USCM president pushes 10-point plan
Next month, Trenton, N.J., Mayor Douglas Palmer will begin a new term as president of the Washington-based U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM). With the aid of other USCM officials, Palmer recently introduced the organization’s 10-point plan titled “Strong Cities, Strong Families for a Strong America,” a compilation of the collective goals from mayors across the country. USCM hopes the dissemination of the plan will foster dialogue about the needs of the nation’s cities. American City & County talked with Palmer about the importance of local and federal government partnerships, his goals for the upcoming year and his idea of a strong America.
Q: What prompted USCM to compile the 10-point plan? What does the organization seek to accomplish?
A: After the Nov. 6 election, there was a big sea change in politics. [House] Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, was putting forth her agenda, [and] we looked at this as an excellent opportunity to come up with priorities that can make American cities strong. It was our hope that we’d put together a real action plan that we felt was good for America [so that] the new Congress and Senate would know exactly what mayors’ priorities are for their cities, families and America.
Q: What can local governments do to address violent crime and gun control in their communities?
A: Crime is down in most cities, even in my city, 27 percent. We’re working smarter [and using] CompStat [software to track crime areas]. However, police chiefs, mayors and our residents [have seen] an increase in homicides and crimes with guns. We have a responsibility to put our police officers on the street to try to reduce crime. We need our federal partners back. In the [1990s], police chiefs and mayors came together with the federal government to put more police on the street. [At that time], we saw a reduction in crime, and we now see the trend coming back.
Q: How has representing Trenton prepared you for your role with USCM?
A: It’s prepared me to understand full well how important cities are and how important family and education [are]. Having an education system that prepared me — as well as growing up in a [multi-cultural] town — [allowed] me to know people as people. It’s enabled me to learn how to work with all levels of government [and] mayors of both parties all across the country. [It’s] prepared me to bring people together [and] to push an agenda.
Q: What are your main goals for the organization this year?
A: We are preparing ourselves and are well-positioned already to make sure that American cities’ agenda will not be pushed on the back burner of this presidential election. We cannot shortchange what needs to happen in American towns to create jobs, to make our cities safer [and] more vibrant. In the presidential debate, American cities and domestic issues will be [as important as] what’s happening with our war on terror. [We want] the presidential candidates’ dialogue to reflect our priorities in the 10-point plan and [our goals for] American cities.
