The governors and the mayor were provided the latest intelligence update, which remained essentially unchanged from information provided by the Department of Homeland Security during a series of nationwide conference calls with governors and large city mayors earlier in the week. There was general agreement that interstate coordination is working well as evidenced by the combined state and local responses to traffic problems created by protesters and the standoff on the Mall during the past week. In addition, the three agreed to joint efforts in working with federal officials to address the significant economic impact to communities stemming from substantially increased security around the nation's capital.
Governor Warner raised the issue of the continuing financial impact of increased security demands. "The National Capital Region, because of the presence the federal government, the Pentagon, and related important assets, means we have unique security needs which create additional costs and burdens for each of the three governments. We look forward to working with our Congressional delegation to make our case for an extra share of any supplemental appropriations for homeland security," said the governor.
"We continue to see the benefits of improved coordination," said Mayor Williams, citing relatively few cancellations in hotel stays in the immediate aftermath of the alert increase. "Our efforts are paying off as visitors and citizens are finding that D.C. and its surrounding attractions are safe and secure. This weekend alone, the tall ships, the Cherry Blossom Festival, and the World Figure Skating Championship are drawing visitors to the nation's capital city, and my hope is that our spring tourist season will be as popular as it is every year," said the mayor.
Governor Ehrlich championed the idea of further strengthening the partnership between local governments and the business community. "We are making real progress in our regional partnerships, but there is more to be done. It is of utmost importance that we work with public and private sector leaders to maximize homeland security preparedness efforts throughout the national capital region," Governor Ehrlich stated.
