In an apparent effort to make itself even more irrelevant than it already is, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) this week chose Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as its 73rd President.
In their announcement, the Conference led by describing Rawlings-Blake not by her “accomplishments” but by what she is – the first black female president of the organization – the very definition of “identity politics” that celebrates style over substance.
Outgoing U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, appointing her head of the organization during the 83rd Annual Meeting of the USCM in San Francisco, California.
After enumerating the five other women who have presided over the organization, Rawlings-Blake was heralded as the sixth with little fanfare during the event which organizers described as a:
“…four-day gathering of nearly 300 mayors…who met to discuss a broad range policy issues impacting America’s cities and their economic health including community policing, federal investment in America’s cities and public-partnerships that drive innovation and efficiency.”
This hodgepodge of big government top-down “we know best” tax and spend thinking has led the nation’s inner-cities into a morass of failed programs, budget deficits, lost generations, economic decay, burning streets and embattled police departments that best describes urban America today.
According to a statement, Conference President Mayor Rawlings-Blake “will set the organization’s agenda, appoint committee and task force chairs and serve as the national spokesperson for the June 2015-June 2016 term.”
In her inaugural remarks, Mayor Rawlings-Blake spoke about “community policing and its direct connection to the lack opportunity in many communities” (a.k.a. blame police for everything) saying:
“We talk a lot about how cities are on the upswing. Articles and books are being written about the new renaissance that’s taken place reversing a trend of decades of decline of cities. And it’s all great. But as you all saw two months ago there are still very large segments of our cities that feel disenfranchised, disaffected and disgusted.
They don’t see the growth and positivity that occurs in other parts of town. It’s an issue of opportunity as much as it is an issue of policing. It’s as much an issue of jobs as it is policing. It’s as much an issue of community development as it is policing. It is as much an issue of education as it is community policing. And we don’t lose sight of that.”
Rawlings-Blake ranted on saying:
“We will make sure that our priorities are part of the national debate and that commitments are made to our cities and urban America. I want this year to be the year that we make our voices heard and drive the agenda…
Nearly 90 percent of the people and 90 percent of the jobs are in our metro areas. And because of that, Washington needs to step up.”
Prior to becoming the President of the Conference of Mayors, Rawlings-Blake served as Vice President over the past year – a year when, under her leadership, Baltimore businesses were burned and looted… curfews implemented to get rioters off the streets… the city attorney indicted six police officers for following her orders… and the rates of violent crime including murder and assault have skyrocketed
