Press Releases and Newsletters
US states may hit borrow button if federal aid cut (Reuters)
NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) – U.S. states may go their own way in adopting fiscal policies and turn to more borrowing if Congress on Monday enacts a last-minute compromise plan raising the federal debt ceiling.
Across the nation, local officials — who spent the last month fretting that the United States would default for the first time — now fear the debt-cap bill will cut the federal deficit by yanking billions of dollars of aid from them.
The resulting cuts in all levels of government spending could further crimp consumers’ lifestyles, make poverty worse and threaten public safety. Also at stake are job-creating government contracts for healthcare and defense companies, and possibly heightened risks for public pension investments.
Tom Cochran, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the federal cuts in the debt-ceiling agreement “mean fewer cops, fewer firefighters and less money for job- creation projects, housing and elderly care.”
To make up for the federal cuts, he called on Congress to close tax loopholes for corporations and individuals.
Philip Fischer, a managing principal at eBooleant Consulting, LLC, said in a report: “The federal, state and local governments cannot justify the reduction in the standard of living that must occur to reduce a trillion-dollar federal deficit without a crisis.”
Saying the deficit crisis will continue, he added, “Severe cutbacks in all federal programs seem inevitable.”
Fischer said states might boost long-term debt to replace lost federal aid.
“To maintain their own fiscal integrity, the states will need to assert more autonomy,” he said.
THE DANGERS OF DEPENDENCY
Some states, for instance, have sued to block the Obama administration’s healthcare law, while others have sought waivers from Medicaid program requirements.
“The degree of dependence on the federal government now becomes a state credit issue and rainy day funds a critical tool,” Fischer said.
Four states depend on federal aid for more than 40 percent of their spending: Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, according to a report by RBC Capital Markets.
Eighteen states get over 30 percent of their spending from taxpayers around the country — Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
Still, John Miller, chief investment officer of Nuveen Asset Management, told CNBC that states in the category of “above 30 percent” might be able to absorb a 5 percent across-the-board cut in federal aid spread out over 10 years, which might work out to only 1.5 percent of all the revenue a state gets.
To New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who runs the $146 billion state pension fund, the struggle to raise the federal debt ceiling has inflicted “collateral damage” by raising doubts about the U.S. government’s AAA credit rating.
As Florida and Texas demonstrate, the deficit deal’s impact could spread to many industries that are vital local employers. The Texas Health Care Association said the prospect of even more Medicare cuts “places seniors and caregiver jobs in an extremely perilous position.”
South Florida, home to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, has at least $400 million at risk this year in the anticipated $2.4 trillion of budget cuts agreed by Washington leaders, according to an analysis by the Miami Herald newspaper.
“Pentagon spending — a top target of the plan if Congress can’t agree to other cuts — looms large in the region,” The Miami Herald said, adding that two local companies each year sell $50 million of armored vehicles and vests to the U.S. military.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is also the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, urged Congress to now address the “sky-high unemployment rates that persist across the country.”
Connecticut was one of 24 states that lost payroll jobs in June, state Comptroller Kevin Lembo said, predicting that at the current rate of job growth, it will take more than a decade for the state to win back the more than 100,000 jobs lost due to the recession.
Mon, Aug 1 2011
Treme reflects on his tenure (Salisbury Post)
SALISBURY — Come Tuesday morning, Salisbury will enter a new era.
One without David Treme at the helm.
Treme has been the city’s manager, advocate and visionary for so long — more than 25 years — it’s hard to imagine Salisbury without him. Through three mayors and 22 City Council members, Treme has been the only constant face of city government since 1986.
Beloved by some, criticized by others and emulated by colleagues across the state, the 64-year-old who revitalized downtown, guaranteed a future water supply and launched Fibrant will retire Monday.
Buoyed for most of his career by a strong economy and elected officials willing to take risks, Treme’s quarter-century of leadership marks a period of growth and development for a city that refused to act its size.
“Dave always wanted Salisbury to swim with the big fish,” said Warren Miller, a longtime consultant for the city.
Small city, big goals
With about 33,000 residents, Salisbury is among the smallest of North Carolina’s cities. But Treme insisted Salisbury would be as professional as any large metropolitan area, Miller said, and he worked to attract employees talented enough to meet that goal.
Using his innovative management style, Treme taught Salisbury leaders to think strategically and partner with people who had the money government lacked to accomplish a number of ambitious projects, including redevelopment of The Plaza, Flowers Bakery and Towne Mall.
“He helped Salisbury, with our limited resources as a small city, act like a much bigger city,” former Mayor Margaret Kluttz said.
Treme introduced “public-private partnerships” into the local lexicon.
“That’s definitely an important part of his legacy,” former Assistant City Manager Foster Owen said. “He has the patience of Job to sit down and hammer out details and listen to others, and it just has made an incredible amount of difference with these big projects.”
City government dabbling in land deals and business development raised hackles, but Treme struck a good balance, Owen said. He and Treme, who worked together for 20 years, identified five projects crucial to the revitalization of downtown — The Plaza, Salisbury Depot, the Meroney Theater, the Empire Hotel and the Rowan County Administration Building.
All but the hotel have been redeveloped with Treme’s help, either directly or indirectly.
Because of the continuity and stability he provided in city government, Treme could encourage politicians, philanthropists and business leaders to collaborate on projects that might not pay off for a decade. Or longer, as may be the case for the Empire Hotel, a still-empty downtown landmark the city bought in 2007 just before the Great Recession hit.
Planned ahead
Despite major improvements to Jake Alexander Boulevard and the Innes Street and I-85 corridors, Treme’s greatest legacy is not a road, say those who worked most closely with him.
It’s not Salisbury Community Park, a 300-acre recreation and athletic complex.
It’s not Salisbury-Rowan Utilities and Salisbury’s enviable supply of water, which Treme battled Alcoa for years to protect.
Treme’s most important contribution to Salisbury is an strategic planning process called the Future Directions and Goal-Setting Conference. Sounds dull, but the two-day annual City Council retreat, introduced by Treme in 1986, determines the city’s course for years to come and has been the key to Salisbury’s growth and development.
“At my first retreat, I realized that they had established goals two and three years out,” said Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy, who has served for 18 years. “To me, that showed the city didn’t do anything in a haphazard way.”
The retreat forces City Council to focus and city staff to produce results.
But the first retreat in 1986 didn’t bode well for its creator.
Dr. John Wear was a no-nonsense mayor. When the retreat facilitator asked council members to list three things they would take to the moon, the physician grew impatient with the seemingly pointless exercise.
“My father looked at him and Dave thought, I better convince them this will be good, or I won’t be here very long,” said current Mayor Susan Kluttz, Wear’s daughter.
Rather than costing Treme his job, the goal-setting tradition has given him more job security than many city managers. This year marked the 25th annual retreat.
“It’s probably (responsible for) 90 percent of the success he’s had,” former Councilman Bill Burgin said.
Focused efforts
A sense of community began to evolve from Treme’s strategic planning process, because it embraced the whole city and brought different groups to the table, Margaret Kluttz said.
“When everyone started playing together, a vision for the direction of the city began to crystalize,” she said.
It wasn’t easy. People had to learn to trust, and the city had to hit a few home runs to prove the process worked.
Downtown began to blossom. The hospital, Rowan Museum and Historic Salisbury Foundation and other organizations flourished. The city helped make things happen.
“There wasn’t a group in this town that wasn’t doing pretty amazing things,” Margaret Kluttz said. “There was a reverse domino effect all across the community.”
When he was hired, Treme insisted on the annual retreats as an objective way for City Council members to evaluate his performance. They set goals, then determined if he accomplished them.
For all of Susan Kluttz’s 14 years as mayor, Treme has received flawless evaluations, she said.
‘Calm presence’
Asking people about Treme elicits comments like, “model of integrity,” “highly ethical” and “servant-leader.”
“He’s a calm presence,” Councilman Paul Woodson said. “In 14 years of working with him, I’ve only ever seen him upset when we are doing the budgets.”
Treme is known as one of the most effective city managers in North Carolina.
“I certainly think he ranks in the top tier,” said Ellis Hankins, executive director for the N.C. League of Municipalities.
After working with more than 100 city managers, consultant Glenn Harbeck ranks Treme as the best.
“He’s never content to rest on his laurels,” said Harbeck, longtime facilitator for the city. “He’s always looking for a better way to approach a problem, and usually it’s through human interaction.”
Treme has a knack for determining which initiatives need to bubble up, grassroots-style, and which have a better chance of succeeding top-down, as goals from City Council. He worked well in either direction, Margaret Kluttz said.
“He was constantly searching and reaching for community input about something, while being responsive to what’s handed to him from City Council,” Harbeck said.
In 1988, City Council handed him a doozie: End cruising.
Cruising problem ends
Treme had encountered the spectacle when he drove into town the night before his first day at work and thought Salisbury had won the state football championship. Hundreds of cars packed Main Street every weekend, leading to gridlock and vandalism.
Salisbury’s cruising problem became a crisis when one cruiser shot another. The physician who treated the victim was none other than Dr. John Wear, the mayor.
“He looked at Dave and said, ‘Enough is enough. Find a solution to this,’ ” Susan Kluttz said.
Treme did, with a host of national media covering the story.
Without the cruising ban, the rebirth of downtown could not have occurred, Susan Kluttz said.
The next year, the city partnered with Ralph and Anne Ketner to redevelop the Wallace Building (now The Plaza), sparking a flurry of downtown redevelopment that drew businesses and residents back to the heart of the city.
Downtown revitalization eventually spread east on Innes Street to Towne Mall, an abandoned shopping center the city purchased in 1994 to avoid paying for a sewer easement.
The city later sold the mall to developers for a small profit.
Today, the former eyesore boasts numerous restaurants and offices.
“There are people who are big-picture people, and then there are those who are detail-oriented,” Margaret Kluttz said. “We were truly blessed to have a city manager … who was a strategic thinker, and also he could find the fatal flaw in a little piece of minutiae that would cause a huge problem down the road.”
Controversial choices
Treme’s career hasn’t been without controversy, and carrying out City Council directives often made him a lightning rod. The sign ordinance, liquor-by-the-drink and forced annexation drew vocal opponents and made the city some lasting enemies.
Treme’s pick for police chief resigned in 2002 amid allegations of sexual harassment, and three firefighters lost their jobs this year in a sex scandal.
Some taxpayers have accused Treme of a lack of transparency regarding Fibrant, the city’s new broadband utility that put Salisbury $33 million in debt.
Like so many of the “big and important and worthwhile things this city has done,” Fibrant will prove to be a valuable and wise decision, Susan Kluttz said.
Treme’s vision for Salisbury often sparked controversy because he looks 20 years down the road, she said.
“This will be one of those decisions that is very controversial to live through,” she said.
But a decade from now, people will praise Salisbury as one of the few cities with the foresight to launch a public broadband system while cities still could, she said.
No firm plans
Though City Council offered him roughly $70,000 to stay through 2012, Treme will step down Monday. He will receive a retirement bonus of about $35,000 in recognition of all he’s done for Salisbury in the past 25 years.
Treme hasn’t made firm plans for retirement yet but said he may try teaching.
Margaret Kluttz said her friend has been doing that in Salisbury since 1986.
“Dave has been teaching us for a long time,” she said. “I think it would be wonderful if he found another way to continue.”
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.
City purchases
During David Treme’s career, the city purchased several buildings and entered land deals for redevelopment. It was a controversial practice, but Treme says it paid off. Here’s an example of how:
Flowers Bakery
• City purchased for $503,000 in 1996.
• Community task force led by Paul Fisher of F&M Bank came up with development plan.
• City created an Economic and Community Development Project Area.
• City took competitive bids and sold the property based on price, job creation and adherence to the development plan.
• Proceeds of sale repaid the original investment, and then some.
• Federal and local funds paid for streetscape improvements.
• City improved parking
Since 1996, investment worth roughly $18 million (public and private) has flowed back to the area: F&M Financial Center, Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Police Station, Justice Center, art studios, Gateway Building, Council Street Place, law offices and more
Source: City of Salisbury
Tremeisms
• “There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel.”
• “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.”
• “From the heart to the head to the hands to the habits.”
•“There is power in prayer.”
Published Saturday, July 30, 2011 11:00 PM
By Emily Ford
Mayor Bell’s Letter to Washington Regarding Debt Ceiling
Below click the link to see Mayor Bell’s letter to President Obama and the North Carolina Congressional Delegation regarding the Debt Ceiling.
Mayor Bell’s Letter to Washington Regarding the Debt Ceiling
White House Blog: State and Local Officials Join the Call for Compromise
We’ve seen switchboards and websites overwhelmed by Americans urging members of Congress to compromise on the debt ceiling, and this morning, the President urged the American people to keep the pressure on, because the price of partisan divergence and defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history is much too high.
Governors, mayors and other state elected officials are joining the growing chorus urging Congress to compromise on behalf of the American people and to remove the cloud of uncertainty that currently hangs over our economy. Democrats and Republicans agree on the problem, and the scope of the solution, and now our state and local leaders are urging Congress to do their job before August 2.
Here is a sampling of what state and local officials are saying in letters to their congressional delegations, op-eds, and statements in support of compromise:
Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa, AZ:
“We’ve settled into a normalcy and we’ve worked to get through this crisis… And we’re really a little bit tired that you guys at Washington and the state capitols can’t get over the politics, and that the decisions or non-decisions that you make have a direct impact on our citizens… That’s not good. It’s bad.”
John Lewis, Mayor of Gilbert, AZ:
“It’s really hard to know exactly what it would mean because we’ve never gone through this before… The short answer is that we don’t see anything changing right away, but over time, it’s something that could cause chaos.” [East Valley Tribune, 7/27/2011]
Phil Gordon, Mayor of Phoenix, AZ:
“Our City has faced a microcosm of the challenges before you in Washington, from economic stresses to political friction, international border issues to sustainability concerns. If we can do it, simply put, so can you… Please remember the purpose that brought you to Washington – your service to people in cities like Phoenix – and please continue to strive for an immediate solution that holds the very best interests of our country and your fellow Americans firmly in mind and in heart.” [Letter to the President and Congress, 7/26/2011]
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA:
“Mayors across the country echoed the President’s sentiments this past weekend when we unanimously resolved that an agreement must be reached to increase the debt ceiling and prevent the nation from defaulting. This can only happen if both Houses and both parties work together with the understanding that sacrifices must be shared.” [7/26/2011]
Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento, CA:
“Enough with the politics. It’s time to get this done. The President’s balanced approach is the smart route to end this impasse and ensure our economy isn’t threatened.” [via Facebook, 7/27/2011]
Op-ed Penned by Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA; Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA; and Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa, AZ:
“America’s cities are where Pennsylvania Avenue meets Main Street. City governments are working with businesses to put people back to work after three years of economic stagnation. But Washington’s budget impasse over the debt crisis now threatens to undo our progress and sink us back into recession… The most important thing Congress can do is to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.” [Politico, 7/26/2011]
Bill Lockyer, CA State Treasurer:
“The families and businesses of this country need a long-term solution to this crisis. It’s the best way to help us grow the economy and get folks back to work.” [Signed 7/28/2011]
Dannel P. Malloy, Governor of Connecticut:
“As the President noted, Americans are fed up with the politicians in Washington, DC who cling to ideology over common sense, and fight for special interests rather than the common good. I urge Congress to quickly pass a long-term increase to the debt ceiling.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Jack Markell, Governor of Delaware:
“The President made clear that inaction is not an option. He is clearly willing to work to make some responsible reductions that could have a substantial impact on our long-term debt.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Chip Flowers, Delaware State Treasurer:
“The time has come to set aside the partisan division that has crippled our national engine of economic growth and adopt a balanced plan that will require all Americans to share in the burden of restoring the financial health of our government.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Vincent Gray, Mayor of Washington, DC:
“I think fundamentally we want to see a solution. This has created such instability in our city and other cities that we’ve got to be able to have some predictability in going forward. We’ve been in a recession for three years. Joblessness in our city is, you know, at very high levels. Here in Washington, DC, our jobless rate is 9.5% but in some areas of the city it’s as high as 17 to 25%. This just creates more uncertainty and more instability. So we want a solution and we need it now.” [Bloomberg, 7/20/2011, LINK]
Patrick Quinn, Governor of Illinois:
“We support the President in calling on Congress to come together on a long-term solution on the debt ceiling. Kicking the can down the road another six months does not address the deficit and does nothing to end the uncertainty in the financial markets and American living rooms.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Letter to the President and Illinois Delegation from 40 Illinois Mayors:
“We are asking you to apply your leadership to overcome partisanship and demonstrate to our country that Congress is focused on stabilizing our markets. We are asking you to help create jobs and ensure the success of our cities, our State, and our Country. We are asking you to please address the debt ceiling now.” [Signed 7/28/2011]
State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis), chairwoman of the IBLC:
“The President offers the best approach to digging this country out of the mess that has been created by out-of-control spending, two unwanted wars, and tax cuts focused on helping the very rich, all of which originated from the previous presidential administration.” [Signed 7/27/2011]
William Crawford (D-Indianapolis), ranking Democrat on the budget-writing Indiana House Ways and Means Committee:
“Who would be hurt by the approach that is being taken by these Republicans? Everyone who isn’t at the top of the income scale. That means those in the middle class and on fixed incomes would pay the price,” Crawford said.” [Signed 7/27/2011]
Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville, KY:
“It’s important that both parties, Democrats and Republicans, put aside partisan differences and seal a deal that addresses the debt ceiling and balances a need for deficit reduction and job creation… Default would be a disaster for our country and have a trickle-down impact on our city.” [7/25/2011]
Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, LA:
“Now is the time for all parties in Washington to work in a bipartisan way to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the deficit in a balanced way with a focus on investing in job creation… New Orleanians and residents in cities across our country can’t afford to let the partisan politics of Washington, D.C., dictate whether or not the United States meets its financial obligations and whether we can meet the needs of the future. ” [7/26/2011]
Martin O’Malley, DGA Chair and Governor of Maryland:
“We need to make the tough choices that will allow us to balance and move forward at the same time with critical investments to create jobs and opportunity now—that’s how we can retire the Bush deficit and accelerate the jobs recovery.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts:
“We know what we need: a long-term solution. There is nothing about a 6 month delay that fixes the long-term deficit hole or gives the markets confidence that we can solve our big issues or provides Massachusetts families with protection from dramatic interest rate increases. All it does is prolong the political drama.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston, MA:
“Put the sound bites aside; put people to work – that’s the most important thing… Even with all the work we’ve done, people remain out of work in our city.’’ [Remarks at an opening event for the National Urban League’s annual convention, Boston Globe, 7/28/2011]
Letter to the President and Massachusetts Delegation from 20 Massachusetts Mayors:
Cities are the economic engines of this country, and as we work to rebound and rebuild from the recession, it is essential that Washington resolve the debt ceiling issue that is jeopardizing our nation’s economic recovery.” [Signed 7/28/2011]
David Bing, Mayor of Detroit, MI:
“President Obama has outlined a balanced approach to solving the nation’s fiscal crisis and reducing our debt… Cities like Detroit cannot afford for our economic progress to be derailed by a delay in reaching an agreement.” [July 26, 2011, Link]
Virg Bernero, Mayor of Lansing, MI:
“We’ve already got over 10 percent unemployment in the state of Michigan. People are hurting. The debate in Washington should be about jobs, it should be about investment, and they’ve been debating about this nonsense.” [July 26, 2011, Link]
Bert Johnson, MI State Senator:
“Once again, President Obama is standing with and for the American people. He has called for a balanced approach to resolving the debt ceiling debate – one based in pragmatism, buttressed by sound public policy, and unencumbered by rigid ideological constraints.” [Signed 7/28/2011]
R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN:
“People suffering from a real economic crisis have a right to ask why a few zealots in DC are creating an avoidable one.” [via Twitter, 7/25/2011]
Ralph Becker, Mayor of Salt Lake City, NV:
“It’ll affect everything from every development going on in our city to people getting their Social Security checks and assistance with their rent check.” [7/25/2011, Link]
Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ:
“America has always met tremendous challenge with unrelenting resolve, unity of purpose, and a unique toughness. That’s why I’m hopeful that the next seven days will bring broad-based congressional support for the President’s balanced approach to this nation’s debt crisis.” [7/26/2011]
Mark Sokolich, Mayor of Fort Lee, NJ:
“You’re public servants, you’re here to represent America, and right now the job is horrible.” [Fort Lee Patch, 7/26/2011, LINK]
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, NY:
“That the United States of America has come this close to defaulting on its debts—a failure that would have potentially disastrous economic consequences for us all, including New Yorkers—ought to be all the evidence anyone needs that there’s something profoundly wrong in Washington.” [7/26/2011]
Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller:
“Beyond the impact on our pension fund, the failure to act in Washington could have other severe consequences in New York. The potential for higher borrowing costs, cash flow disruptions and a negative impact on bond markets at both the State and local levels are hanging like dark clouds over this debate in Washington.” [Signed 7/26/2011] Bev Perdue, Governor of North Carolina:
“The logjam in Washington has taken us too close to the brink. Our federal officials need to come together now to reach a balanced compromise that will avert a rating downgrade or payment default before it’s too late.” [7/29/2011]
Letter to the President and North Carolina Delegation from 8 North Carolina Mayors:
“Failure to successfully moderate the discussion and bring the parties together to resolve the debt ceiling crisis is unacceptable. Our cities cannot withstand a deeper recession. We cannot weather instability in the municipal bond market which will further slow infrastructure investments and job creation.” [7/29/2011]
Anthony Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte, NC:
“If our nation falls to maintain the bedrock of its own full faith and credit, no one will remember the stand taken by Republicans or Democrats. They will not recall failed bills or negotiations. They will remember that, despite the known risks, our government failed to act. Therefore, I implore Congress to do what Charlotte businesses, parents, and every member of our community do every day: mourn the absence of better choices and make the difficult calls required to move us forward.” [7/26/2011]
William V. Bell, Mayor of Durham, NC, On behalf of NC Metropolitan Mayors Coalition:
“I cannot stress enough the damage you will do to our cities and our State if you do not find common ground and resolve the debt ceiling issue. I am asking you to encourage your leadership to set aside the partisan bickering and political posturing and demonstrate to our country that Congress is focused on creating stability in our markets. I am asking you to focus again, above all else, on job creation. And I am asking you to address the debt ceiling now.” [Letter, 7/26/2011]
Janet Cowell, North Carolina State Treasurer:
“It is critical that the President and Congress act now by developing a credible, long-term plan to reduce the budget deficit. A downgrade could have a harmful effect on the North Carolina Pension Fund and North Carolina investors who invest in Treasury bonds.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Letter to the President and Ohio Delegation from 22 Ohio Mayors:
“Ohioans do not want another recession. Reaching a deal on the debt ceiling will restore faith in the American economy and allow for job growth in Ohio. Please act quickly to pass a reasonable compromise.” [7/29/2011] Earl Leiken, Mayor of Shaker Heights, OH:
“It is critical that Congress reach a resolution of the debt ceiling crisis which increases the ceiling through 2012 to reassure the credit markets and stabilize our economy. The uncertainty and instability of requiring that the debt ceiling issue be reconsidered again in 2012 would present a major problem for our cities.” [7/28/2011]
Denny Doyle, Mayor of Beaverton, OR:
Please think about the cities like Beaverton, Oregon that need for you to work together to help ensure the stability of our local economies. We deal directly with our citizens, day in and day out, and this issue matters to people on the main streets of cities throughout our country.” [Letter to Speaker Boehner, 7/13/2011]
Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA:
“The behavior of some in Washington D.C. – recklessly bringing this country to the brink of default in service of short-term political gain – is the height of irresponsibility and a failure of their duty to serve and protect the American people. Equally irresponsible is an approach to cutting our deficit which forces the poorest Americans to suffer and pay more while protecting millionaires, billionaires and special interests.” [7/25/2011]
Joseph P. Riley, Mayor of Charleston, SC:
“President Obama is providing leadership that our country desperately needs to bridge the debilitating partisan divide that exists in Washington. There are some in Washington who are willing to play a game of Russian roulette by creating the danger of a headlong disastrous crash of our country’s economy by defaulting on our government’s financial obligations. This is deplorable.” [7/26/2011]
A C Wharton, Mayor of Memphis, TN:
“The stunning inaction in Washington on raising the debt ceiling is a potential gut punch to those of us who have worked so hard on the frontlines to keep our cities and communities moving. The fact that some Members of Congress will almost need to see the negative impact of their inaction before making necessary steps on this issue is not the type of leadership our nation needs – not now, not ever.” [via Facebook, 7/26/2011]
Garnett F. Coleman, TX State Representative:
“I urge you to watch the President’s speech from last night and follow his advice: call your members of Congress and tell them that you support a compromised, balance approach to solving our nation’s debt crisis.” [Signed 7/27/2011]
Peter Shumlin, Governor of Vermont:
“President Obama made a forceful case tonight for addressing our long-term debt while avoiding a default on our debt obligations. The President has it right when he insists that if seniors and those who are struggling to make ends meet have to make sacrifices, then the oil company executives, corporate jet owners and multi-millionaires should also contribute to a solution.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Kesha Ram, VT State Representative:
“To turn our economy around and rebuild our nation, we need Congress to unite on behalf of the American people and create a fair, responsible budget, which the Reid plan begins to achieve. I support our President’s long-term vision and compassionate solutions as the only way forward.” [Signed 7/28/2011]
Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County, VA Chairman, On behalf of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors:
“As a result, the ongoing stalemate over raising the federal debt limit and possible federal spending cuts or entitlement program reforms has created a crisis atmosphere that raises serious concerns in the County… Difficult decisions must be made, priorities must be set, and pain must be endured. The time for a bipartisan agreement to avert a potential federal fiscal crisis, with ramifications for all Americans, is now.” [Letter, 7/26/2011]
Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington:
“President Obama was right to push Congress to act and act soon on a long-term solution to the debt ceiling. We can’t just kick the can down the road for another six months. The uncertainty of the debt negotiations has caused consumers to slow spending and businesses to slow hiring.” [Signed 7/26/2011]
Mike McGinn, Mayor of Seattle, WA:
“Congress’s failure to raise our nation’s debt ceiling undermines our hard work. Even worse, it threatens the fragile recovery we’re seeing in Seattle. People are coming off the sidelines to invest in our city and congressional irresponsibility threatens to dry up their credit. It’s time for Congress to stop grandstanding and start working to protect our country’s financial security.” [7/29/2011]
Jim McIntire, WA State Treasurer:
“Failure to act will likely crush a fragile economy, irreparably harm struggling businesses and families, damage responsible state governments, and undermine emerging stability among our community banks. This is a risk we cannot afford to take…” [Signed 7/27/2011]
Posted by Joanna Rosholm on July 29, 2011 at 02:58 PM EDT
Joanna Rosholm is a Regional Communications Director
Summary of PCS 183
http://ncmetromayors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Summary-of-PCS-SB183.pdf
Rabon appointed chairman of transportation oversight committee (Star News)
State Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, said in his latest newsletter that he was appointed as a chairman of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, which is made up of members of the state House and Senate.
The committee delves into a range of state transportation issues. Rabon said he was asked by Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham to serve in the post.
“I love transportation,” Rabon said Thursday. “That’s the one part of state government that I do love.”
Rabon said in his newsletter that lawmakers are committed to working with the Department of Transportation to improve the drivability of roads across the state and the safety of motorists. He also said he wants to ensure the bypass around Wilmington, Interstate 140, is completed before he leaves office.
He said he hoped to serve four or six years in the Senate. He is currently in his first, two-year term.
July 21st, 2011 01:12pm
by Pat Gannon
