MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Over 250 mayors from across the country met with high-profile members of the Trump administration in South Florida for a conference.
Mayors traveled to Miami Beach for the 85th United States Conference of Mayors, Friday. A large sign on the sand spelled out the name of the conference on the beach outside the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, as the public officials convened in a city considered to be one of the most vulnerable to climate change.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine greeted attendees by making a reference to his city’s warm weather. “Welcome, everybody, to the 85th United States Conference of Mayors in, thank God, sunny Miami Beach,” he said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it’s their duty to ensure their cities continue to prosper. “I think we have to, as mayors, be one of the forces in this country that focuses on actually getting things done,” he said.
Officials said that means putting their party affiliation aside for the four-day event. “Mayors aren’t right. Mayors aren’t left. Mayors are forward, and that’s the most important message,” said Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine.
De Blasio agreed with Levine. “One of the things you’re gonna see in these next days is mayors from every part of the country, big cities, smaller cities, Democrat and Republican alike, working together,” he said. “We think that’s normal. We think that’s good. We think that’s healthy. We do it every day in our cities.”
The goal of the conference is to come up with a united message for the president and U.S. lawmakers when it comes to the major issues affecting cities across the country.
“When you start messing with CDBG [Community Development Block Grant], you’re messing with every single one of us,” said Oklahoma City Mayor Mica Cornet, “tax free status of municipal bonds.”
New Orleans Mayor Match Laundries focused on infrastructure and health care, while Cornet zeroed in on opioid addiction, and de Blasio spoke about climate change and building a more skilled workforce.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta proposed that cities should pursue more apprenticeship programs, which he described as “an earn while you learn system.”
Mayors also have a request for the commander in chief. “Let us continue to help make America great,” said Burnsville, Minn. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz.
At the end of the meeting, the mayors will vote on policy resolutions to send to U.S. lawmakers. “All of the issues are important, and our voice united is important. This is the U.S. Conference of Mayors,” said Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert.
Former President Bill Clinton is expected to speak at the conference on Saturday.
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