U.S. Conference of Mayors

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U.S. Conference of Mayors
Basic facts
Website:Official website

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, founded in 1932, is an official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The council is composed of 1,200 cities. The council serves to promote development in these cities, strengthen the relationship to the federal government and enact federal policy for urban areas.

Purpose[edit]

The stated goals of the U.S. Conference of Mayors are:[1]

  • Promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy;
  • Strengthen federal-city relationships;
  • Ensure that federal policy meets urban needs;
  • Provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and
  • Create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.

The conference also aims to create a strong business community in cities by promoting public-private partnerships for strengthening the economy.[2]

Budget and funding[edit]

Crowd sourcing 2009 proposals[edit]

In 2009, the Conference of Mayors changed the format of their website to allow citizens to write on wiki-style pages about whether or not they supported proposed programs.[3]

Lobbying initiatives[edit]

Main article: National government sector lobbying

Economic stimulus package[edit]

The USMC detailed $150 billion worth of “shovel-ready” projects for which it wanted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and estimated that these projects would create 1,640,371 jobs during 2008-2010. The USCM was insistent to President Obama and the Congress that the money should go directly to cities and should not be funneled through the states.[4][5][6][7]

The USCM was also supportive of the creation of green jobs through the stimulus package.[8].

Citizens Against Government Waste identified the following projects within the proposal:[9]

  • $780 million for museums
  • $110 million for golf courses
  • $87 million for bike paths
  • $30 million for tennis courts, including
    one in Santa Barbara
  • $1 million for a catwalk for a Los Angeles convention center
  • $350,000 for an Albuquerque, New Mexico fitness center
  • $6 million to heat a swimming pool in Maui
  • $1.5 million in order to reduce prostitution in Ohio

Standing committees[edit]

The following are the standing committees that discuss, debate and draft USCM positions:[10]

  • Children, Health and Human Services
  • Community Development and Housing
  • Criminal and Social Justice
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • International Affairs
  • Jobs, Education and the Workforce
  • Membership
  • Metro Economies
  • Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports
  • Transportation and Communications

Task Forces[edit]

The President of the Conference can create a Task Force for the purpose of addressing individual issues requiring the immediate attention of a select group of mayors. Task Forces are not permanent and when a Task Force mission is completed, the Task Force is disbanded and the issue it addresses is typically assigned to a permanent Standing Committee for continued monitoring.

Affiliates[edit]

Elected affiliates

Non-elected affiliates

External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]



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