Columbia, SC Mayor Benjamin to deliver Sussman Lecture Oct. 30

Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Stephen Benjamin will discuss the evolving role of American mayors in today’s political environment, race relations, immigration and other top issues facing American cities at The Harkin Institute’s Sussman Lecture on Oct. 30 at Drake University. Benjamin and the city of Columbia have confronted many of the social issues faced by local governments across the country,…

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U.S. Conference of Mayors Supports the Mayor of San Juan in Addressing Puerto Rico’s Humanitarian Crisis

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released the following statement in support of the Mayor of San Juan in addressing Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis: “Attacking our leaders on the ground during one of America’s greatest humanitarian crises is not leadership, and it’s not going to help the 3.4 million Americans in Puerto Rico get the relief they need. The White…

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9 Mayors on What Washington Can Learn From Local Government

Our national political environment might be paralyzed by partisanship, culture-war posturing, and erratic leadership, but our cities tend to be resilient, even when they’re flash points for national disasters, both natural and man-made. At least that’s the perspective of many mayors. One Saturday morning in early August, nine who were in New Orleans for the U.S. Conference of Mayors gave…

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Mayor of Columbia says statue of J. Marion Sims should come down

By Caitlin Byrd cbyrd@postandcourier.com Aug 16, 2017 The Confederate battle flag came down from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds two years ago, but Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said Tuesday night that another controversial marker in the state capital should be removed. “There are some statues on our Statehouse grounds that I find wholly offensive,” the mayor told MSNBC host Chris…

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What does it mean for Columbia that its mayor was chosen to lead national group?

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin is next in line to become the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and to bring a leadership meeting here next year. The advocacy group for municipalities on Monday elected Benjamin its vice president Monday during its annual meeting in Miami Beach, his office announced. “This is a wonderful and unique opportunity for our city…

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