By Sam Johnson, Civint CEO
The US Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) 93rd Winter Meeting in Washington, DC, January 17 – 19 was action packed. As always, Civint was well represented at the conference. Joining me were Rania Jamison, our COO; Reyahd Kazmi, our Chief Strategy Officer; and Carrie Patch, our Client Services Coordinator.
President Biden’s Farewell
On Friday, we heard from President Joe Biden in one of his last public appearances. President Biden thanked the mayors from across the country who have led on critical issues during his presidency. And, notably, he thanked the mayors who have served with his Administration – including Civint’s founder, Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, SC.
Exploring Housing and Transportation
Subsequently, USCM directly addressed policy matters, discussing significant challenges facing our nation, such as housing and transportation.
In the context of housing, USCM examined the decades of inadequate investment, coupled with surges in housing costs during the pandemic. Consequently, rising expenses have rendered housing unaffordable for a substantial portion of the American population. The session provided research and data on the current state of the housing crisis, highlighted recent trends, and identified interventions to support housing initiatives in urban areas.
Further, in the transportation session, USCM explored the upcoming renewal of the federal surface transportation law and the extension of the broader Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (IIJA law). These legislative developments will define the parameters and scope of future federal investments in the nation’s highway, public transit, and intercity rail systems.
World Cup Host City Updates
On Saturday, USCM dove into exciting topics like FIFA’s World Cup and the power of Public Private Partnerships (P3s) as a conduit for cities to get things done.
FIFA officials briefed the mayors about the 2025 and 2026 World Cup host cities and potential training base camp cities. Updates included planning progress, top issues for the incoming Congress and new Administration, and Federal funding support for host cities.
Power of P3s
At the conference, Mayor Andre Dickens, chair of the P3 Task Force, facilitated a discussion on the legislative and advocacy priorities of the Conference of Mayors’ P3 policies. The session introduced mayors to the new players in the upcoming Administration and explored opportunities for collaboration between cities and these entities.
As a reminder, Civint helped work alongside the US Conference of Mayors to establish the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Task Force created in 2022. The goal of the Task Force is to raise awareness of P3 opportunities and challenges when investing in local infrastructure, particularly in light of significant federal funding that had been made available by Congress.
And the fun stuff …
On Friday evening, Civint welcomed more than 30 mayors from 18 states and friends to our “Sweet Suite” where we partnered with Candy USA to offer sweets and a fun way to wrap up the day. This event has become a go-to for mayors (and the only “non-official” conference event taking place in the host hotel) to conclude their busy day of meetings and learning.
