Mayors to Presidential Candidates

Let’s Talk Infrastructure - Seite 3

“As mayors, we understand the importance of using every tool available to make our cities more vibrant, livable, and sustainable places. The Opportunity Zones program is one tool that promises us a chance to direct untapped sources of capital towards the places that need it most," said Mayor Greg Fischer. "As we work together on our shared mayoral priorities, I want to thank my peers for recognizing Louisville’s work. As Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I welcome our continued collaboration to build a more equitable country together. I'd also like to thank Boston University for their partnership and hard work to conduct these interviews of 119 mayors with academic rigor. The Menino Survey will undoubtedly help to inform mayors’ work as we move forward in 2020.”

The 2019 Menino Survey of Mayors was released today by the Boston University Initiative on Cities at an event at the National League of Cities’ City-County Leadership Center in Washington, DC. The survey, named after the late Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino and supported by Citi Community Development and The Rockefeller Foundation, is an annual project to understand the most pressing needs and policy priorities of America’s mayors from large and mid-size (over 75,000 residents) cities. In total, 119 mayors from 38 states were interviewed throughout the summer of 2019, providing a representative sample of mayors and cities nationally.

“We have a long history of working to advance economic stability and mobility in U.S. cities, and Boston University has been a great partner in providing the qualitative and quantitative data needed to help The Rockefeller Foundation and other investors more effectively focus our resources on people and communities in urban centers across the United States,” said Otis Rolley, Acting Senior Vice President of U.S. Equity & Economic Opportunity at The Rockefeller Foundation.

The full report from the survey, including results on opportunity zones and the future of work, can be found here.

About the Initiative on Cities

The Boston University Initiative on Cities catalyzes the social, natural, computational and health sciences to conduct research in, on and with cities in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive urban transformation. Founded by a proven urban leader, the late Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino, and a highly regarded academic, Professor Graham Wilson, the Initiative serves as a bridge between academic research and the real-life practice of city governance. Additional information may be found at www.bu.edu/ioc and at www.surveyofmayors.com.