Mayors Take Action to End Poverty

L.A. Mayor Seeks to Lead Others in Repairing the Economic Ladder

Despite the Bush administration’s refusal to address poverty in America, local leaders are leading the way toward better economic outcomes in their cities. Some forty mayors from across the nation have joined the Mayors’ Task Force on Poverty, Work and Opportunity in order to “repair the economic ladder” in America. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles is cochair.

For the past twelve months, the task force has conducted a series of meetings with poverty and economic experts to discuss how mayors can affect the national dialogue on poverty. Task force members believe that if people work hard, they should be able to provide a good life for themselves and their families. The task force’s 29-page document (called “Repairing the Economic Ladder: A Transformative Investment Strategy to Reduce Poverty and Expand America’s Middle Class”) released last January uses expert research and scientific evidence to outline strategies for investing in a sound economic future for all.

The plan outlines three critical investment strategies aimed at improving the livelihood of middle-income and working-class Americans. The task force recommends providing high-quality public education beginning in preschool; funding lifelong education and skill development, including a lifetime learning savings account for every child; and focusing upon economic opportunities by expanding the earned income tax credit and raising the minimum wage.

Municipal leaders are not only acknowledging that poverty is an important issue but also developing innovative strategies to overcome it. In 2006 Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City formed the Commission for Economic Opportunity, designed “to pinpoint concrete ways in which the city can ensure poor New Yorkers have the resources they need to help themselves move ahead.” Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago proposed an amendment to grant an additional $1.05 million to “Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness,” an ambitious project to be completed by 2012.

The effect of the mayors’ task force will extend beyond research and discussions. Mayor Villaraigosa says, “It is my hope that the mayors will stand together on the foundation of our work, to lock arms together and speak in one voice to articulate a pragmatic, problem solving agenda for change.”

Poverty is a global problem as much as it is a local problem. Now America’s mayors are taking action and making poverty a national issue. Advocates hope that the mayors’ leadership will promote change on the local, state, and federal level and that their leadership can inspire a groundswell for national change.