IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is New President of U.S. Conference of Mayors

Menino is the fourth mayor of Boston to be named president of the USCM.

BOSTON -- Thomas Menino, the third-term mayor of Boston, became President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Tuesday.

Menino said he will use his 13-month tenure as spokesman for the nation's 1,139 mayors to promote the needs of America's working families. He called for a National Housing Forum later this month to build an effective coalition and comprehensive set of policy recommendations to address the nation's affordable housing crisis.

"When asked how I want to be remembered, I've always said that I want my legacy to be about people, not skylines," said Mayor Menino. "That's why I have made education, housing, health care and neighborhood revitalization my top priorities; that's what matters most to working families. As someone who always wants a return on his investment, I have found that investing in people yields the greatest results."

The National Housing Forum will be held in Washington, D.C., on May 21-22, 2002. Participants will include former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, mayors, members of Congress, housing policy advocates and representatives of the public health, public education, labor and business communities. Current U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez has been invited to participate in the forum.

The forum will assemble a diverse national coalition to help address the nation's affordable housing crisis. Mayors will discuss and draft a detailed set of policy recommendations to promote production and preservation of affordable workforce housing and homeownership.

Specific housing priorities to be addressed at the forum include:

Homeownership: the highest homeownership rate in history has left minorities behind and purchasing a first home is an impossible financial challenge for many;

Rental housing: a critical problem for low- and moderate-income individuals and families, with many paying more than 50 percent of their household income for rent;

Public housing: much of this housing stock is in need of rehabilitation and its importance and effectiveness is widely misunderstood; and

Preservation of low-income housing: low-income housing is threatened by market forces.

"Strong cities make a strong nation," said Mayor Menino. "It's important for mayors to be able to meet to share ideas and experiences and to plan for the future. And, in order to protect the future of working families, we need to create and maintain housing that's affordable. Cities can't do it alone. Everyone needs to do their part to bring relief to families who are being priced out."

At a City Hall ceremony today, Menino was officially handed the gavel to signify his new leadership role by Boise Mayor Brent Coles, Conference President from 2000-2001.

"Tom Menino has been an exceptional Mayor and he will be an exceptional President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors," said Mayor Coles. "We are fortunate to be able to call upon him and his leadership skills during this critical period for cities -- and the entire nation. I look forward to working with him."

Mayor Menino is the USCM's 60th President, following three other Boston mayors who have held the position -- Raymond L. Flynn, John B. Hynes, and James M. Curley. As President, Mayor Menino will preside at the conference's 70th annual meeting in Madison this June and the 71st annual meeting in Denver in June 2003.

Mayor Menino has earned a national reputation for getting things done. His priorities in Boston have included providing every child a quality education, creating affordable housing, lowering the crime rate, revitalizing Boston's neighborhoods and promoting a healthy lifestyle for all city residents.

In November, he was recognized as Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine, which called him "a champion of neighborhood commerce."

"Mayors across the nation, Republicans and Democrats, regularly look to Boston to learn how Mayor Menino is successfully applying creative solutions and best practices to the most difficult challenges facing cities," said J. Thomas Cochran, executive director of the USCM. "His leadership is recognized and valued across the country."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors