Mayors call on Congress to prioritize serving local community over politics

Mayors from across the country called on Congress to prioritize serving local communities over party politics at The Hill’s “Future of Cities: Mayor’s Forum” on Thursday.

Four mayors representing both large and small cities spoke to The Hill Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack about the issues facing their communities as they emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and look to tackle challenges like infrastructure, climate change and affordable housing. 

“Mayors just got to get the job done,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D). “The people see us each and every day. They don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican when they’re talking about a pothole or talking about making sure that your garbage is picked up on time.” 

Dickens said Washington, D.C., has a “political lens” of partisanship, but that local communities don’t venture into that realm until election season. He said he has his own partisan preferences, but most mayors are talking about issues like infrastructure, public safety, crime and housing stability and affordability. 

Arlington, Texas, Mayor Jim Ross, who ran for the office as a nonpartisan candidate, echoed Dickens, saying that members of Congress should follow mayors’ lead in taking actions to address the problems that are facing their communities instead of actions that just appeal to their political party. 

Ross repeated a statement from Thomas Cochran, the executive director and CEO of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in telling Congress to “act like a mayor.” 

The Hill event took place as mayors from throughout the country are meeting in Washington, D.C., for the conference’s annual winter meeting to discuss common issues facing their communities. 

Ross said Cochrane’s statement means that lawmakers should speak in a nonpartisan way and avoid taking actions that will only rile up their political party’s base. 

“Do the things that are important to your community. Make a difference in the community,” he said. “And that’s what I love about this conference. That’s what I love about my fellow mayors in this country. 

“Because I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, an independent or a Republican,” he said. “We all have the same desire, and that’s to benefit our community.” 

Ross said mayors are the only group of politicians that do not focus on party politics. He said he is “tired” of party politics, along with most of the American people. 

He said the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed with support from both parties and was signed into law in 2021, was “critically important” to “build a foundation” for communities to grow. 

James Hovland (D), the mayor of Edina, Minn., said a “silver lining” of the COVID-19 pandemic was a bipartisan commitment to restore and advance transportation infrastructure and broadband capabilities on a national level. 

He said the country has “a lot of work to do” on parts of infrastructure like ports, roads and bridges. 

Hovland said President Biden’s call for the country to establish nationwide broadband access came from a notion discussed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

He also emphasized that government can still have accomplishments during periods of divided government, noting that divided government has been typical in Minnesota.

“You can find that common ground just like President Biden did with Congress with some of these things that he wanted bipartisan support on and was able to achieve, and I think we can continue to find some of that common ground on some of these issues,” Hovland said.

He said some of the issues include technology, diversity and housing affordability. He said local officials are “clamoring” for states and the federal government to take steps to make housing more affordable, but action has not been seen much on the federal level yet.