WASHINGTON, D.C. — While Congress spent the week out of session, mayors from around the country came to D.C. for a yearly conference to collaborate on issues and directly lobby President Joe Biden’s administration for support.
What You Need To Know
- The U.S. Conference of Mayors hosted its annual winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this week
- Spectrum News spoke with the leaders of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland
- While the three Democrats praised President Joe Biden’s policy agenda, they said their cities need more help from the federal government
“I don’t think there has ever been a more pro-city administration in recent memory,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther (D) told Spectrum News.
Ginther said Biden has been a great partner, especially in getting Intel to build a computer chip factory in Central Ohio.
While in Washington, Ginther met with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, a former Ohio mayor and congresswoman, to discuss making sure Columbus has the necessary resources to welcome thousands of new residents who move in to work for Intel.
“We want to grow, but we want to grow in a dynamic and inclusive way,” he said. “And the only way we can do that is making sure we’re investing in infrastructure, housing, and prosperity for all.”
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (D) is also complimentary of Biden, especially after the president’s recent visit to award a $1.6 billion grant to repair the Brent Spence Bridge and construct a companion bridge.
“We hope to be breaking ground in the next several months, but this whole project will take seven years once we break ground. And so this is a long-term relationship that we’re creating,” Pureval told Spectrum News.
Despite that historic investment, Pureval said Cincinnati will need more resources from Washington to help expand affordable housing.
“My message is that while we were very grateful for that, there are so many other big projects that we need help with,” he said.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb (D) had the chance to meet with Biden’s infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu and encouraged him to keep communicating with America’s mayors as billions of dollars are doled out.
“We know what roads need to be fixed. We know what bridges need to be repaired,” Bibb told Spectrum News. “And we need to make sure we’re at the table to ensure that that money is spent wisely to support and uplift our residents.”
He also said immigration reform was a big topic of conversation. Bibb is hoping Biden can continue making deals with a newly divided Congress to both secure the southern border and establish a pathway to citizenship.
“Because our population is not growing, and we’ve got to compete. And having Congress focus on immigration reform would help a lot of us in American cities across the country,” he said.
As Democrats, the mayors of Ohio’s three big ‘C’s’ have enjoyed close relationships with the White House.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors will host its annual summer meeting in Columbus this June.
