This past Friday I was named 2008 Municipal Leader of the Year by the Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO), the organization with the largest group of locally elected Latino leaders in the United States, at the National League of Cities (NLC) meeting in Orlando.
I received the award for my work to strengthen the quality of life and economic vitality of our nation's cities and towns. I would like to thank the National League of Cities and HELO for this profound honor.
While in Orlando, I also urged NLC members to support The US Conference of Mayors MainStreet Jobs and Infrastructure Stimulus Plan totaling $89.8 billion that includes funding in the sectors of transit and roads, green jobs, school modernization, and community development. The US Conference of Mayors presented this plan in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in October.
I will post more information about this plan soon.
Posted below are my remarks, made during the NLC meeting.
- Manny
Remarks made on Friday, November 14, at the National League of Cities (NLC) meeting in Orlando:
"GOOD AFTERNOON, IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO BE IN A ROOM SURROUNDED BY MY COLLEAGUES AND OTHER LOCAL OFFICIALS........ALL OF US WHO WORK ON THE FRONT LINE OF GOVERNMENT.....WE GET IT.
I WANT TO THANK PRESIDENT KATHLEEN NOVAK AND VICE PRESIDENT MAYOR RON LOVERIDGE FOR INVITING ME HERE TODAY.
LET ME ALSO RECOGNIZE YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DON BORUT, WHO WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TOM COCHRAN.
AND LET ME CONGRATULATE MY FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH, MAYOR BUDDY DYER AND THE ENTIRE ORLANDO HOST COMMITTEE ON SUCH A FANTASTIC MEETING –
YOU DO ALMOST AS GREAT A JOB HOSTING THESE EVENTS AS WE DO IN MIAMI…
AS THE GOVERNMENT CLOSEST TO THE PEOPLE, WE ARE CONFRONTED DAILY BY WORRIED AND ANXIOUS RESIDENTS ASKING ...........
WHAT WILL THIS ECONOMY DO TO THEIR JOBS, THEIR LONG-TERM SAVINGS, THEIR HOMES, AND THEIR PENSION FUNDS.
PARENTS ARE GETTING LAID OFF, FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING TO PAY BILLS.
GRANDPARENTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH RETIREMENT, AND YOUNG PEOPLE UNABLE TO SECURE FINANCIAL AID...... ARE BEING FORCED TO FORGO COLLEGE.
SEVERE FEDERAL AND STATE CUTS TO EDUCATION, HOUSING, HEALTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, YOUTH PROGRAMS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOB TRAINING, ARTS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE ARE RESULTING IN A LOSS OF NEEDED SERVICES ON MAIN STREET.
TODAY WE GO FROM CRISIS TO CRISIS – WE ARE ENGAGED IN A WAR WITH NO CLEAR END, A HOUSING AND A FORECLOSURE CRISIS AND A MELT DOWN ON WALL STREET.
CONGRESS BAILS OUT INDUSTRIES THAT SHOULD KNOW BETTER, AND THEN THEY SIMPLY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT DEBATE – ALL WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS THAT GOT US HERE, AND KEEP GETTING US HERE.
WHY ARE MARKETS FAILING? WHY ARE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR ECONOMY NOT SOUND? WHY DO PEOPLE FEEL WORSE TODAY, AND ARE MORE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THEIR FUTURE THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME IN OUR HISTORY?
THIS IS WHERE OUR ROLE AS LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS IS MORE IMPORTANT TODAY THAN PERHAPS AT ANY TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
FOR IT IS HERE THAT THE REAL CRISIS IN AMERICA EXISTS.
MOST OF US BELIEVE THAT WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS CURRENT CRISIS, WHETHER IN 1, 2, OR 5 YEARS.
BUT, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
THE REAL CRISIS IN AMERICA TODAY
THE CHALLENGE THAT I AM CONFIDENT OUR PRESIDENT-ELECT WILL TACKLE HEAD-ON
IS HOW DO WE ASSURE THAT AMERICA WILL REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY?
HOW DO WE ASSURE THAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICANS WILL STILL HAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM AVAILABLE TO THEM WHEN THEY ARE READY TO WORK AND FIGHT FOR IT?
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
WE HAVE A TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT –
OUR BIRTH RATE IS TOO LOW TO SUSTAIN SOCIAL SECURITY-
25% OF GNP GOES TO HEALTH CARE –
OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IS NOT PRODUCING GRADUATES THAT CAN COMPETE ON A GLOBAL LEVEL –
AND SPEAKING OF GLOBAL, THE LACK OF AN ENERGY POLICY HAS US IN WHAT IS BEING CALLED THE GREATEST TRANSFER OF WEALTH IN HISTORY...... WHERE WE CONTINUE TO SEND OUR MONEY TO UNFRIENDLY GOVERNMENTS.
MONEY THAT WE THEN BORROW FROM CHINA, RUSSIA, INDIA AND YES EVEN IRAQ AND IRAN.
1 IN EVERY 6 CHILDREN LIVES IN POVERTY, WITH NEARLY HALF LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY.
TODAY, THERE ARE MORE GANG MEMBERS IN AMERICA THAN POLICE OFFICERS. IN THE STREETS OF MIAMI, ASSAULT WEAPONS ARE CHEAPER TO BUY THAN A PLAY STATION.
OVER 60% OF AMERICA’S CHILDREN DO NOT READ OR PERFORM MATH AT GRADE LEVEL AND IN OUR LARGEST CITIES, OVER 50% OF CHILDREN DO NOT MAKE IT PAST HIGH SCHOOL.
OUR INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRES TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS JUST TO FIX IT.
MOTHERS AND FATHERS SPEND 4 BILLION HOURS A YEAR STUCK IN TRAFFIC, TIME THEY DON’T SPEND WITH THEIR CHILDREN--
OVER A THIRD OF OUR CITIES DO NOT KNOW WHERE THEY WILL GET THEIR WATER FROM IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
AND THIS IS WHERE WE COME IN.
ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM, OUR CITIES, DRIVE THE NATIONAL ECONOMY.
85% OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LIVE IN METRO AREAS.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALMOST 90% OF ALL JOBS, INCOME AND OUR GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
CITIES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM, CITIES ARE THE SOLUTION.
WE KNOW HOW TO GENERATE WEALTH, PROSPERITY, OPPORTUNITY.
WE KNOW HOW TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES.
WE ARE THE ANSWER TO OUR LONG TERM FINANCIAL CRISIS.
WE DO IT EVERY DAY BY INVESTING IN ASSETS, OUR PEOPLE, OUR BUSINESSES, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR MARKET PLACES.
CONGRESS WILLINGLY SENT $700 BILLION TO BAIL OUT WALL STREET.
CAN ANY OF YOU IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD DO WITH $700 BILLION DOLLARS IN OUR CITIES?
THE CONFERENCE OF MAYORS AND NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES GET IT.
.
EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US - WE ARE THE GOVERNMENTS OF FIRST RESORT - BUT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE THE GOVERNMENTS OF LAST RESORT.
IT IS TIME FOR WASHINGTON TO END ITS PARTISAN GRIDLOCK, END THE POINTLESS DEBATES, AND ENGAGE IN SOME SERIOUS PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES WE ALL FACE.
IT IS TIME FOR ALL OF US TO HAVE A PARTNER IN WASHINGTON - ONE THAT SUPPORTS US, ONE THAT SUPPORTS A "MAIN STREET STIMULUS."
THE ONLY WAY TO REVERSE THIS SYSTEMIC, LONG-TERM ECONOMIC CRISIS IS TO INVEST IN OUR CITIES.
THE CONFERENCE OF MAYORS HAS DEVELOPED A 90 BILLION DOLLAR "MAIN STREET STIMULUS" THAT WILL CREATE JOBS NOW BY INVESTING IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, CREATING A GREEN ECONOMY, HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES, AND HAVE LASTING ECONOMIC, EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE BENEFITS.
BUT FOR THIS TO WORK, WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THIS FUNDING DOES NOT GET STUCK IN THE STATES, BUT THAT IT GOES DIRECTLY TO CITIES AND METRO AREAS.
PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN HAVE MET WITH US, AND HAVE COMMITTED TO MOVE FORWARD ON OUR SHARED PRIORITIES.
AND WE HAVE MANY FRIENDS IN CONGRESS LIKE HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI AND SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID. MY TWO SENATORS, NELSON AND MARTINEZ, ARE WORKING TOGETHER FOR US IN A BIPARTISAN WAY.
BUT THESE LEADERS NEED TO HEAR FROM EACH ONE OF US. WE MUST EACH WORK WITH CONGRESS TO ENSURE THAT MAIN STREET IS NOT FORGOTTEN, BETTER YET THAT IT IS UNDERSTOOD.
TO ENSURE THAT THEY ALL KNOW THAT AN INVESTMENT IN AMERICA’S CITIES, AN INVESTMENT IN AMERICA’S PEOPLE IS AN INVESTMENT IN AMERICA’S FUTURE.
OUR HISTORY SHOWS THAT WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS. THIS IS A DEFINING MOMENT FOR ALL OF US.
LET US STAND TOGETHER, UNITED, FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WE ALL SERVE. THERE IS TOO MUCH AT STAKE.
THANK YOU, AND GOD BLESS."
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