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NEWS SECTIONS: World news | Election news | News from Europe | News from North America | News from Latin America | News from Asia and Australia | News from Africa | Urban events | NEWS SPECIALS: Local elections in England & Wales 2008 | London elections 2008 | Latest news story | London and Glasgow terrorist attacks 2007 |Chicago hosts US-Arab
conference of mayors
Chicago, 28 April 2008: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is hosting the first-ever conference of mayors from the US, Canada and Arab countries. At the US-Arab Cities Forum, which is taking place from 28 to 30 April, city leaders will discuss how their local economies can compete successfully in a global society. Mayor Daley and Chicago's Sister City partners, Mayor Omar Maani of Amman, Jordan, and Mayor Mohamed Sajid of Casablanca, Morocco will be sharing sessions, to be attended by more than 50 municipal leaders from the United States, Canada and the Arab world.
Mayor Daley told reporters that mayors and leaders of municipal government from around the world shared the same challenges. "We are on the front lines when it comes to dealing with issues like transportation, education, crime and the environment on behalf of our residents," he said.
Omar Maani, Mayor of Amman, stressed that it was important that cities from the Arab world and North America established close contacts. "We are looking forward to share experiences and best practices with our colleagues from the US and other Arab cities. The municipal challenges are relatively the same among all cities and our gathering during this forum will give us the opportunity to learn and share best practices to better serve our citizens," he explained.
The conference agenda focuses on three major topics: Economic development and quality of fife, education and youth as well as the environment and sustainability. "The Forum will give mayors a chance to hear from the experts and share innovations on these three critical issues," Mayor Daley said. (Report by PRNewswire and local journalists)
Jefferson County gains
reprieve from bankruptcy
Birmingham, Alabama, 17 April 2008: Jefferson County, Alabama, avoided bankruptcy by signing an agreement with its banks to delay repaying part of a US$53-million municipal bond, which fell due on 15 April. A series of controversial interest rate swaps, initiated by the County Commission's finance committee in 2002 and 2003 under former commissioner Larry Langford, were intended to lower interest payments, but, had in fact had the opposite effect, increasing the county's indebtedness to the point that officials have issued formal statements doubting the county's ability to meet its financial obligations.
Jefferson County, home of the city of Birmingham, is, with a population of more than 660,000, the most populated county in Alabama. The county is among the most indebted municipal governments in American history. Over $300 million in bonds were issued in order to make court-ordered improvements to the county-owned sanitary sewer system, which was overflowing into the Cahaba River.
In late February 2008 Standard & Poor's lowered their rating of Jefferson County bonds to ‘junk’ status. In early March 2008, Moody's followed suit and indicated that it would also review the county's ability to meet other bond obligations. On 7 March 7, 2008, Jefferson County failed to post $184 million collateral as required under its sewer bond agreements, thereby moving into technical default.
Olympic torch relay hidden
from San Francisco public
San Francisco, 10 April 2008: Amid tight security, runners carried the Olympic torch through San Francisco yesterday, as protesters called attention to the human rights record of this year's Olympic host, China. Runners carrying the Olympic flame followed a truncated course that avoided protesters who criticized China's recent crackdown in Tibet, and others who decried China's support of the governments of Sudan and Burma, countries accused of human rights abuses. Yet other demonstrators, some of them members of San Francisco's large Chinese American community, waved Chinese flags in support of China. Many in both groups left without seeing the torch.
The relay got off to a late start on its only North American stop, and almost immediately, a runner deviated from the planned route along the waterfront and carried the torch into a waterside warehouse. It reappeared unexpectedly 1 1/2 kilometres inland. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had warned that the path could be changed up to the last minute, following the chaotic protests that marred the torch relay in London and Paris, Sunday and Monday.
The changes angered some in the crowd, but Newsom said they were necessary for the safety of both protesters and supporters of the Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials have complained about the sometimes-chaotic protests that have followed the torch relay, calling the demonstrations a political show.
The head of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said he had been saddened by violent protests in Europe but he believed the San Francisco relay had been an improvement. "It was, however, not the joyous party that we had wished it to be," he added.
The San Francisco relay came after two days of local protests, which included a rally Tuesday by critics of China's actions in Tibet. The next leg of the torch relay will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, 11 April. (Report by VoA News and local reporters)
Bloomberg vows to keep on
fighting for a greener city
New York 8 April 2008: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the decision by the State assembly not to give the go-ahead for a London-style congestion charge for parts of Manhattan shameful and described state legislators as cowards. "Yesterday was a sad day for New Yorkers and a sad day for New York City. Not only won't we see the realization of a plan that would have cut traffic, spurred our economy, reduced pollution and improved public health, we will also lose out on nearly $500 million annually for mass transit improvements and $354 million in immediate federal funds,” the mayor said.
The mayor also accused state politicians to allow federal subsidies to now be diverted to other US cities. “The $354 million we would have received from Washington tomorrow will go to another city in another state,” he said. Bloomberg also warned that all problems connected with motor congestion would get worse. But he said he was as committed as ever to go ahead with plans to reduce the carbon footprint of New York and green the city. “We will move forward on proposals to plant one million trees, introduce hybrid taxis and install green roofs on City buildings. Congestion pricing was just one part of our ambitious agenda,” he explained.
San Francisco mayor urges calm
ahead of arrival of Olympic torch
San Francisco, 8 April 2008: Two days before the arrival of the Olympic torch in San Francisco, seven Tibet independence activists were detained after three of them had scaled the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurled a large protest banner reading ‘One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 08’. The three climbers remained on the bridge for about two hours before coming down voluntarily. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defended the protests but urged pro-Tibet activists to remain within the law. “Public safety cannot be compromised,“ he said.
In a radio interview, the mayor also said that he expected further protests when the torch arrives in San Francisco on Wednesday, 9 April. He also stressed that the police reserved the right to ‘adjust’ the flame’s route, if necessary. "This route is not fixed. It will continue to change and it will change up until the torch is passed – and even during the middle of the route," the mayor explained.
After pro-Tibet protests in Olympia, Istanbul, London and, yesterday, in Paris, thousands of Tibet supporters from across North America are expected to arrive in San Francisco to demonstrate against China’s rule in Tibet. Supporters of the exiled Dalai Lama also demand that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must immediately withdraw Tibet from the Olympic torch relay route. “Carrying the Olympic torch through Tibet would exacerbate the crisis and cause yet more suffering for the Tibetan people," Tashi Sharzur, spokesman for Students for a Free Tibet said.
US government selects
twelve more solar cities
Denver, 6 April 2008: Denver and eleven other US cities, among them Houston, San Antonio and Sacramento, have been selected to become ‘Solar America Cities’. US energy secretary Samuel Bodman said that the government would make available US$2.4 million to the 12 cities. They will also receive technical help to install solar technology. The minister said he hoped the initiative would jumpstart the integration of solar energy and encourage other cities to follow suit.
Denver is one of the 12 cities that will be one of the Solar America Cities along with the Texas cities of Houston and San Antonio; and the California cities of Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa. The other cities are: Knoxville, Tennessee; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington.
The 12 new Solar America Cities join the 13 cities that were selected last year: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah and Tucson, Arizona as well as from California Berkeley, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny
County consider merger
Pittsburgh, 6 April 2008: A plan commissioned in October 2006 and published this month recommends the merger of the City of Pittsburgh with Allegheny County. Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the proposals made economic sense while the leader of Allegheny County, Dan Onorato, called the plan a significant and bold step for the region. Both leaders believe that local government consolidation would be a way to pull the region's economy out of a decades-old slide.
The plan to merge Pittsburgh with Allegheny County was prepared by a 13-member committee, overseen by Pittsburgh University chancellor Mark Nordenberg. After having studied the merger of Louisville (Kentucky) with neighbouring Jefferson County, the committee recommended that the city and county had to move to end duplication of services; form a cooperation compact to guide both governments beyond the terms of the current leaders; and then ask voters to approve the consolidation through a referendum.
However the president of Pittsburgh city council, Doug Shields, poured cold water over the plan. “It’s an essay without specifics,” he said. He described the proposals as not going far enough. “Instead of consolidating functions of city and county governments alone, the plan should extend to the other 129 municipalities in the county,” he explained.
Also sceptical of the proposals was Pennsylvania state parliamentarian, David Levdansky. He warned that anything that included suburban municipalities in a consolidation was doomed to fail. "There are about 1.2 million people in Allegheny County of which 300,000 live in Pittsburgh City. “The Pittsburghers would probably vote yes, while the other 900,000 would say they want no part of it,'' he predicted.
US cities join forces
to fight urban poverty
New York, 29 March 2008: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of Cities of Financial Empowerment (CFE), a coalition of city governments seeking to address and expand the role of municipal government in improving the financial health and security of residents on low and moderate incomes.
The CFE Coalition will be co-chaired by the City of New York led by Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz and the City of San Francisco led by Treasurer José Cisneros. They will be joined by the cities of Miami, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; and Seattle, Washington as the founding members of the coalition.
"CFE will provide us with a great opportunity to develop and share innovative solutions to one of the toughest challenges facing all cities: poverty," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This is not a problem that can be solved by the public sector alone, or the non-profit sector alone, or by any one city. It will require all of us - working together with the private sector - to find creative new ways to help more Americans increase their earnings and maximize their savings. By joining forces, our cities will spread best practices and strengthen our voice on Capitol Hill. Reducing poverty isn't easy, but we believe it is possible - if we are willing to embrace innovative new ideas and leverage the power of public-private partnerships."
"I'm pleased that San Francisco will serve as co-chair of the Coalition for Financial Empowerment," said Mayor Newsom. "This city has been home to many groundbreaking new ideas, and the Coalition will allow a venue to show the country that everyone deserves a chance to be successful."
Detroit mayor and former
aide charged with perjury
Detroit, 25 March 2008: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and official misconduct on Easter Monday. The criminal indictment by Wayne County prosecutor follows a sex scandal and a $8.4 million settlement of a whistle-blower lawsuit against the city. The mayor’s former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, was charged with perjury and obstructing the course of justice. The mayor is alleged to have had a sexual relationship with Ms Beatty.
Last year the mayor testified under oath that he and his former aide did not have a sexual relationship, however, text messages exchanged between Kilpatrick and Beatty appear to contradict the mayor’s testimony in court. Detroit City Council has urged Kilpatrick to resign and promised it could conduct its own enquiry into the scandal. "Certainly this is a huge distraction and it appears that it's going to be a long and bumpy ride for the city," Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel said.
However, the mayor has vowed to remain in office and fight the charges in court. He told reporters that he was deeply disappointed of the prosecutor’s decision. The mayor would lose his job if he was convicted. He could also be dismissed from office by the Michigan state governor.
Memphis mayor may
head back to school
Memphis, 22 March 2008: Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton announced his resignation in a letter to the city’s Chief Administrative Officer Keith McGee. In it, the mayor said that after much reflection and prayer, he knew it was time for to pursue other challenges. “Therefore, this personal letter serves to alert you of my plans to retire from the office of City Mayor on 31 July 2008,” he continued.
The mayor told waiting journalists that he had obviously given his tenure in office as mayor a great deal of reflection. “There are some other opportunities, one in particular that I would find more challenging. And also there are some private-sector opportunities that I’ve got to consider exploring as well, and I think now is the time.”
While there was speculation among his supporters and opponents that he may want to return to his old job as head of Memphis’ school system or even run for Congress, Herenton was not specific about future plans. He did, however, stress that he had a strong passion for education. “To be perfectly honest, I have been very concerned about conditions in the public school system. Under the right conditions, I could consider returning to the public school system. Quite frankly, that’s where my heart is,” he said.
No official confirmation yet of
Memphis mayor’s plan to resign
Memphis, 21 March 2008: There has been no official confirmation of reports that Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton planned to resign from office on 31 July. City Mayors has been given a copy of a letter supposedly sent on 19 March by the mayor to the city’s chief administration officer Keith McGee. In it the mayor writes: “After much reflection and prayer, I know it is time for me to pursue other challenges. Therefore, this personal letter serves to alert you of my plans to retire from the office of City Mayor on 31 July 2008.”
If the mayor were to resign, the city council would appoint an interim mayor and arrange for a special election.
Mayor Herenton, who has been a controversial figure by any standards, was re-elected to a fifth term of office last November. A former superintendent of the city’s schools system, there are those who would claim the “consummate politician” represents something of a public service role model for young black men, while critics continue to seek his removal from office. Herenton is long-listed for the 2008 World Mayor Award.
Detroit Mayor condemned
for using the word ‘nigger’
Detroit, 15 March 2008: Illinois State Attorney General Mike Cox became the latest highest-ranking public official to call for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to resign. The mayor, who was severly criticised by church and business leaders for using the word ‘nigger’, is also losing public support. In an a poll conducted among Detroiters, 54 per cent said Kilpatrick should leave, while 34 per cent said he should stay, with 12 per cent being unsure what he should do.
Earlier this week, at the end of his annual state of the city address, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick lashed out at his opponents and the news media in the aftermath of the scandal over his exchange of sexy test messages with a former top aide. At the end of his delivery, which dealt mainly with development plans and economic initiatives, Kilpatrick said he and his family had received threats and racial slurs in recent weeks. He also accused the media of putting their own ratings ahead of his family's safety with their intense coverage of the scandal.
In his criticism of the media the Mayor used America’s most frowned upon word, the N-word nigger. Media reports quote him as saying : “In the past 30 days, I've been called a nigger more than any time in my entire life. In the past three days I have received more death threats than I have in my entire administration. I've heard these words before, but I've never heard people say them about my wife and children. I don't believe that a Nielsen rating is worth the life of my children or your children. This unethical, illegal lynch-mob mentality has to stop.”
New York mayor makes it clear
he would NOT run for president
New York City, 28 February 2008: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has finally made it clear that he would not run for President in this year’s US elections. In a piece for the New York Times he wrote: "I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not – and will not be - a candidate for president." He also said that while he didn’t believe either the Democrats or the Republicans had all the answers, he was nevertheless hopeful that the current candidates running for president could rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership when they reached the White House.
Last summer, when the New York mayor left the Republican Party, he created much speculation of whether he would enter the presidential race as an independent. With his personal fortune estimated at US$11.5 billion, he would have had no difficulty in financing a national campaign himself. According to media reports he spent some $150 million to get elected mayor in 2001 and again in 2005.
Political commentators detected sighs of relief in the camps of the remaining two Democratic candidates, Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It was widely believed that a Bloomberg candidacy would have hurt the Democrats more than the Republicans in the same way that Green Party candidate Ralph Nader contributed to George Bush’s victory over the Democrat candidate Al Gore in 2000.
Trenton mayor considers legal action
against sub-prime mortgage lenders
Trenton, 23 February 2008: After the US cities of Baltimore and Cleveland filed a lawsuit against mortgage lenders, alleging they were liable for millions of dollars in damages for targeting minorities with sub-prime mortgages, which resulted in foreclosures (compulsory repossessions), Trenton mayor Douglas Palmer said he would consider similar actions. He told reporters that he was working with mortgage brokers to alleviate the crisis but he would resort to legal actions against lenders if necessary.
Mayor Palmer, who is the current president of the US Conference of Mayors, said: “I would not rule out our city entering into a lawsuit if we don't see movement in terms of helping people facing this crisis." The mayor warned of falling tax revenues as house values fall and feared crime and dilapidation will increase in the most affected neighbourhoods. Commenting on the actions taken by Baltimore and Cleveland, he said: "Certainly that is a way to go and there have been other mayors that are looking at avenues to do that." The mayor also criticised the US government for largely ignoring the problem.
Detroit mayor could
face recall campaign
Detroit, 21 February 2008: Detroit's embattled mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has become the subject of a recall campaign following a row over an extra-marital affair. Detroit resident Douglas Johnson, a candidate for the 2009 city council elections, submitted the required papers to the Wayne County Clerk's office, citing six petitionable actions by the mayor, including abuse of public funds. A number of outstanding investigations and potential legal suits against the mayor, mostly connected to the affair and alleged cover ups, carry felony convictions ranging from removal of office to up to 15 years in jail.
Explaining his efforts, "He has damaged the city dramatically," Johnson said. "That is the only way the city will start to recover." The wording of the petition must first be approved by the clerk's office before Johnson, a paralegal, can collect the 57,000 signatures required to force an election within 180 days. In addition to the challenge mounted outside of the city hall, Kilpatrick also faces an ethics board probe after the city's conduct panel green-lighted an anonymous complaint against the mayor to proceed in March. While the panel has little powers in law beyond administering censure of the mayor, it can recommend his removal from office to the city council.
The city council itself is currently locked in a constitutional battle over the city charter and where authority over its law officers resides, owing to its demands for the release of potentially perjurious text messages between the mayor and his lover, former chief of staff Christine Beatty. The city council and the law department are at odds over a legal appeal by the city to the state supreme court. "Life keeps going on," the mayor said at a recent awards ceremony for youngsters, vowing "This will be over soon."
New York City to eliminate
use of tropical hardwood
New York City, 19 February 2008: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the UN General Assembly, urging the world community to act without delay on climate change. He repeated his call for a carbon tax in the United States, suggested that his ideas for congestion pricing could be a model for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other world cities. He also announced a plan to reduce the city’s use of tropical hardwoods, calling tropical deforestation an ecological calamity.
Mayor Bloomberg pointed out that congestion pricing worked in cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore and would help New York. “Not only will the congestion pricing we proposed reduce the carbon emissions produced by autos, it will also clean our air, make our economy more productive and finance the new transit lines that we desperately need,” he said.
The mayor also announced a plan to reduce the city’s use of tropical hardwood by 20 per cent in the short term. His administration would increasingly eliminate the use of such woods in building and maintaining street furniture such as park benches. The city spent more than $1 million a year on such hardwoods, but would curb their use out of a sense of obligation to the environment, the mayor said
“New York, like many other cities, uses tropical hardwoods – in our case, for park benches, ferry landings, our extensive beach boardwalks, and also for the walkway on the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge,” the mayor explained. “The physical properties of these hardwoods, especially their durability and resistance to rot, make them ideal for such uses. And, as any engineer will tell you, once you’ve designed a structure for one material, you just can’t use a replacement; you’ve got to go back to the drawing board,” he detailed.
US cities launch database
in fight against illegal guns
New York City, 16 February 2008: Eleven cities along the US east coast are launching a database to combat the spread of illegal guns. The database will pool information collected from local police forces. It will come into operation during 2008. A spokesman for the group of cities, which includes New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, said that the database would make it more difficult for illegal gun dealers to do business throughout the Interstate 95 corridor.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who co-founded the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition together with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, said the federal government hadn’t done enough to curb the use of illegal guns. "This is exactly the kind of system that the federal government should be building for cities, but since they don't seem to be doing it, we are doing it on our own," he said. "Right now, cities are fighting largely in isolation." Batimore mayor Sheila Dixon agreed: "Violent crime, particularly gun crime, is not just a local problem, it’s a national problem."
However, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association, an organisation promoting the ownership of guns, said law enforcement already had more than enough tools to combat gun crimes and the project sounded more like a publicity stunt.
Mayor Bloomberg also told reporters that the mayors’ coalition had sent a questionnaire to presidential candidates asking what they would do to get illegal guns off the street, but none of the leading contenders had replied.
Detroit mayor insists
God was on his side
Detroit, 10 February 2008: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who last month came under strong pressure to resign over sexual relations with his chief of staff Christine Beatty, claimed in an radio interview that he was on assignment from God in his position as mayor. “Detroit is moving forward and I believe it is because of the team that has been assembled here and it is also because God is continuing to smile on us.”
The mayor continued to tell the radio interviewer that the person or the entity or God who put him there wanted him to quit. “I've never been a quitter and I'm not going to start now. So I'm not resigning,” Kilpatrick emphasised. However currently, a prosecutor is investigating whether the mayor and chief of staff lied under oath during a lawsuit last summer in which both denied having had a physical relationship. A conviction of lying under oath can bring up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Asked whether he would contest the next mayoral elections, Mayor Kilpatrick said that in 2009 people would have an opportunity to make a decision. “But I will make a case at that point to why I am the best person for the job,” he said. He continued to tell his audience that at this particular point he had an intention of being mayor. “You know until God tells me to do something else.”
More US cities considered
at risk from terrorist attacks
Washington DC, 4 February 2008: The US Homeland Security Department has increased the number of American cities and regions that may be under threat from terrorist attacks and therefore qualify for grants for counter-terrorism programmes. According to documents received by Associated Press, the number of supposedly threatened areas has been increased from 45 to 60.
The Homeland Security Department divides areas under risk into two categories: High risk and moderate risk. The seven cities in the high-risk category include New York City, Los Angeles and Washington DC. They can apply for grants worth some US$430 million. For the remaining 53 areas at risk, the US government has made available $352 million.
Among the cities and regions added to the 2008 list are Rochester and Syracuse (New York); Austin and Round Rock (Texas); Baton Rouge (Louisiana); Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford and Norwalk (Connecticut); Louisville and Jefferson County (Kentucky); Nashville, Davidson County and Murfreesboro (Tennessee); Richmond (Virginia); Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario (California); Salt Lake City (Utah); San Juan, Caguas and Guaynabo (Puerto Rico); and Toledo (Ohio).
The publication of the annual list always cause some controversy among US mayors. Leaders from the country’s biggest cities argue that the list is too long and that any money should go to the cities at greatest risk, while mayors from mid-size cities say terrorists don’t ignore targets just because they are small.
Detroit mayor apologises to wife
and constituents but refuses to quit
Detroit, 31 January 2008: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is hoping that a public apology from his local church, of all places, will be enough to save his job. Earlier it was disclosed that the mayor had sent sexy text messages to his chief of staff Christine Beatty. The messages seem to contradict a sworn statement made by the mayor that he had not had a physical relationship with Ms Beatty. Allegedly, the messages were exchanged over two-month periods in 2002 and 2003 and show the two were planning to meet in hotel rooms and recounting their sexual relations.
Holding his wife’s hand, the mayor said: “I truly apologise to you.” She may forgive her husband but whether the people of Detroit or the public prosecutor will be equally forgiving is a different matter. Currently, a prosecutor is investigating whether the mayor and chief of staff lied under oath during a lawsuit last summer in which both denied having had a physical relationship. A conviction of lying under oath can bring up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile City Mayors readers in Detroit have been expressing their outrage about the mayor’s behaviour: “Kwame Kilpatrick needs to resign. Sure, I understand that he has done great things for the city, but now his integrity is under question, again!” Or: “Please help our great City and step down. Nothing you can say will ever be believed, as you refuse to be honest. Step down and help the City you grew up in.”
So far the mayor refuses to resign. "Over the past few days, there has also been a lot of speculation about me resigning from office. Let me be clear tonight. I would never quit on you," he said.
This year's most outstanding mayors World Mayor
Chicago hosts US-Arab conference of mayors
Jefferson County gains reprieve from bankruptcy
Olympic torch relay hidden from San Francisco public
Bloomberg vows to keep on fighting for a greener New York
San Francisco mayor urges calm ahead of arrival of Olympic torch
US government selects twelve more solar cities
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County consider merger
US cities join forces to fight urban poverty
Detroit mayor and former aide charged with perjury
Memphis mayor may head back to school
No official confirmation yet of Memphis mayor’s plan to resign
Detroit Mayor condemned
for using the word ‘nigger’
New York mayor makes it clear he would NOT run for president
Trenton mayor considers legal action against sub-prime mortgage lenders
Detroit mayor could face recall campaign
New York City to eliminate use of tropical hardwood
US cities launch database in fight against illegal guns
Detroit mayor insists God was on his side
More US cities considered at risk from terrorist attacks
Detroit mayor apologises to wife and constituents but refuses to quit