Mayors Landrieu, Emanuel, Whaley, Benjamin, Giles, Fischer: “We Are The Tip of the Spear in this Crisis” Bipartisan Mayors from Red and Blue States Share What Works – and What Doesn’t – to Fight Epidemic

WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over 50 of the nation’s leading mayors will convene tomorrow in New Orleans to call on Governor Christie’s opioid commission to include Republican and Democratic mayors if it’s going to be effective. Mayors, including Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, President of the US Conference of Mayors; Mayor Steven Benjamin of Columbia, SC, Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors; Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, MI, Second Vice Presidet of the US Conference of Mayors; Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago, IL; Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH; Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville; Mayor John Giles of Mesa, AZ;  and will cite the fact that it’s mayors in cities large and small who are doing the work to fight the opioid epidemic every day – and will detail what’s effective on their own streets in fighting the scourge that’s gripping America’s streets and decimating cities and towns. Yesterday, President Trump announced a national state of emergency in the country’s opioid crisis, which many mayors and governors across the country have done over the past year. Mayors will formally send a letter to President Trump and Governor Christie underlining their demands for inclusion and readiness to work.

 

Later in the day, Mayor Landrieu will host a bipartisan coalition of mayors, including Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, IN; Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, TX; Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta, GA; Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas, TX and Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC to discuss public safety, bridging urban and rural communities, infrastructure and technology, among other topics. Friday panels are open to press.

 

A full list of events can be found below.

 

WHAT:                  USCM 2017 Summer Leadership Meeting

 

WHO:                     Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, USCM President; Mayor Stephen Benjamin of Columbia, SC, USCM Vice President; Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, MI, USCM Second Vice President; Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas; Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH; Mayor Jorge Elorza of Providence, RI; Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston; Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, IN; Mayor Richard Berry of Albuquerque; Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC; Mayor John Giles of Mesa, AZ; and more.

 

WHEN:                  Thursday, August 10, 2017- Saturday, August 12, 2017

 

WHERE:               Hyatt Regency Hotel, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA

 

PRESS GUIDANCE:

• The Thursday evening event and sessions on Friday are OPEN for media coverage. All other evening events and sessions are CLOSED to press.
• Note: Friday sessions will be live streamed[JF1] .

PRESS CONFERENCE ON OPIOIDS:

Time: Friday, August 11, 2017 at 10: 15 am CDT

Location: Empire D, Level Two, Hyatt Hotel

Who: USCM Leadership and attending Mayors

 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11

 

Opening Remarks

8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

Featuring: USCM President Mitch Landrieu (NOLA), Mayor Steve Benjamin (Columbia, SC), Mayor Bryan Barnett (Rochester Hills, MI), Tom Cochran (USCM), Michael Brown (RAI/Reynolds American)

 

Tackling the Opioid Epidemic in America’s Cities

8:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Featuring: USCM President Mitch Landrieu (NOLA), Mayor Nan Whaley (Dayton, OH), Joyce Linehan (Boston), Mike Potestio (Adapt Pharma), Dr. Josh Sharfstein (Johns Hopkins University)

 

Press Conference

10:15 a.m.

 

Creative Infrastructure Financing for America’s Cities

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Featuring: Mayor Kasim Reed (Atlanta, GA), Brent Booker (Building Trades Association), Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. (American Public Transportation Association), Norma Jean Mattei (American Society of Civil Engineers)

 

Equitable Development: Bridging the Divide between Urban & Rural Communities

2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

Featuring: Angela Glover Blackwell (Policy Link)

 

The Impact of Globalization and Technology on Cities’ Economic Growth and Workforce Preparedness  

2:50 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Featuring: Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, IN), Amy Liu (Brookings Institution), Deborah Elam (General Electric Company), Michael Chui (McKinsey & Company)

 

Working Session: Violence as a Public Health Threat

4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Featuring: David Kennedy (City University of New York), Dr. Gary Slutkin (University of Illinois-Chicago), Michael Harrison (New Orleans Police Department)

 

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About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

 

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/19852634-84a9-4842-936f-b0ac4ce15a5c

Elena Temple
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
202-286-1100
etemple@usmayors.org

Sara Durr
Durr Communications
202-215-1811
sara@durrcommunications.com