Mayors Put Urban Issues Front and Center In Presidential Campaign

RISMEDIA, May 8, 2008-The nation’s mayors, led by Conference President and Trenton, NJ Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, will gather in Miami from June 20-24 for the 76th Annual Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), hosted by Miami (FL) Mayor Manny Diaz to debate national policy impacting America’s cities and metropolitan areas.

With over 85% of people in the United States living in our nation’s cities and metros, mayors clearly understand how urban issues impact everyday Americans and believe these issues have been mostly overlooked in the presidential campaign. The economy, the foreclosure crisis, global warming and climate protection, vacant and abandoned properties, illegal guns and violent crime, the high school dropout rate and public education, ex-offender re-entry, and the 2010 Census are central items on the mayors’ agenda.

During the meeting, the mayors will adopt policy recommendations on key issues to forward to Congress and the new Administration. Mayors know that despite their geographic location, cities large and small are plagued by the same challenges. They are calling on the presidential candidates, invited to the meeting, to address the mayors on the issues that most impact the lives of everyday Americans.

Invited speakers include: President George W. Bush, presidential candidates Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Senator John McCain (AZ) and Senator Barack Obama (IL), as well as House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke, Congressional Urban Caucus Chair Chaka Fattah (PA), and Congressional Urban Caucus Vice-Chair Michael Turner (OH).

This is the first annual gathering of the Conference to use ‘green’ practices in most aspects of the meeting. The hotel, evening events and some of the mayors’ transportation will all use energy efficient practices with the goal of reducing carbon emissions.

Also, for the first time, the USCM welcomes a title sponsor for the Annual Meeting. TCP, Inc. is the global leader in energy efficient lighting innovations dedicated to creating high-quality products that are brighter, longer lasting and better for the environment. Headquartered outside Cleveland, Ohio, the company manufactures nearly 1.4 million energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) every day, accounting for a majority of the CFLs sold in the United States and an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 118 million pounds.

For more information, visit www.usmayors.org.