24 January 2020

88th Conference of U.S. Mayors 2020 Washington D.C.

Chew on this take-away: Hizzoner grappling
“The Hispanic community needs to engage. Hispanics are underperforming politically, they’re not coming out in the open, in the way they should,” Giles said. “And I think we need to encourage and support our Latino leaders. They need to understand that they need to own that.”
(Photo by Joshua Gerard Gargiulo/Cronkite News)
_________________________________________________________________
Mesa’s Giles leads panel of mayors grappling with immigration policy
Arizona Daily Independent                                              
WASHINGTON – They were Democratic and Republican mayors from cities large and small across the country, but officials on the panel Wednesday on immigration agreed – it’s an issue they all grapple with
Garcetti, Giles and Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Jorge Elorza  pointed to numbers that that show half of the 19.5 million lawful immigrant workers in the U.S. are holding down manual-labor jobs.
While the mayors said the government needs to help immigrants, they also said immigrants need to help local governments stand up for them.
Garcetti, a Democrat, and Giles, a Republican, stressed the need for partnership in their cities with local Hispanic communities, urging them to become more engaged with local governments.
“The Hispanic community needs to engage. Hispanics are underperforming politically, they’re not coming out in the open, in the way they should,” Giles said. “And I think we need to encourage and support our Latino leaders. They need to understand that they need to own that.”
“I think there is a real sense of optimism in this room, because even though politically we may be in some of the darkest days,” he said, . ."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Meeting Agenda
https://www.usmayors.org/meetings/88th-winter-meeting/
Draft of 01/21/20)   
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22    BEST PRACTICE FORUMS   
Council on Metro Economies and the New American City 
9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.  
This session will feature U.S. Metro Economic forecasts and the current state of Opportunity Zone  development in U.S. cities, including updates from key congressional figures, mayors, and experts in  the field.   
Chair ANDREW J. GINTHER  Mayor of Columbus, OH   
Vice Chair ​MIKE DUGGAN  Mayor of Detroit   
Remarks U.S. Metro Economic Forecast 
JAMES DIFFLEY  Vice President for Regional Economics  IHS   
Remarks ​Mayors Economic Mobility Campaign 
BRIAN PUTLER  Senior Vice President  State Government Relations, Western Region  Bank of America   
JOANNA SMITH RAMANI  Managing Director, Financial Security Program  Aspen Institute   

Featured ​Opportunity Zones 
Guest THE HONORABLE TIM SCOTT  
United States Senate (SC)   
Remarks 
​Opportunity Zones: 
Regulatory and Fund Development Update 
JOHN LETTIERI  
President and CEO  Economic Innovation Group   
Opportunity Zones: Local Project Success 
CASSIE FRANKLIN  
Mayor of Everett, WA   

Opportunity Zones:  Creating Social Impact 
JONATHAN TOWER  
Founder and Managing Partner  Arctaris    

Responding to Affordable Housing Needs  STEPHEN A. O’CONNOR  Sr. Vice President, Affordable Housing Initiatives  Mortgage Bankers Association 

Draft of 01/21/20) 
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22    
Mayors Water Council 
9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m
Water Council topics in this session include a report on Integrated Planning and Water and Sewer  Affordability; 
the US EPA PFAS Action Plan; and, 
how the City of South Bend is saving millions of dollars  by incorporating innovative technology approaches to flood control.    
Co-Chairs ​
DAVID J. BERGER  Mayor of Lima    
JILL TECHEL  Mayor of Napa    
Remarks ​
City Water and Sewer Utility Affordability Issues  DAVID BERGER  Mayor of Lima    STEPHANIE HOOPES  National Director, United For ALICE  United Way    KISHIA L. POWELL. PE   Commissioner  Department of Watershed Management   City of Atlanta    ERIC ROTHSTEIN  CPA   Galardi Rothstein Group    
Remarks 
U.S. EPA Implementing the PFAS Action Plan  
BRETT DOYLE  Senior Advisor to the Administrator   United States Environmental Protection Agency    
Best Practice ​
Saving Hundreds of Millions by Reimagining Wastewater and Stormwater Solutions – Innovations in South Bend  
KIERAN FAHEY  Department of Public Works  City of South Bend   

Promoting Economic Growth in Distressed Communities 
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 
_______________________________________________________________
This session will examine numerous approaches to spurring economic growth in distressed  communities, as well as throughout entire cities.    
Moderator ​JEFF WILLIAMS  Mayor of Arlington, TX  Chair, Metro Economies Standing Committee    
> Remarks ​
Transforming Detroit   MIKE DUGGAN  Mayor of Detroit    
> Using Municipal Bonds to Promote Economic Growth   STEVE BENJAMIN  Mayor of Columbia, SC  Past President, The United States Conference of Mayors    
> Building an Inclusive Economy   
DARRELL BYERS  CEO  Interise New Markets Tax Credits  
JODIE HARRIS  
Director  Community Development Financial Institution Fund    
Using Commerce to Promote Economic Growth   
DENNIS ALVORD  Deputy Assistant Secretary   United States Department of Commerce     
Opening Press Conference  11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  

Draft of 01/21/20)   
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22   

BEST PRACTICE FORUMS   
Current Immigration Issues  2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 
DACA, border policy, the Public Charge Rule, refugee policy, and other timely immigration issues will  be discussed.   
Moderators ​
ERIC GARCETTI  Mayor of Los Angeles  Chair, USCM Latino Alliance
   
JOHN GILES  
Mayor of Mesa  Co-Chair, Immigration Reform Task Force 

JORGE O. ELORZA  
Mayor of Providence  Co-Chair, Immigration Reform Task Force   

Remarks ​Update on Border Issues 
DEE MARGO   
Mayor of El Paso  Vice Chair for Border Policy, Criminal and Social Justice Standing Committee   

Update on DACA 
GREISA MARTINEZ   
Deputy Executive Director  United We Dream  
 
Update on Public Charge  
GABRIELLE LESSARD   Senior Policy Attorney  National Immigration Law Center    

Social Media and Citizen Engagement in Cities 
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 
Mayors are uniquely positioned as the most trusted elected officials in government to use their voice  and connect with constituents. This session will explore the best ways to use social media, how to build  upon that trust, and most importantly, how to interact with citizens in building a more responsive city.   
Moderator ​STEVE ADLER  
Mayor of Austin    Chair, Technology and Innovation Task Force    Remarks
Using Twitter for Government  
LAUREN DEVOLL  Public Policy Associate  Twitter    
Using Facebook for Government  
JANNELLE WATSON   U.S. Politics & Government Outreach  Facebook  

 When You Share The Title “Mayor” and “Social Media Manager”  
DAVID HOLT  Mayor of Oklahoma City    
Deploying a Digital Inclusion Strategy to Help Citizens Connect with Government  
SAM LICCARDO  Mayor of San Jose 

(Draft of 01/21/20) 
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22    BEST PRACTICE FORUMS   
Mayors and Universities: Building Character-Driven Leadership in Cities 
5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. 
This session will look at innovative approaches cities can use to work with universities to  encourage character-driven leadership in their cities. 
Moderators ​
MARK W. MITCHELL   Mayor of Tempe   Chair, Mayors and Universities Task Force  
LEIRION GAYLOR BAIRD  Mayor of Lincoln  Vice Chair, Mayors and Universities Task Force    
Remarks ​
NICK RASMUSSEN   Acting Executive Director  John McCain Institute for International Leadership  Arizona State University   

Draft of 01/21/20) 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23    CAROLYN G. GOODMAN  Mayor of Las Vegas   
Update ​2020 Plan for the Mayors and Business Leaders Center for Inclusive and    Compassionate Cities 
GREG FISCHER  Mayor of Louisville  Vice President, The United States Conference of Mayors    
Video ​U.S. Mayors Pushing for a Complete and Accurate 2020 Census  
  
Presentation ​“​100 Mayors Who Care”    "100 Mayors Who Care” is a way for Mayors to give back to the cities in which they gather for  Conference meetings. The concept, first introduced by Conference President Barnett at the 2019  Fall Leadership Meeting, is simple: Mayors in attendance hear three-minute "pitches" from three  Washington, DC-based non-profit service organizations. The mayors then vote for their favorite  pitch and each participating mayor (or any other conference attendee wishing to do so)  contributes $100 to support the work of the winning non-profit. The idea is that mayors leave  meeting cities with more than the learning gained and relationships strengthened through their  attendance; they also leave behind a legacy benefiting non-profits serving the cities they have  visited.     Moderator ​BRYAN K. BARNETT  Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI  President, The United States Conference of Mayors    Presenting  ​Washington, DC Non-Profits:       ● Recreation Wish List Committee  ● Run Hope Work  ● Step Afrika   

BEST PRACTICE FORUMS   
Achieving Affordable Housing: Local Best Practices  
2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. 
Affordable housing is one of the most challenging issues that the nation faces and has been for some  time. 
Without significant federal resources, cities are critical in providing creative solutions to the  problem. 
In this session, mayors will explore local best practices to achieve affordable housing.    
Moderator KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS  Mayor of Atlanta  Chair, Community Development and Housing Standing Committee    
Remarks ​
JENNY DURKAN    
Mayor of Seattle       
JOHN HAMILTON Mayor of Bloomington, IN    
KATE GALLEGO  Mayor of Phoenix              

Infrastructure        Innovation  24 Title Sponsor        Inclusion
(Draft of 01/21/20) 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23     EILEEN FITZGERALD  Senior Vice President, Head of Housing Affordability and Philanthropy  Wells Fargo