UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON While the Mayor was in Washington last week by chance he attended a Congressional Subcommittee meeting about the transportation bill. It just so happened that because of his background as Mayor, his involvement with economic development and road construction projects here in the City and his 30+ years of selling gasoline as a gas station owner he was asked to speak to the committee and answer their questions. Here is an article about said meeting. Washington, DC - last Friday, a delegation of over 35 local leaders including Ohio mayors, trustees, and council-members along with local elected, civic, labor, business and religious leaders met in Washington, D.C. with senior officials from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to press for a strong federal transportation bill that supports middle class communities. “We need to invest in our nations roads, bridges, rail, and highways and our leaders need to have the courage to do what has to be done to pay for it,” said Mayor Donald Jon Kuchta of Macedonia, Ohio. The meeting was coordinated by Building One America, a national coalition of suburban communities and civic groups working to advance policies to stabilize struggling middle class communities within metropolitan regions. This Friday, in Strongsville, Ohio hundreds of local leaders from Northeast Ohio will hold a Building One Ohio forum with former Ohio Congressman Steve LaTourette. LaTourette leads the Main Street Republican Partnership, which advocates for a more cooperative and bipartisan approach to federal legislation including the funding and reauthorization of the transportation act. The current transportation bill known as MAP 21 will expire this fall while federal funding for highways and transit is expected to run out this summer. Building One America groups have been engaging members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey by holding regional forums in member’s districts and meeting with them in Washington. At last Friday’s meeting the group called for a bipartisan commitment to secure sustainable funding for a multi-year-bill, which should include: • More regional allocation of transportation dollars and local decision-making • Better incentives for regional cooperation and planning • “Fiscal capacity indexing” that would consider the tax base and economic diversity of communities in allocating infrastructure funds • Better “Fix-it-first” policies that help the developed suburbs as well as cities • Better incentives for public private partnerships that help suburbs as well as cities. • Greater focus on social equity, economic growth, and jobs in measuring the success or effectiveness of regional plans and planning organizations Stephen Martinko, the Deputy Director for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee promised to work with the group saying many of the group’s recommendation are being talked about in the Committee. Martinko said this was biggest meeting of its kind he had seen and had to move the meeting from the committees conference room to its large hearing room. The Building One Ohio Forum on Regional Opportunity, Sustainability, and Economic Growth will take place this Friday, June 6, from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Ehrnfelt Recreation and Senior Center in Strongsville, OH. To register click here or go to buildingoneamerica.org. Some confirmed participants for this Friday include: • Ken Alfred, Councilman, Orange, Orange • David E Anderson, Mayor, City Of Willoughby, Willoughby • Nicki J. Antonio, State Representative, Ohio House Of Representatives, Columbus • Richard Balkier, Mayor, Brooklyn • David A. Basil, Council Member, Ward 2, City Of Hudson, Hudson • David Beach, Reconcilable Institute, Cleveland • Carole S. Becker, Supplier Diversity And Vendor Relations Manager, The Metro health System, Cleveland • Keith Ari Benjamin, Director Of Community Services, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Peter Bettendorf, Principal, (Un)Common Sense, Dayton • Thomas Bier, Senior Fellow, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Richard J. Blonde, Mayor, City Of Willow, Willow • Bill Brownlee, Councilman, City Of Maple Heights, Maple Heights • Tom Bullock, Member Of Council, At Large, City Of Lakewood, Lakewood • David Patrick Byrnes, Director Of Public Safety, City Of Brook Park Ohio, Brook Park • Rick Capone, President, QC Group, Bedford • Vickie Coleman Gallagher Ph.D, Associate Professor, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Jeff Cordell, Council Member, Cleveland Heights City Council, Cleveland Heights • Thomas J Cone JR., Mayor, City Of Brook Park, Brook Park • William A. Curran, Mayor, City Of Hudson, Hudson • Vincent J. Tangelo P.E.., Euthenics, Inc., Strongsville • Michael Dam, Council President Councilman Ward 1, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • Tim Begetter, Mayor, Parma, Parma • Sally L Deistic, Economic Development, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Hal Desaussure JR., President Of Council, City Of Hudson, Hudson • Fran Didonato, Publisher, Fresh Water Cleveland, Cleveland • James A Doutt, Director Economic Development, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Steve Duffy P.E.., Director, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Mary Dunbar, Councilperson, Cleveland Heights, Cleveland Heights • John C. Easton, Director Of Public Service, City Of Wadsworth, Wadsworth • Larry E Finch, Director Of Community Development & Planning, City Of Twinsburg, Twinsburg • Dennis Fiorelli, Councilman, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Kevin Gallagher Ph.D, Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University, Seven Hills • G. David Gillock, Mayor, City Of North Ridgeville, North Ridgeville • Jane Goodman, Councilwoman, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Merle Gorden, Mayor, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Ruth I Gray, Councilwoman Of Ward One, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Shawn Patrick Gray, Business Representative, Plumbers Union Local 55, Cleveland • Dorise Hagwood, Council President, City Of Warrensville Heights, Oh, Warrensville Heights • Whitney Frank Hairston, Director Of Marketing, Parta, Kent • Jacque Hale, City Engineer, Macedonia • Steve D. Hambley, Medina County Commissioner, Medina • John P. Hickey Esq., Brouse Mcdowell, Lpa, Akron • Mark Hogan, Vice President, Information Technology, United Way Of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland • Kirsten Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, Council President, City Of Euclid, Euclid • Martin S. Horwitz, Councilman, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Kevin Hurst, Mayor, Village Of Walton Hills, Walton Hills • Donald T Iannone, Executive Director, Center For Public Innovation, Cleveland • Alec Isaacson, Councilman, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Eric Johnson, Govt. Relations Specialist, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Cleveland • Pernel Jones JR., Councilmember, Cuyahoga County Council, Cleveland • William B. Judge, Mayor, City Of Barberton, Barberton • Steven Kanner, Mupdd Student, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Hts. • Alex D. Kelemen, City Council Member, Ward 3, City Of Hudson, Hudson • David Keller, Treasurer, Heights-Hillcrest Regional Chamber Of Commerce, Cleveland Heights • Terry Killeen Sr., External Affairs Manager, Firstenergy, Cleveland • Stephen Kilo, Director Of Human Resources, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • Robert Kleidman, Associate Professor, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Donald Jon Kuchta, Mayor, Mayor Of Macedonia Ohio, Macedonia • Steve Latourette, President And Ceo, Republican Main Street Partnership, • Juanita Lewis, Council at Large, Richmond Hts., Ohio, Richmond Hts. • Anthony D Liberatore JR., Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer, Laborers Local 860, North Olmsted • Sherri Lippus, Trustee, Olmsted Twp, Olmsted Twp • Steven P Litt, Art And Architecture Critic, The Plain Dealer, Shaker Heights • Kevin Malecek, President And Ceo, Mentor Area Chamber Of Commerce, Mentor • Scott Maloney, Ward 4 Councilman, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • Bill Mann, Chair, City Of Beachwood Planning & Zoning Commission, Beachwood • William A Margalis, Mayor, City Of Wickliffe, Wickliffe • Sally Accorti Martin, Housing Manager, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Anthony Molina, Master Of Public Administration Program Coordinator, Kent State University, Kent • Sara Molski, Guest Of Councilman Jack Schron, Indpependence • Deonna Gene Moore, Immediate Past District Governor, Toastmasters International, Cleveland Heights • Joseph Nanni, Chief Of Staff, Cuyahoga County Council, Cleveland • Mark Olivo, Executive Board, Laborers Local 860, Cleveland • Donald Otoole, Councilman, City Of Richmond Heights, Richmond Heights • Brent Painter, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • Bill Patmon, Columbus • Tom Patton, Senator, Ohio State Senate, Strongsville • Tom Perciak, Mayor, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • David Pfaff, Finance Director, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Angie Pohlman, Executive Director, Heights-Hillcrest Regional Chamber Of Commerce, South Euclid • Richard Straus Regula, Commissioner, Stark County, Navarre • Shawn Riley, Village Of Gates Mills, Gates Mills • Chase Ritenauer, Mayor, City Of Lorain, Lorain • Julian A Rogers, Director Of Community Partnerships, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Modestino F. Romeo, Councilman, Ward 2, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid • Steve Rosen, Board Of Education Member, Beachwood Board Of Education, Beachwood • Gregory Sadlek, Dean, College Of Liberal Arts And Social Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Dale Schiavoni, Senior Transportation Planner, Urs Corporation, Cleveland • Matt Schonhut, Strongsville City Council, Ward 2 Councilman, Strongsville • Jack Schron, Councilman, County Council District 6, Cleveland • Jason Segedy, Director, Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (Amats), Akron • Azaadjeet Singh, Councilman, Woodmere Village, Woodmere • Duke Southworth, Councilman-At-Large, City Of Strongsville, Strongsville • Philip Teare, Willoughby Hills • Bonnie Teeuwen, Director, Department Of Public Works Cuyahoga County, Cleveland • Lea Travis, Director Of Elementary Education, Bedford City School District, Bedford • Dennis Lee Tubbs, Deputy Director Of Planning/Gis, Summit County Department Of Community & Economic Development, Akron • Tina Turick, Assistant Administrative Officer, City Of Beachwood, Beachwood • Ann Turk, Willow Councilwoman, Willow • James Valentino, Cleveland • Georgine Welo, City Of South Euclid, South Euclid, South Euclid • Earl Williams JR., City Councilmember, Shaker Heights, Shaker Heights • Paul Williams Ph.D, Superintendent In Residence, Cleveland State University, Cleveland • Angela Woodson, Sbeo, South Euclid • William D. Wooldredge, Council Member, At Large, City Of Hudson, Hudson
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 13:52:30 +0000