United States Conference of Mayors

Earlier this week, at the Republican National Convention, Milwaukee (WI) Mayor Cavalier Johnson and former USCM president Miami (FL) Mayor Francis Suarez joined local leaders National League of Cities President and Rancho Cordova (CA) Mayor David Sander and Community Leaders of America Chairman and NYC City Councilmember Joe Borelli for a press conference to highlight the critical role cities play in shaping the country’s future and their interest in working across the political spectrum to address the biggest challenges facing America’s cities. Next month, mayors will travel to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, where they will continue to bring their policy priorities in front of the leading presidential candidates.

“This is one of the most important times in American history for mayors to lead,” said USCM President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther on the Chuck Toddcast. Mayor Ginther and USCM Vice President Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt joined the podcast to talk about priorities for mayors and the importance of bipartisanship, especially ahead of the 2024 election. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eEDQt5VG

Congratulations to USCM’s new president, Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther! Thank you Reno (NV) Mayor Hilliary Schieve for your leadership over the past year. Congratulations on a successful term as USCM president. Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor David Holt will serve as USCM’s vice president. San Diego (CA) Mayor Todd Gloria will serve as USCM’s 2nd vice president. #Mayors2024

92nd Annual Meeting: Inaugural Luncheon June 23, 2024: Join us live for the Inaugural Luncheon Honoring the 82nd President of the USCM

92nd Annual Meeting: Business Session June 23, 2024: Join us live for the Business Session of our 92st Annual Meeting.

Mayors spent the afternoon in a series of breakout sessions and discussion. Riverside (CA) Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson moderated a discussion on public-private partnerships (P3s). “There’s no better place to build partnerships than with mayors, who have to think about partnerships every single day,” said Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Steven Benjamin during the discussion. “It’s great to see this group of bipartisan leaders trying to get things done,” he continued. Kansas City (MO) Mayor Quinton Lucas led a session on preventing and reducing gun violence with several federal officials. ““In the end we always work to come to good solutions to make our streets safer,” he said. At a session on mental health and homelessness, Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve led a discussion with Durham (NC) Mayor Leonardo Williams and Allentown (PA) Mayor Matt Tuerk about how cities can improve behavioral health outcomes. San Diego (CA) Mayor Todd Gloria and Madison (WI) Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, the co-chairs of the USCM LGBTQ+ Alliance, led a discussion on the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ state legislation and the 2024 elections. Kansas City (MO) Mayor Quinton Lucas and Fort Lauderdale (FL) Mayor Dean Trantalis announced the results of an 83-city survey on how mayors are building inclusive cities by supporting and involving LGBTQ+ residents. “I just want kids to be able to grow up happily, and to live their lives, and to be good, healthy, productive adults in our state,” said Mayor Lucas. 

During the Saturday Plenary Lunch, St. Louis (MO) Mayor Tishaura Jones and Cincinnati (OH) Mayor Aftab Pureval joined Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Steven Benjamin for a discussion about public-private partnerships. “We can’t do it on our own because we shouldn’t be doing it on our own,” said Benjamin, a former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “We should be doing all of these things together.” San Antonio (TX) Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced the Mayors’ Guide to Compassionate and Equitable Cities. The guide equips mayors with tools to support and track compassionate policies. Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz led a panel discussion on reproductive rights with Tucson (AZ) Mayor Regina Romero, Gresham (OR) Mayor Travis Stovall. Mayors Kautz and Romero co-chair the USCM Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights Task Force. “The overturn of Roe allowed many states to ban abortion outright,” said Mayor Kautz. “Our nation now has a variety of state policies impacting reproductive rights and access to healthcare.” “While the direct impacts may be local, what happens in one state and city impacts all of us,” she continued. USCM President Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve closed the session with a discussion on how mayors can combine local artistic expression with effective urban design. “Art is a way you package a city,” said Mayor Schieve. #Mayors2024

We are excited to join our partners at Target in announcing a total of $350,000 in grants to the three city winners of the 2024 Police Reform and Equitable Justice Grant Program awards! The grants support effective police policies and practices in cities of all sizes. Congratulations to our large, medium, and small city winners: Boston (MA) Mayor Michelle Wu, Madison (WI) Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, and Bloomington (MN) Tim Busse  #Mayors2024 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAFvs7Dn

At the Mayors and Business Leaders Plenary Session, mayors heard from Neera Tanden, the director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council. Tanden highlighted how mayors are working with the federal government to combat homelessness. “The people I often learn the most from… [are] the mayors in the room and throughout the country, who are really, truly delivering transformative change and making people's lives better,” said Tanden. Tampa (FL) Mayor Jane Castor updated mayors on plans to hold next year’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Tampa. Columbia (MO) Mayor Barbara Buffaloe led a discussion on sustainable agriculture in America’s cities. To close the session, Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve led a panel on how city governments are using artificial intelligence, featuring Seattle (WA) Mayor Bruce Harrell and Miami (FL) Mayor Francis Suarez. “How do we create an ecosystem that serves each one of our residents the best? And using AI as a force multiplier is probably a very effective and efficient way to do it,” said Mayor Suarez. “You don’t have to be a big city with a huge internal team to do it.” #Mayors2024

92nd Annual Meeting: Saturday Plenary Lunch June 22, 2024: Join us live for the Saturday Plenary Lunch of our 92st Annual Meeting.