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Berry to Congress: Keep funding for local programs

Contributed by: Karen Berry on 3/16/2007

Wheat Ridge City Councilmember Karen Berry was in Washington, D.C., last week meeting with key members of Congress at the Congressional City Conference.

The conference, sponsored by the National League of Cities, focused on the need for a partnership between cities and the federal government.

Berry, and other municipal officials from across the country, launched an aggressive lobbying strategy to stop proposed massive cuts in crucial local programs cities use to reverse crime, traffic congestion, and revitalize their communities.

During the conference, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) discussed funding cuts. Hoyer said Congress must work to protect programs important to local government such as the Community Development Block Grant, Community Oriented Policing, fire grants and homeland security funds for cities.

He said he believes Congress can find innovative ways to pay for these programs without increasing the deficit.

"We don't have to balance the budget on the backs of America's cities which in turn would have to balance their budgets on the backs of the American citizens," Hoyer said.

Another prominent speaker at the conference included David Gergen, former advisor for several presidents and a professor of public service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Gergen said the "winds of change" are blowing into the national political scene as citizens demand more from their government.

"The status quo is leaving too many Americans behind; the status quo is leaving too many Americans vulnerable," he said.

Gergen said he had high hopes that Congress would be able to pass legislation important to cities, such as comprehensive immigration reform, reauthorization and a possible rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act and a climate change bill.

Also, Wheat Ridge Councilmembers Karen Adams, Karen Berry, Lena Rotola, and Larry Shultz personally met with Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) to develop a stronger federal-local partnership around key priorities including preserving local authority in telecommunications reform, funding for affordable housing programs, transportation and fighting crime.

Berry called on our representatives in Congress to create a genuine partnership with the city. "Great things are happening in Wheat Ridge. Just envision what we could accomplish with a stronger federal partnership," she said. "It's not only about money; it's about partnering on common goals that ensure the safety and prosperity of our citizens and our communities."

Some information used in this article was provided by the National League of Cities


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Karen Berry

Wheat Ridge , CO

Karen Berry has posted 110 stories and 2 comments since joining on 11/26/2005. Karen Berry 's average story rating is 4.37.
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