003).
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