https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

News


News

Three U.S. cities among Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge winners

Three U.S. cities among Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge winners

  • Written by Michelle M. Havich
  • 21st January 2022

Bloomberg Philanthropies recently announced the 15 winning cities of its 2021-2022 Global Mayors Challenge, which includes three U.S. cities—Paterson, N.J.; Phoenix; and Rochester, Minn. The 15 winners are being recognized for designing bold and ambitious urban innovations emerging from the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The winning cities submitted innovative ideas that addressed one or more of four current issue areas in cities including economic recovery and inclusive growth; health and wellbeing; climate and environment; and gender and equality. Each city will be awarded $1 million dollars in addition to technical support and coaching over three years to bring their ideas to life.

“As the world works to address the profound public health and economic effects of the ongoing pandemic, cities can implement innovative ideas at a pace that national governments simply can’t match,” Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. and former mayor of New York City, said in a statement. “Our 15 winners offer bold, achievable plans to improve health, reduce unemployment, empower women, and more. Collectively, they have the potential to improve millions of their residents’ lives—and the most successful solutions will inspire cities around the world to embrace them.”

Paterson, N.J.
In response to residents struggling with opioid use disorder, Paterson, N.J. is creating RealFix, a program that will make Suboxone, a medication that can alleviate withdrawal symptoms, reduce cravings and protect against overdose more readily available within 90 minutes, through a coordinated effort among police, first responders, hospitals and pharmacies. The hope is that RealFix will have long-lasting impact on the well-being of residents because without an immediate alternative to opioids, the addicted will do almost anything to get drugs, including committing other crimes like robbery, prostitution and dealing drugs. But with relief from withdrawal and a real fix available in just 90 minutes, for the first time anywhere, they have a true alternative.

“Paterson is committed to becoming a city of solutions and this award not only proves it but it will also help us save lives.” Mayor Andre Sayegh said in a statement. “We are hopeful that our innovative idea will serve as a global model for other cities who are also addressing the opioid epidemic.”

Phoenix
The winning entry from the City of Phoenix is the deployment of Mobile Career Units (CMU) that provide targeted support to job seekers where they live in an effort to bridge the divide between job seekers and potential employers. The CMU provide trainings, interview opportunities, translation services and connections to employers ready to hire on the spot.

“Global talent shortages are at a 15-year high, with one in three employers citing difficulty filling jobs. So, in Phoenix, we got creative and focused on coming up with new ways for employers and job seekers to connect,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement. “Pilots of the Mobile Career Unit have successfully demonstrated it provides employers with skilled talent and results in ‘on-the-spot’ hires. This innovative approach holds great promise for getting the people of Phoenix into good jobs, and I believe it will serve as a model for communities around the world.”

Rochester, Minn.
In Rochester, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) women make up 13 percent of the population, yet fill less than 1 percent of available construction jobs. The Rochester project focuses on the economic mobility of BIPOC women through careers in construction fields. Construction is a key pathway to economic recovery and sustainable job growth. For example, the city’s $6 billion Destination Medical Center (DMC) economic development initiative is expected to generate new construction jobs over 20 years.

Mayor Kim Norton said in a statement, “We are so very honored and excited to be selected as one of the top 15 cities selected. Advancing the work in our proposal will allow us to address the marked disparities that exist for BIPOC women in Rochester. It will also help meet the needs of the construction and built environment industries that are vital to our growing community and in advancing the new federal infrastructure investment.”

All winning cities will now enter a three-year implementation period with a $1 million grant and technical assistance. During this time, the cities will work to evolve and scale their ideas into a real-life program to improve residents’ lives. Cities will also work to share their ideas with additional cities around the world.

In a statement, James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, “The Mayors Challenge shows that there can be a positive legacy to emerge from all the hardship of the past two years—and that it’s happening in our cities. Now we turn to help these mayors implement their ideas, evaluate and spread the ideas that produce big impact.”

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-2 homepage-featured-4 Administration News Public Safety Public Works & Utilities Administration Economy News Public Safety Public Works & Utilities News

Most Recent


  • Report: Nearly 95 percent of America's mayors face harassment, threats and violence
    In today’s divided socioeconomic landscape—one that’s rife with political angst—harassment of mayors has become commonplace, especially against minority leaders. Women mayors and mayors of color face more frequent and acute incidents of harassment and violence, according to new research from the advocacy organizations Equity Agenda and the Mayors Innovation Project. Nearly half of all women mayors […]
  • Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don't touch their retirement plans for a decade
    Once retired, nearly half of public sector employees aren’t taking any action with their defined contribution retirement plan funds for at least a decade, according to research from Mission Square Research Institute, which included the analysis of more than 100,000 public service data records. In their first ten years of retirement, researchers found that 48 […]
  • budget
    Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity
    When you think of municipal budgets, the first thing that comes to mind is likely numbers. Many rows and many columns of numbers. But veteran municipal leaders know that successful budgets are about far more than numbers—they’re about quality of life and opportunities for every person in a community. For this reason, the budget process […]
  • Victims of Surfside condo collapse settle for nearly $1B in class action lawsuit
    Nearly $1 billion—that’s how much victims of last year’s Surfside, Fla. condo collapse will receive, lawyers representing victims in a class action lawsuit announced unexpectedly Wednesday in a courtroom hearing. It’s among the largest settlements from a single incident in U.S. history. “We all know there is no amount of money in the world that […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • 24 U.S. mayors selected for Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
  • Columbus completes Smart City Challenge, looks to the future as collaborative innovation lab 
  • Cities can make energy efficiency programs green and equitable
  • Two U.S. cities receive global Bloomberg Philanthropies innovation grant

White papers


The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media

16th May 2022

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet

16th May 2022

Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence dlvr.it/SQTn2z

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media dlvr.it/SQTdCK

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet dlvr.it/SQSqXG

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don’t touch their retirement plans for a decade dlvr.it/SQKMjp

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity dlvr.it/SQJgZz

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Victims of Surfside condo collapse settle for nearly $1B in class action lawsuit dlvr.it/SQJffb

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Impact investing merges making money with making a social impact dlvr.it/SQGBgv

12th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amazon Business caters to the public sector with technology-driven features and benefits dlvr.it/SQF2Gm

12th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X