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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor Nickels Elected Vice President of U.S.Conference of Mayors
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
6/24/2008 3:40:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor Nickels Elected Vice President of U.S.Conference of Mayors
Will serve as president of the national organization in 2009
SEATTLE-Mayor Greg Nickels has been elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) at the organization’s annual meeting in Miami. The post puts Nickels in position to lead the USCM when he becomes conference president next June.
“By taking a leadership role in the conference, I’m more able to advocate for solutions that work for Seattle, from transportation to affordable housing to global warming,” said Nickels. “Cities need a strong voice in the new federal administration, and we need to make sure Congress and the White House understand the potential and challenges of our urban areas.”
The USCM is the official nonpartisan organization of 1,139 cities with populations of 30,000 or more. It promotes the development of effective national policy, provides mayors with leadership and management tools; and creates a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.
As the USCM president, Nickels will set its agenda, appoint committee and task force chairs and serve as its national spokesperson.
During the four-day annual meeting that closed today, mayors from across the country heard from Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Senator Barack Obama, as well as former President Bill Clinton.
Since his election in 2001, Nickels has been an active member of the conference. In 2005, he launched the USCM’s Climate Protection Agreement, a pledge taken by more than 850 mayors to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets to reduce climate pollution. In Miami this weekend, Nickels sponsored a successful resolution that called on Congress to create a meaningful greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system.
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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