Councilmember Priscilla Tyson Attends National League of Cities Congressional City Conference; President Obama Announces New Initiative
For Immediate Release
March 13, 2015
Contact
John Ivanic
614-645-6798
WASHINGTON – As a member of the Executive Committee
of the National League of Cities Board, Councilmember Tyson, who chairs City Council's Finance, Health and Human Services, and Workforce Development committees, joined more
than 2,000 city officials and delegates who convened in Washington, D.C
this week for the 50th annual National League of Cities (NLC) Congressional City Conference. During
the conference, city leaders have more than 100 meetings with members of
Congress and their staffs.
“The conference is a great opportunity to advocate for
policies that will move our local governments forward,” said Councilmember
Tyson. “In addition, this forum allows us to share best practices and ideas
about what is working well in cities across the country.”
Councilmember Tyson participated in a Capitol Hill briefing
on the critical importance of passing a long-term, multi-modal transportation
bill that ensures local governments have control over decision-making in their
communities.
Councilmember Tyson is President- Elect of the National
League of Cities/National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.
Tyson also chaired the Celebrate Diversity Breakfast, a program developed as a
way to acknowledge and nationally recognize the innovation and commitment that
local municipal leaders have demonstrated to implement cultural diversity
programs. The keynote speaker of the breakfast was Michelle Bernard
Chairman, Founder, President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics
and Public Policy.
During the conference, President
Barack Obama addressed delegates to thank local leaders for many
partnerships and connections that unite all levels of government working to
make our communities, and our country, stronger. During his address, President
Obama introduced a new initiative, TechHire,
to educate and empower Americans with the skills they need to compete in a 21st
century economy.
"Success is going to rest on folks like you -- on
mayors, councilmembers, local leaders -- because you've got the power to bring
your communities together and seize this incredible economic development
opportunity that could change the way we think about training and hiring the
workers of tomorrow," said President Obama .
“President Obama’s visit comes at a time when federal
leaders are ‘going local’ by partnering with cities on initiatives that build
stronger communities and improve the lives of our residents,” said NLC
President Ralph Becker, mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Several cabinet officials addressed the conference,
including several former local leaders:
- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson
- U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
- U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy
- U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell
- U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez
- U.S. Housing & Urban Secretary Julián Castro
The conference schedule included a town hall event March 10
for the new Race, Equity & Leadership (REAL) initiative. REAL was
created after recent events prompted many city leaders to examine the critical
issues of race and equity and how it impacts our society. In the town hall
event, city and community leaders examined how racial biases affect
communities, policies, systems and structures including law enforcement and the
criminal justice system.
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The National
League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better
communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and
villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.