Denver's outgoing Mayor, Wellington Webb -- who has built a legacy of aggressive urban renewal that has revitalized the city's downtown area -- hosted the event that attracted more than 1,000 mayors and guests along with other municipal officials. In addition to representation from the U.S., mayors from municipalities in South Africa, Australia, Spain and 38 cities abroad also participated.
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens provided the opening keynote and emphasized the prominence of technology in his state. He said the American Electronics Association (AeA) cited Colorado as one of the nation's top states for technology workers per thousand residents. "Information technology continues to be a very important driver of our economy," he said.
The governor made his remarks during the height of uncertainty about the future of J.D. Edwards -- a Colorado company that's been a mainstay for the state. Throughout the weekend there was a tension about the proposed merger of PeopleSoft and J.D. Edwards or the potential takeover of PeopleSoft by Oracle. In either scenario, Colorado could face the loss of high tech jobs since both Oracle and Peoplesoft are headquartered in California.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino introduced the theme that ran throughout the conference -- cities need to assert their importance. He noted that European countries value their cities as national treasures. "We have a lot of work to do in our country," he said. "American cities are moving beyond their boundaries to build alliances. Building regional partnerships is the wave of the future and Washington should get on board now." Menino is president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The events of 9-11 demonstrated to the nation the importance of city services. "You don't call the White House or the federal Capitol; you don't call the state house when you have a problem. You call city hall." Menino's remarks were echoed in sessions that focused on issues common to all cities. There was a repeated call for regional collaboration and partnerships to strengthen the political power of cities and bolster their resources.
The federal government took a few blows when mayors repeatedly complained about lack of responsiveness to local needs. Homeland security and the No Child Left Behind Act were cited as examples of federal government imposing responsibilities on local government without adequate resources. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley called for his colleagues to band together and tell members of Congress that unfunded mandates decimate the coffers of city halls across America.
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley was particularly outspoken in his criticism of federal responsiveness to local needs saying the feds have "a pitiful case of the slows when it comes to homeland security." O'Malley, who is a young and rising star in the community of mayors, expressed his disapproval of the funding process that flows first to states, where he said 20 percent would be "skimmed off the top for whatever they do" before being sent to local governments. Cities, he charged, are not a federal priority.
"Washington talked about sending billions for defense of Turkey but not a buck for Baltimore or Boston," O'Malley said. "They talk about $800 billion in foreign aid but not a dime for Detroit; another $3 billion in tax assistance for the airline industry but not a nickel for Newport."
Undersecretary of Homeland Security, Michael D. Brown, tried to reassure local officials that the federal government is aware of their challenges. "We get it in Washington, DC. We know who the first responders are," Brown said. He went on to list the billions in federal dollars released since March that is targeted at local jurisdictions, including $4.4 billion in homeland security funds and $1.5 billion of supplemental funds. He also advised cities to form regional alliances to maximize federal dollars. "This is just a start," he promised. "You will see and feel more from the federal government."
Most of the mayors appeared unimpressed by Brown's assurances. They politely, but clearly, asked him to convey the message that funneling homeland security dollars through states is neither acceptable nor efficient. Mayor Don Plusquellic from Akron, Ohio, said that many cities have formed regional collaboratives and are not being rewarded for their efforts. Other mayors were critical of the DHS formula that allocates funds based on population and suggested that a better system might be based on risk assessments.
Mayors also reported that they were having little success in tracking federal dollars and had been frustrated by their efforts to communicate with state officials.
Brown announced that FEMA would be awarding funds for local interoperability demonstration projects. Although encouraged by the potential availability of funds, the mayors issued a collective groan when Brown said the allocations would go to states and governors would pick the projects to be funded. Mayor Daley voiced the collective concern that this method would be mired in "political issues, Republicans vs. Democrats."
The conference closed with a tribute to Mayor Webb who is retiring after 12 years of distinguished service. Webb leaves his city a legacy of parks, urban renewal and international outreach that Hempstead Mayor James Garner said will change the face of the Denver and the U.S. Conference of Mayors forever.
