WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) ─ In the midst of a partisan divide in the nation’s capital, 270 mayors from around the country joined together in Washington D.C. Wednesday to find common ground.
The mayors, from large metropolitan cities to small towns, gathered to discuss best practices and solutions to issues impacting communities across the nation.
“This year I think what’s unique is the backdrop of this meeting, you have the historic impeachment, you have presidential candidates who are coming to talk about their vision for America,” Richard David, mayor of Binghamton, New York, said. “This nation is a collection of cities large and small and if the cities succeed, the nation succeeds.”
David said whether it’s addressing infrastructure needs, housing affordability or even fighting to save Minor League Baseball teams, the issues Binghamton faces aren’t unique to his town.
“We share a lot of commonalities no matter the size of our cities,” Kathy Sheehan, mayor of Albany, New York, said.
Sheehan said another major concern for cities across the country is a shortage of law enforcement officers.
“Right now, there’s a crisis in many places in this country, where we’re having difficulty recruiting people to become police officers, so we’re sharing practices that have worked in places around that,” Sheehan said.
The mayors say there’s a lot more work to be done to address the issues in their communities, but they gathering this week is a great first step.
