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| The President and Vice President-elect cnn.com |
It is the day after one of the most historic Presidential Elections. First things first, congratulations to Donald Trump and Governor Mike Pence on their victory. Blogger is still recovering from the marathon "Results" post. Yours truly is tired and feeling lost about how to process the results. One telling moment came today while Yours Truly was at the check out line at the local grocery store. One women was practically gloating over the occasion and another was upset. Blogger supposes that the best way to deal with the aftermath is to write. Today, we get right down businesses with a post on "What Mayors Want From the Next U.S. President."
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| Helicopter surveillance Photograph by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters citylab.com |
The question is actually the title of an article compiled by the editors of CityLab looks at what American mayors want from the incoming Trump Administration. Although mayors do not run the world yet, their opinions are increasingly valued largely because of a global movement that recognize cities as the greatest source of innovation and economic activity. The editors write, "For America's mayors, there's no Republican or Democratic way to picky up the garbage,...there's just the on-the-ground work of being an executive with an often limited budget and scope of power." In advance of Election Day, the editors of CityLab conducted a bipartisan survey of American mayors, asking one question, "From your perspective as mayor, what do you want or need from the next U.S. President?"
The responses included a myriad of concerns yet some cleared theme emerged: federal help infrastructure and public safety, remove the obstacles to current funding mechanisms that allow local economies to move forward. Here the responses:
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| U.s. Conference of Mayors theatlantic.com |
Working directly with mayors is a given. Mayor Mick Cornett (R) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the current president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors told the editors,
First of all, we're hopeful the next president is open to dealing with mayors or directly with regional economies...there is often a bias toward dealing with state governments rather than cities-the level of government were partisanship takes a backseat to innovation and getting things done...
The incoming Republican Congress and President absolutely must address infrastructure in the United States. The persistence of deferred maintenance is like a ticking time bomb. The incoming administration has to take a close look at investing in public transportation and the impact of disruptive transit technologies. A quick aside, Los Angeles County passed Measure M, investment in transportation. Last, the incoming administration must also give their full attention to criminal justice reform, mental health issues, and opioid addiction.
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| Railroad tracks americanporgess.org |
Mayor Mary Casillas Salas (D) of Chula Vista, California said she would like greater support for infrastructure projects. Mayor Casillas Salas told the editors,
What we most from the next U.S. presidential administration is increased federal support for infrastructure and infrastructure projects. These public investments improve quality of life for all residents...
So true. Imagine how improved electrical grids and water lines can make a big difference in an underserved community. Not only can more federal support for infrastructure projects enhance the quality of life for city dwellers, they can also be the bedrock for continued economic growth and very effective in battling climate change. Mayor Casillas Salas adds,
especially if these projects are done with a smart cities-philosophy of using data and technology to create highly efficient and low-carbon footprint projects.
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| It does lapoynorsid.net |
Mayor Sly James (I) of Kansas City, Missouri listed three things he would like to see the Trump Administration address: Pre-K, justice reform, and government innovation.
Mayor James told the editors that the American cities needs a president who understands the following:
...1) That we can solve problems through systems thinking. For example, use the repair of the nation's infrastructure to create jobs and activity across the nation; 2) That we must pay attention to an invest in a child's pre-kindergarten years in order to help eliminate poverty and prepare them to grow into production adult citizens in an increasingly technological world; 3) That the perception of injustice and the reality of mass incarceration must be reversed; and 4) We must have efficient entrepreneurial government willing to engage in blood public-private partnerships to more efficiently deliver and streamline governmental services.
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| Jobs added by the past four administrations money.cnn.com |
Economic growth and jobs is an issue, that Mayor John J. Lee (D), North Las Vegas, Nevada, would like the new administration to tackle. Mayor Lee points to the manufacturing, distribution, and health sectors as areas where his city has seen the most transformative development. He told the editors that he would like
...our partner in the White House to be as proactive as our city city has been creating jobs for residents and opportunities for businesses to expand and sell their products globally, in promoting economic growth to support our schools and hospitals, and in ensuring safe, quality neighborhoods for all our citizen.
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| Members of the LAPD paying tribute gettyimages.com |
New Orleans, Louisiana Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) would like to see the incoming Trump Administration address public safety and infrastructure funding. On the subject of local law enforcement, Mayor Landrieu said,
Mayor and local law enforcement official across American are currently dealing with three immediate and interrelated challenges: building trust between the police and the community, reducing violent crime, and preventative terrorism.
San Bernardino and Orlando demonstrated that local law enforcement at on the vanguard of the ...nation's responsibility to provide security, justice, and opportunity for all. Local police and sheriff's departments are the ones on the ground but do not have the tools to deliver. This is a national challenge that requires a national response and major investments: strengthening the links between police and community, expanding homeland security grants, more mental health and substance abuse funding, and reforming the criminal justice system.
Another thing U.S. mayors would like to see in a national infrastructure plan is "direct funding"-funding that goes directly to the cities without getting bogged down in federal and state bureaucracies. Cities and metropolitans generate 90 percent of the nation's economy, thus it is essential to get the funding to those places. Mayor Landrieu firmly believes that Community Development Block Grants programs is excellent approach. Every community has a list of infrastructure projects that need immediate attention, therefore, the funding needs to go directly there in the best way possible.
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| U.S. Youth Employment rockefellerfoundation.org |
Tax-exempt bonds and youth employment
Tax exempt bonds are used to fund a number of projects that benefit the public. However in recent years, these municipal bonds have come under attack. President Barack Obama introduced a plan to cap tax-exempt bonds at 28 percent of taxable income for cities that purchase municipal bonds. Albuquerque, New Mexico Mayor Richard J. Berry (R) said,
....It is crucial for the health of our cities that the current tax-exemptions for bonds remain in place.
Mayor Berry also pointed to youth employment as another item that he would like to see the incoming Trump administration address. He said,
...Mayors are also faced with the fact that many of our youth and young adults are in school and not working. Through popular incentive program that pays for classroom and on-the-job training for newly created jobs in expanding or relocating business for up to six months, we have successfully trained people to operate laboratories and manufacturing environments.
Critics of tax-exempt municipal bonds said, ...a national policy that include job training for the trades, especially our unemployed veterans and disconnected youth, be developed and implemented.
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| Affordable housing Brooklyn, New York brownstoner.com |
Mayor Steve Adler (D) of Austin, Texas to the editors of CityLab
Cities are where the economy is growing the fastest in the U.S. Mayors need a partner in our next president in facing our biggest challenges: transportation, infrastructure, affordable housing, and workforce development.
Cities are places of innovation and already better equipped the fastest growing populations, however they cannot do it alone. Mayor Adler hopes The next administration can help leverage our resources so we can do more.
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| Los Angeles skyline en.wikipedia.org |
Aurora, Colorado Mayor Steve Hogan (R) would like to see a new administration understand the remedies to the current domestic issues are born out of, or implemented by cities. Mayor Hogan said,
Aurora needs the new president to understand most solutions to current domestic issues today come from, or are implemented by cities, and nowhere else. As a result, the president needs to help find ways to get support directly to cities and not just through states, counties, or metropolitan planning organizations.
Blogger is hopeful that President-elect Donald Trump will pay heed to the mayors because they are on the front lines of what really makes America great. This would require Mr. Trump to get out of the mindset that the inner cities are a total disaster and take a very close look at what cities actually look like. Cities are dynamic places where innovation happens. They are home to a multi-cultural population, eager to contribute their talents to making America greater than it is. This requires an administration that is willing to listen to the mayors and act accordingly.
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