Photo: 27919140215_9b087e693c_o

US mayors concerned by Brexit and US presidential election

29 June 2016

by Mythili Sampathkumar

Mere hours after the vote to leave the European Union was announced in the United Kingdom, mayors from around the US gathered in Indianapolis, for the 84th US Conference of Mayors annual meeting.

Though much of the morning’s attention was on Brexit, the focus of the next few days was on the upcoming US Presidential election and what mayors can do to make urban issues like gun violence, infrastructure development, and allocation of central government funding a top priority for the new administration. A panel on leadership skills led by His Holiness Dalai Lama, singer Lady Gaga, and journalist Ann Curry was also a highlight of the event.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore and outgoing President of the US Conference of Mayors (USCM), began the opening press conference saying the Brexit vote sent up “red flags” on global economic security and mayors needed to further assess the situation in coming weeks and months in light of the Presidential election.

Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina Steve Benjamin was, however, concerned about the economic impact on his city. His state enjoys “the highest [foreign direct investment] per capita in the country,” Benjamin told Cities Today. He said he and his team are “watching very closely…and recognising that this can either be an isolated event or it can be a domino.” Benjamin explained that the concern is about “effects [on] capital markets, people’s pensions, potential rush from the pound to the dollar–how that affects US exports. The port of Charleston is probably the most important element in the South Carolina economic ecosystem.” Benjamin said “we’re so interconnected” that the concern over Brexit is not just an economic one, but also its effect on national security.

Even outside of Brexit, public safety and security in US cities was one of the major topics of discussion during the meeting. In the wake of the Orlando, FL shooting where nearly 100 people were killed or injured in a nightclub just a few weeks ago, gun control and fostering tolerance in cities are major concerns. The recent political gridlock over gun control legislation in the House of Representatives, and subsequent sit-in by some representatives, clearly frustrated many and was echoed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, Louisiana who said: “Congress doesn’t have to deal with going to the funerals of victims of gun violence like mayors do.”

The push for mayors is now on the incoming President and Congress, coming into session in January 2017. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio chaired a session during which he said that the first 100 days of the new President’s administration, whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, will be crucial for setting the tone of an urban-centric agenda.

Several mayors weighed in with thoughts on what needed to be priorities for the White House. Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, Ohio told Cities Today mayors see “a real opportunity to grow our country by investing in our cities” and she, like many at the session, wants an increase in the Community Development Block Grant, a federally-funded programme that allows cities flexibility in addressing their specific housing and development issues as opposed to other, more restricted federal grants.

Mayor Betsy Hodges of Minneapolis told Cities Today she would also like to see more investments in education from the federal level. Hodges also wants more former mayors appointed to Cabinet positions as well because “it’s been a boon nationally. [Having] leaders who ‘get’ cities…has helped cities be able to succeed.”

  • Reuters Automotive
https://cities-today.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Dawn-crop.png

Technology inclusion goes beyond internet access in LA

  • Reuters Automotive