Mayor Kevin Johnson Helping Shape Democratic Platform
Mayor Kevin Johnson traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota last Friday to speak before the Democratic National Committee's Platform Committee, which is charged with drafting the party's stance on key issues facing the nation. The platform will be voted on by Democratic delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte in September, which Johnson also will attend. With his remarks, Mayor Johnson represented the Democratic mayors of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the national organization that represents the city's leaders.
Mayor Johnson spoke on a variety of issues, including public safety, education, and infrastructure.
Below are excerpts from his remarks made on Friday:
"U.S. cities are global powerhouses. Some U.S. cities have greater economies than entire countries. New York has a larger economy than Mexico and South Korea; Los Angeles outpaces Switzerland while Chicago surpasses Sweden. And there are also many cities who metro economies are larger than entire states. Miami has a larger economy than Arizona; Houston’s GDP is higher than the state of Georgia.
"And these numbers will continue to grow in the decades to come, especially with a 32% increase in metro population expected over the next 30 years. Cities are where this country does its business, where its people live, and where its innovations are born. And it is essential for the federal government to strongly invest in cities if we hope to restart this nation’s economy.
"We as mayors stand ready to be part of the solution to put this country back on track. Just last week, mayors gathered in Philadelphia, for 2.5 days where we produced a report entitled “Building a Better America.” This document identified the 10 major areas of need for our cities. Mayor Nutter charged us to pare this list down to the 3 most important issues that define the urban agenda: our plan to stimulate the economy, put people back to
Mayor Johnson spoke on a variety of issues, including public safety, education, and infrastructure.
Below are excerpts from his remarks made on Friday:
"U.S. cities are global powerhouses. Some U.S. cities have greater economies than entire countries. New York has a larger economy than Mexico and South Korea; Los Angeles outpaces Switzerland while Chicago surpasses Sweden. And there are also many cities who metro economies are larger than entire states. Miami has a larger economy than Arizona; Houston’s GDP is higher than the state of Georgia.
"And these numbers will continue to grow in the decades to come, especially with a 32% increase in metro population expected over the next 30 years. Cities are where this country does its business, where its people live, and where its innovations are born. And it is essential for the federal government to strongly invest in cities if we hope to restart this nation’s economy.
"We as mayors stand ready to be part of the solution to put this country back on track. Just last week, mayors gathered in Philadelphia, for 2.5 days where we produced a report entitled “Building a Better America.” This document identified the 10 major areas of need for our cities. Mayor Nutter charged us to pare this list down to the 3 most important issues that define the urban agenda: our plan to stimulate the economy, put people back to