PRESIDENT MAYOR: Nutter’s Inaugural Address To Nation’s Mayors

MICHAEL NUTTER … now leads all America’s mayors

Mayor Michael A. Nutter is now  the 70th President of the US Conference of Mayors. elected at the annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. last week. Here are excerpts from his inaugural address entitled  “Moving America’s Cities Forward”.

“First, I’d like to thank Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his leadership. He has been an advocate for America’s cities in Washington and internationally. I would like to thank him for his tremendous leadership as the President of the US Conference of Mayors.

“I would also like to congratulate Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa who will be the new Vice President of US Conference of Mayors. I know we can accomplish a lot together, and I am looking forward to working with you to tackle the issues facing our nation’s cities. I’d like to congratulate our new second Vice President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

“The US Conference of Mayors is a unique opportunity to learn from each other and to return home with new ideas, new connections, new relationships, new programs for your cities, which are leading the way for growth and innovation in our country. We come together to confront some of the most important issues facing America today: jobs, economic development, energy independence, innovation and violence reduction. My commitment to you is that I want each trip, each conference call, each press conference you participate in with the US Conference of Mayors to be a value added, an indispensable contribution to how you successfully govern and do your jobs at home.

“Cities matter. Mayors matter. Mayors are leaders, doers. We get things done, and we are moving America’s cities forward. That can be a jarring idea in today’s America when some of our national leaders can’t seem to agree on anything. Mayors don’t have the luxury of endless debate and gridlock. We respond, every day, to the needs of our cities. We pick up the trash. We balance our balance budgets. Have police officers patrol the streets. Put out fires. Fix potholes.

“Mayors get the job done every day. Our constituents would and should accept no less. I don’t know about  you,but I only have to step outside City Hall for an instant tracking poll on how good of a job I’m doing that day. Philadelphia’s are certainly not shy in sharing their opinions. I’m sure it’s the same in your cities, too.

“Despite a sluggish economy and devastating recession, America’s cities have continued to grow, innovate and inspire. America’s metropolitan areas are responsible for nearly 90% of the nation’s GDP and 85% of jobs. Metropolitan areas are driving job growth. And there’s one simple reason: Cities are where the talent is.

“When company executives are looking to relocate or expand, they, increasingly, ask themselves where they can find talent. The answer is America’s talent incubators — our cities.

“Just a few weeks ago, I opened a new downtown Philadelphia ‘Gateway Office’ for Bentley Technology Partners — headquartered in the suburbs — who came to tell us they were having trouble attracting young talent to move out of Philadelphia and into the suburbs. They needed a presence in Philadelphia. The very same day I cut the ribbon on Bentley’s new office in Center City, our economic-development team received a call from another technology firm — again from the suburbs — looking to do exactly the same thing for exactly the same reason — cities are where the talent is.

“We have the universities, colleges, and cutting-edge businesses that train the next generation and inspire new ideas. We are the place where young Americans and families want to live, work and raise their families. We attract imaginative and thoughtful entrepreneurs who are creating the concepts that will change the world.

“Cities are moving our country forward. It is the men and women in this room who have dedicated their lives to public service, it is America’s mayors who are getting things done.

“Earlier this week, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced its Mayor’s Challenge, a nationwide competition challenging Mayors to submit bold, innovative ideas that can be replicated in other cities across the country.  The winning city’s program will receive $5 million dollars for implementation and four runners up will receive$1 million each. I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their confidence in the ingenuity of America’s cities.

“Today, I have the honor of announcing a new opportunity for Mayors across the United States. Cities of Service, with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, is launching the Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund, a grant for cities that are leveraging the incredible power of service.

“Civic engagement is one of America’s greatest strengths. Volunteers across the country are committed to cleaner, greener, more educated cities. They donate their time and expertise to mentor young people, clean up lots, and provide workforce training. We need to tap into this extraordinary resource — and I know many cities are doing just that.

“I do not think there has been a more invigorating, important time to lead a city in America. The times in which we govern force us to work harder, to be more creative, and to innovate. And it’s happening in cities all across America.

“In Philadelphia, we are providing essential services to our constituents in some new ways as well. For example, cities across the country are faced with the complex challenge of providing a safe, affordable water supply and adhering to Federal clean water regulations.

“In Philly, we recently launched Green City, Clean Waters — our 25-year, $2 billion plan to protect our watershed by remaking the City’s stormwater infrastructure through green, sustainable solutions. This plan has led to our city signing a historic ‘cooperation agreement’ with the EPA that could change the relationship between cities and the EPA in the future.

“We’re  rethinking the way that we use our water resources. We’re installing rain gardens, stormwater trenches and green roofs throughout Philadelphia. Stormwater management may seem … wonky. However, this plan makes Philadelphia greener, transforms the urban landscape, and improves the quality of life for our citizens. These changes will help us to attract new residents who want to live and work in a vibrant, 21st-century city, and companies will follow them to access their talent.

“There are hundreds of innovative, creative ideas like these being enacted throughout the nation. It is because of you, America’s Mayors, get things done. Because it doesn’t look like we’re getting help from anywhere else!

“There are old issues, old troubles that continue to plague many American cities. Issues that will require us to challenge our assumptions, speak uncomfortable truths and shun political correctness. “One such issue is the scourge of violence, which is wiping out a generation of young, African American men.

“Let me talk about the devastating  impact that occurs in one segment of the community. In 2011, 75% of Philadelphia’s homicide victims were African American males — that’s 230 people.

“If 230 people were killed by tainted spinach in Philadelphia, the USDA would issue a national recall immediately. If 230 people were killed in an airplane crash, there would be congressional hearings on air travel. If 230 people were killed a fire, there would be a national investigation and review of fire safety.

“However, 230 African American men are killed in one city, and nothing. Nothing but silence. “This is not just Philadelphia, many of mayors in this room face this same epidemic of violence in their cities as well.

“If our country’s response to domestic terrorism was on the scale of our response to international terrorism, we could overcome this devastating violence, health disparities and educational gaps in a generation. There must be a national conversation on the impact of this violence on our families, our communities and our country. We know that violence breeds upon itself, and the longer we wait to act, the more intractable these problems become.

“This is our problem; it’s America’s problem, because we created it through disinvestment, indifference and neglect.  It is in cities where America must confront this challenge. This isn’t just a Black problem. It affects us all. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote from his Birmingham jail cell, we are all ‘tied together in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’

“I would like to thank Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the more than 20 mayors from across the country who are joiningme—through the Cities United initiative—to tackle, head on, black onblack violence in our nation. I’d also like to especially thank the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, Casey FamilyPrograms, Open Society Institute, Knight Foundation and countless others for their commitment to addressing this challenge.

“If we do not have the will to act, then who?

“If cities does not lead the effort to confront our own obstacles, then what?

“If not now, then when?

“Through Cities United, we are going to take this issue on. To raise awareness, look at the root causes, and ultimately, to work with anyone who will come to the table with real solutions to this violence. Although this conversation will be started and driven by cities, we must bring in more partners. Violence affects our country’s economic competitiveness, health, educational attainment, incarceration rates and so many aspects of our society that it must be addressed nationally.

“We need to leverage the power of advocacy and partnership to push this to the forefront of the American conversation. And I need your help. This is our responsibility, our promise to our citizens, our hope for our cities.

“There are many challenges ahead, but I also see great potential. We are currently in an election year, which means there will be more partisan bickering.

“We cannot follow the old playbook. Cities must work together, in partnership, to address the extraordinary challenges we are facing. And they’re not simple challenges with easy solutions. But then again, there’s not a Mayor in this room who thought this job was going to be easy.”

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