Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Blog

Louisville Mayor on American Jobs Act: There’s this Feeling of Hopelessness that We’ve Got to Address

Posted by Colleen Curtis on September 28, 2011 at 11:59 AM EDT

The Sherman Minton Bridge on Interstate 64 in Louisville, Kentucky has been closed for more than three weeks because of an emergency repair situation. Louisville's mayor, Greg Fischer, calls that situation "Exhibit A" for why America needs to be investing in our infrastructure now, and why he supports President Obama's American Jobs Act:

There’s a real sense of urgency right now. A lot of people have been out of work for a long period of time. Their savings are gone or practically gone. So they see where they thought they were going to be fitting in the American dream, and saying, “that may not happen to me anymore right now.” And so there’s this feeling of hopelessness that we’ve got to address, we can’t wait until the next election cycle. This is something the American people need today.

Watch Louisville Mayor Greg Fishcer Support the American Jobs Act, here.

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

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Mayor of Denver: American Jobs Act an "Opportunity for all Elected Officials to Put Aside Differences"

Posted by Colleen Curtis on September 27, 2011 at 9:52 AM EDT

Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado says there is no more important initiative that any elected official can be focused on than "trying to get America back to work, right now."

Hancock believes that "this Job Act is an opportunity for all elected officials at every level but particularly here in Washington, in Congress and the White House, to finally put aside our differences and stand again for the people of America and begin to put them to work."

President Obama will be in Denver today to speak about the American Jobs Act, his plan that will immediately put workers back on the job and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, and Hancock says that what benefits Denver in the package is "going to be the same thing that benefits all cities across this country large and small, you give employers the incentive to bring people on the payroll."

Watch Denver Mayor Michael Hancock Support the American Jobs Act, here:

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

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America's Mayors Are in Sync: Congress Must Work on a Bipartisan Basis to put America Back on Track

Posted by Colleen Curtis on September 26, 2011 at 12:39 PM EDT

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California says that the residents of his city are united in their message to him, and to elected officials in Washington: "Job #1 is to create the jobs they need going into the future."

And the American Jobs Act is a step in that direction. "America’s mayors are in sync with the President and his call to work on a bipartisan basis to put America back on track," according to Villaraigosa, who is President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Watch Los Angeles Mayor Vilaraigosa Supports the American Jobs Act, here.

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

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Mayor of Baltimore: American Jobs Act Will Help Us Grow Out of Recession

Posted by Rachel Kopilow on September 23, 2011 at 4:55 PM EDT

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says the country needs the American Jobs Act in order to “grow out of this great recession.” As an older city, Baltimore has tremendous infrastructure needs and its mayor believes the $50 billion investment in rebuilding that is a core component of the Jobs Act will make the streets and schools of her city “safer for generations to come.” Rawlings-Blake also applauds the Jobs Act’s focus on offering relief to small business owners, who she says are the “backbone” of Baltimore's economy.

Watch Mayor Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore support the American Jobs Act, here.

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

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Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley: 19,000 Reasons Why the President’s Plan is a Win

Posted by Jewel James on September 23, 2011 at 3:51 PM EDT

Governor Martin O’Malley echoes the President’s call for Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, by explaining just how much the Presidents’ plan would benefit citizens of Maryland. The Governor agrees that passing the American Jobs Act is vital to growing our economy and creating jobs, will put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans. In fact, in Maryland alone, an estimated 19,000 people would be put back to work and a typical household would receive a tax cut of approximately $1980.

Watch Maryland Govenor Martin O'Malley, here.

Learn more about the impact of the American Jobs Act on Maryland and other states here.

Jewel James is the Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs

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Mayor of Cincinnati: Citizens Are "Very Excited" about American Jobs Act

Posted by Colleen Curtis on September 22, 2011 at 2:06 PM EDT

Watch the video of Cincinnati Mayor Mallory speaking on the American Jobs Act.

President Obama is heading to Cincinnati, Ohio today to talk about the American Jobs Act -- a program the mayor of that city says will benefit Cincinnati. Mayor Mark Mallory said that he -- and the citizens of his city -- are "very excited" about the possibility of the Jobs Act because the President's plan will enable Cincinnati to keep firefighters and police officers on the job.p>

Mallory specifically refers to the provisions in the Act that provide funds for infrastructure, and says Cincinnati's "very large, very old" Brent Spence Bridge needs to be replaced.

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

Learn more about Economy