PRESS RELEASE from U.S. Conference of
Mayors
July 20, 2012
NATION'S MAYORS PREPARE TO CHALLENGE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES & U.S.
CONGRESS WITH METRO AGENDA FOR JOB CREATION
End
Three-Day
Meeting Seeking Input From Mayors Across Country
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Following a three-day meeting here seeking input
from the nation's mayors, the U.S. Conference of Mayors will be issuing
an urban agenda for job creation in the days to come and will challenge
the presidential candidates and the U.S. Congress to support and pass
its recommendations, said USCM President Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter today at the closing session of the mayors' Summer Leadership
Meeting.
"We need Congress and the presidential candidates to do their jobs, so
Americans can find and keep their jobs," said Mayor Nutter.
Over 50 mayors attended the meeting and discussed the dire need for our
nation's leaders to focus on infrastructure needs, exports,
manufacturing, education and other issues that contribute to job
creation.
A new report released yesterday by USCM shows that the nation’s cities
and their metropolitan areas continue to make steady progress toward
economic recovery, while sounding a warning alarm that failure to
dramatically increase investment in transportation infrastructure could
cause skyrocketing costs to families, commuters and businesses,
potentially doubling over the next decade.
USCM Vice President Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said mayors have been
working alone too long, without the help of Washington, to keep their
cities afloat and create jobs. "Let's invest in our cities and in our
people, and we will see the return in the form of job creation.
Washington can make smart investments that are fiscally responsible and
ensure long-term economic growth."
Education reform also was a top topic at the meeting where USCM Second
Vice President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson headed a forum discussion
on parental involvement in improving schools.
"We are shortchanging our children by not preparing them to compete
against a global workforce. We are way behind other industrialized
countries and continue to lose ground. We have a lot of catching up to
do, yet Congress is running away from these problems," said Johnson.
Also in attendance today were representatives from the President Barack
Obama re-election campaign and Governor Mitt Romney's campaign.
Democratic National Committee Executive Director Patrick Gaspard and
Former Chairman of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania Alan
Paul Novak spoke to the mayors about their candidates' commitment to
cities' economic recovery.
"While what they said to us matters, only their actions will make a
difference in the lives of working Americans struggling to make ends
meet," said Nutter.
The Metro Economies report, released by USCM on Thursday, found that
over the next 30 years U.S. metros will grow in population by 32
percent or nearly 84 million people. More specifically, the report
predicts that the population will grow by over 50 percent in 59 metro
areas, over 75 percent in 21, and will more than double in three.
Already, these regions are home to most of the nation’s traffic
congestion, costing the average American commuter $713 annually.
During the meeting, mayors argued that the current system of
infrastructure cannot absorb this projected growth and failure to
dramatically expand it will put U.S. global competitiveness and future
economic growth in jeopardy.
To view the full report and to watch video from the mayors’ press
conference during the meeting, please visit: http://usmayors.org/.
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The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the
official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000
or more.
There are 1,295 such cities in the country today, and each city is
represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.
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