As National Discourse Becomes More Divisive, Mayors Take the Lead in Promoting Tolerance, Equality and Unity During its Annual Meeting in Boston, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) announced the establishment of the Mayors and Business Leaders Center for Inclusive and Compassionate Cities. The Center will focus on creating a strong and committed partnership between mayors and business leaders, identifying…
Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), led by USCM President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin and USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to increase, not decrease, refugee admission levels in 2019. The most recent policy adopted by USCM on this issue calls for admitting at least 100,000 refugees per…
250+ Mayors to Meet in Boston at USCM Annual Meeting From Friday, June 8th through Monday, June 11, 2018, more than 250 of the nation’s mayors will meet in Boston for the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Annual Meeting. Under the leadership of USCM President Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and host Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, mayors will discuss a…
The beginning of Infrastructure Week 2018 presents us with the perfect opportunity to highlight a major blow to community control and to local government infrastructure investment: the repeal of advance refunding of municipal bonds in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I deeply appreciate that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act maintained the century-old tax exemption for municipal bonds. State…
The two new leaders of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a Democrat and a Republican, have crafted a bipartisan strategy that they hope will help them wield more influence in Washington. When Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin, a Democrat, became the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday, he announced that his priority areas would be infrastructure,…
Governing When Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin, a Democrat, became the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday, he announced that his priority areas would be infrastructure, innovation and inclusion. Focusing on those particular issues isn’t really remarkable for a local leader these days. But there’s one thing about the platform that is noteworthy: It’s the first…
Citing Columbia for its diversity efforts, Mayor Steve Benjamin said he’ll work to raise $1 million to promote inclusive local policies across the country during his inauguration Monday as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “I believe it is the reason that Columbia is here at this opportunity right now,” Benjamin said during his half-hour remarks at a ceremony…
Urbanizing cities of the U.S. Southeast, such as Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina, are facing the trade-offs of continued growth. Speaking at the 2018 ULI Carolinas Meeting, the mayors of those three cities discussed how and where their cities invest to attract job growth, while attempting to avoid displacement of longtime residents. “We are engaged in…
South Carolina HBCU presidents, in collaboration with UNCF and the White House Initiative on HBCUs, hope to change the narrative on the impact of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as discussed at the South Carolina HBCU Economic Impact Conference held on March 19 at Benedict College. Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, a trustee at Benedict college, joined eight South Carolina…
The City of Columbia and the United Way of the Midlands are set to introduce a new scheduling system for agencies who provide meals for homeless citizens in Finlay Park. According to United Way senior director for financial stability Jennifer Moore, the new system will establish set “blocks” of time for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the park, and will…