NLC Calls for Hometown Economic Stimulus Package

In an address at the Congress of Cities in Orlando, Fla., NLC President Kathleen Novak, mayor of Northglenn, Colo., called on local officials to urge their members of Congress to partner with local governments on a hometown economic stimulus package.

“I call on each of you to take this call for economic stimulus endorsed by the NLC Board of Directors yesterday and share it with your members of Congress,” Novak said to 4,000 delegates gathered in Orlando. “Call them this week while you are here in Orlando. Tell them why a hometown stimulus package is important for your community.”

NLC released an issue brief on recovery this morning, detailing the request for a hometown economic stimulus package. Click here to view the brief.

A hometown stimulus package would include funding for ready-to-go infrastructure projects, support to individuals and adequate access to the financial markets for cities and towns. This would help create jobs and restore economic stability to America’s hometowns and the nation.

“Funding for airports, highways, transit, trains, clean water, sewers, school facilities and housing creates jobs and enhances the safety and competitiveness of our nation,” Novak said. “As city leaders, we know we’ve got capital projects that are and have been ready to go but for the resources to move forward. As city leaders, we also know that we’ve got individuals ready to go to work. With additional funding in a stimulus package, we can make much needed investments in our aging infrastructure, and we can help put our residents back to work.”

The general session also included an address by former White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, who saluted NLC’s call for economic recovery.

“I think it is a significant blueprint for action,” Duberstein said. “It is timely and it is important. Get to it now with your members of Congress.”

Duberstein’s speech to the conference focused on Presidential transitions. He said he is impressed with President-elect Barack Obama’s quick start on a transition and that it appears Obama took a page from former President Ronald Reagan’s transition process.

The entire general session can be viewed on NLC TV. Click here for a copy of Mayor Novak's speech.

Agenda for the Nation
NLC President Novak also spoke of NLC’s Agenda for the Nation, a series of briefs on issues important to cities and towns as the country moves toward a new Presidential Administration. Click here to view the Agenda for the Nation.

Novak spoke on the importance of a partnership among all levels of government, in particular on the issues of: housing; infrastructure; health care; sustainability; reducing poverty and providing economic opportunity; safety and crime prevention; and immigration.

The session also included a look back on the year from former NLC President Cynthia McCollum, whose term ended last week. During her year as president, she reached out to both Presidential campaigns to make sure the voices of cities and towns were heard.

“Our success this year has been in demonstrating that the health of our cities, of our hometowns, is what determines the health of this nation,” McCollum said. “The big issues of the day are played out on our streets, in our homes, and in our commercial and retail districts. What happens in Washington doesn’t stay in Washington – what happens in Washington affects each and every one of us everyday…and so we really are the best gauge of what works – and what doesn’t.