January Newsletter
Local America Presidential Forum
December 6, Waterloo, IA
Now, more than ever, local leadership is critical to moving our nation forward. That's why Accelerator for America Action and the U.S. Conference of Mayors hosted the Local America Presidential Forum —a first-of-its-kind, multi-candidate forum focused on the issues most important to American cities and towns. The Forum put Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Cory Booker, Secretary Julián Castro, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Businessman Tom Steyer in the hot seat, answering questions from an amazing roster of mayors from across the country in front of an audience of hundreds of Iowans and the national press corps:
· Mayor Pete Buttigieg — Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago, IL
· Senator Cory Booker — Mayor Bob Scott, Sioux City, IA
· Secretary Julián Castro — Mayor Andy Schor, Lansing, MI
· Senator Amy Klobuchar — Mayor Quentin Hart, Waterloo, IA
· Businessman Tom Steyer — Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City, MO
Our Advisory Council Chair, Mayor Eric Garcetti, served as the evening's emcee, and the audience was also welcomed by Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, MI, and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. They were joined in Waterloo by Mayor Shane Bemis, Gresham, OR; Mayor Luke Bronin, Hartford, CT; Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville, KY; Mayor Quentin Hart, Waterloo, IA; Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago IL; Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City, MO; Mayor John Lundell, Coralville, IA; Mayor Andy Schor, Lansing, MI; Mayor Bob Scott, Sioux City, IA; and Mayor Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake County, UT.
Thank you to Mayor Quentin Hart for hosting us, all of the mayors who participated, and our partners for their ongoing support. For those who missed it, you can still watch the full forum here.
Forbes OZ 20
Congratulations to our partners at the Erie Downtown Development Corporation, the Flagship Opportunity Zone Development Corporation, Opportunity Alabama, and Blueprint Local for being recognized as Forbes OZ 20 Top Opportunity Zone Catalysts! The Top Opportunity Zone Catalysts comprises 20 innovative organizations and funds that are using the Opportunity Zones tax incentive to unlock transformative economic potential and create lasting change in America’s overlooked communities.
Read about all of the recognized change-makers here.
West Philly Skills Initiative
Accelerator for America partner and Director of Drexel University's Nowak Metro Finance Lab, Bruce Katz, and the Center for Public Impact's Megan Humes recently released the second in a series of City Cases from the Nowak Lab: West Philadelphia Skills Initiative — A Model for Urban Workforce Development. The case study examines the innovative WPSI model, which connects ambitious, under-resourced residents with specialized employers in West Philly and highlights key takeaways that can be adopted by workforce development institutions in other cities. Read the full City Case here.
"The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is a significant model for cities to adopt and adapt in creating income as a first step toward community wealth in some of our most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Its groundbreaking formula of employer-driven skill-building leverages its location in the heart of a global innovation district housing major hospitals and universities.”
— Bruce Katz, Accelerator for America partner & Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab
APTA Transit & Communities Workshop
December 15-17, Tampa, FL
At this premier convening of public transportation experts from across America, Accelerator for America Action Campaign Director for Transit & Infrastructure, Helen Hwang, joined former San Antonio Mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Henry Cisneros, Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project, and Megan Owens of Transportation Riders United for an insightful discussion on building opposition-proof transit coalitions. Helen has been traveling the country as part of our work to help cities win ballot initiatives that strengthen communities and build community wealth through investments in transportation infrastructure.
Transit & Infrastructure: Goals for 2020
Accelerator's work helped generate $22 billion in transit and infrastructure funding in 2018-2019. As we look ahead to 2020, we are working to participate in the passage of more than $150 billion, including in: Austin, TX; Cincinnati, OH; Pinellas County, FL; Orange County, FL; and the San Francisco Bay Area. Through our partnerships with leading organizations like HNTB and others, we have been able to expand our work to empower more regions across the country to fund critical local transit and infrastructure initiatives.
Looking Ahead
Slate-Z Opportunity Zone Convening
January 22, Los Angeles, CA
U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting
January 22-24, Washington, D.C.
Milken California Policy Summit
January 23-24, Sacramento, CA
In the News
The Philadelphia Citizen: From West Philly to the World
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier: Local issues at forefront during 5-candidate Local America...
CityLab: How to Grow the Wealth of Poor Neighborhoods From the Bottom Up
The Philadelphia Citizen: The Most Transformative Project in America
Medium: Opportunity Zones: An Imperfect Policy with Potential
Listen to Advisory Council member Mayor Nan Whaley's inspiring speech at the City Club of Cleveland last month.
Don't miss The Analytics of Hope in the Washington Post about the incredible data-driven work by our partners at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth that is building community wealth across New Orleans.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT...
And keep following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram as we create national change from the ground up, from coast to coast.