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- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
- Los Angeles, CA / Pop. 3,849,368 / Elected 2005
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“Poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing, infrastructure ... it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues.”
— Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
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- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “The federal government has been absent”
- By Andrea Batista Schlesinger, DMI Blog
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When asked how the federal government is treating his city, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had no hesitation.
"Whether it's poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing or infrastructure," Mayor Villaraigosa said, "it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues."
Villaraigosa has long been associated with policies that strengthen the middle class. He's insistent that the government, both local and federal, help people move up from poverty. Not exactly the Bush administration's primary agenda; so no shock that Villaraigosa doesn't get the funding or support he'd like.But even on homeland security -- the Bush administration's signature issue -- Villaraigosa says the feds have fallen flat. "The federal government talks a good game about homeland security. And yet cities, like Los Angeles, are constantly struggling to get the resources we need to provide that security."
Villaraigosa is endorsing Senator Hillary Clinton for president, in part because "she understands the need to invest in infrastructure in cities across the nation." Will her relationships with mayors across the country encourage her to discuss that investment strategy on the campaign trail?
- Read the full article on DMI Blog >
- Mayors We Interviewed
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Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles, CA
“Poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing, infrastructure ... it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues.”
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Shirley Franklin
Atlanta, GA
“We must invest in infrastructure, or Atlanta's economy -- and the national economy -- is going to shrivel up and die.”
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Manny Diaz
Miami, FL
“The media and the pollsters focus on issues like war, abortion, gay rights. Quite frankly, for those of us in the trenches, they're not the hot button issues.”
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John Hickenlooper
Denver, CO
“Cities are America's laboratories. But once we figure out solutions, we need the federal government's help to roll them out to the entire country.”
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R.T. Rybak
Minneapolis, MN
“I want a community organizer in the White House, because that's what I do every single day.”
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Douglas Palmer
Trenton, NJ
“Our cities are where it’s at.”
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Christopher Doherty
Scranton, PA
“The strength of a city is the combustion engineering that takes place inside it.”
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Pegeen Hanrahan
Gainesville, FL
“Use our cities more effectively.”
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Byron Brown
Buffalo, NY
“The presidential nomination process certainly has a negative effect on the coverage of cities.”
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Tom Menino
Boston, MA
“I challenge you, presidential candidates - talk more about cities. It will be beneficial to you, it will be beneficial to the country.”
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Rocky Anderson
Salt Lake City, UT
“President Bush has not only neglected cities, but has hurt our cities in such enormous ways.”
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Sheila Dixon
Baltimore, MD
“We have wars here in our city. We should be making strides against drugs and gang violence, but it's something I never hear the presidential candidates talk about.”
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Bob Duffy
Rochester, NY
“Our cities across this country are proud. They have a great history. But like a boxer, they've taken one knee, and they have to bring themselves back.”
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Antonio Villaraigosa
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