Christi Fraga attends the United States Conference of Mayors
By: Diana Bello Aristizábal
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga began 2024 by attending an annual conference of U.S. mayors that took place at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Held from January 17 to 19, it gathered around 5,000 mayors and expert panelists on the topics that most impact and concern municipalities, serving as a learning platform and a networking opportunity.
“I decided to attend this event in the nation’s capital city because it gathers a large number of speakers from the federal government who provide us mayors with relevant information for the cities. It allows us to build relationships with other leaders and share ideas, problems, and solutions,” the mayor explains.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors 92nd Winter Meeting was created by The United States Conference of Mayors organization, which is also in charge of the summer conference, scheduled to take place from June 20 to 23, 2024, in Kansas City, and of other mayors’ meetings that are convened throughout the year in order to promote cities, advocate for their interests, facilitate networking and the establishment of alliances between mayors, and share best practices.
“On this first visit, my goal was to meet the speakers, learn how the organization supports mayors, and begin to get more involved,” states Fraga, who, just like the other attendees, was able to choose from a wide range of meetings.
Specifically, she attended a meeting about how to use artificial intelligence in cities, another one where she shared with other Latino mayors, one about city economic growth and mobility, an additional one regarding how mayors and business leaders can work together, and a cocktail reception for all mayors.
Broadly speaking, topics discussed at the mayors’ conference included the surging mental health crisis, public safety, housing and homelessness, technology and innovation, workforce development, infrastructure investment, climate change, and state preemption laws that restrict mayors’ abilities to do their jobs, among others.
Highlight points
In addition to receiving key information for their management and interacting with representatives of the federal government, such as the secretary of transportation, the vice president and even President Biden himself (last meeting in which Christi Fraga could not be present), the mayors who attended the conference found a space to talk about the pressing issues within their cities. Among those, the prevalent one was immigration.
“All mayors, regardless of whether they were Republicans or Democrats, were concerned with the issue of immigration. They talked about how overpopulation in cities and schools is impacting the quality of life of residents, as well as the resources available while bringing housing overcrowding and insecurity,” Fraga said. She also mentioned attendees expected a more resounding response from the government around this problem that they did not obtain.
Also, the mayor was able to know the companies that were exhibiting their products and services at the event for improving cities and talk with some Florida mayors about topics such as preemption laws, as well as become familiar with the successful initiatives that other state municipalities are implementing.
“I talked a lot with Dania Beach’s mayor, who was very interested in our bond project and in how we implemented it, and I was able to connect an entrepreneur from Doral with the mayor of a city in Texas over a business matter. Ultimately, this conference helps build good relationships, in addition to serving as a tool to bring funds and new ideas to the city and to learn about the services the federal government offers.”
On the other hand, the mayor used her trip to Washington as an opportunity to meet with Congressman Carlos Gimenez seeking his support in the requests she has made for Doral; with the SBA (Small Business Administration); and with Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart.
“Last year, Congressman Díaz-Balart allocated us a million dollars for the Police Department, so this time I requested funds that would allow us to do more projects to improve public safety, that is, hiring more people, buying equipment, and improving the police station. We also talked about available resources for infrastructure and public transportation and soon we will apply for certain grants with the federal government.”
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