[B]URLINGTON – Mayors from more than 40 cities around the country will be in Burlington for the Mayors Innovation Project’s annual summer meeting this week.
The three-day event, which consists of panels, discussions and tours of the city, begins on Wednesday. The conference is one of two nationwide annual meetings that aim to provide mayors with the chance to discuss similar issues, and be exposed to new policy ideas.
Former Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Dave Cieslewicz founded the group in 2005 with the goal of creating a discussion and learning network based on three principles: equity, environmental sustainability and opportunity.
Since its inception, the Mayor’s Innovation Project has engaged with more than 200 cities, ranging from representatives from Bayfield, Wisc. (population 530), to New York City, according to Managing Director Satya Rhodes-Conway.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger is a member of the organization’s steering committee.
The summer meeting focuses on issues of national relevance, and looking at how the host city is addressing them.
Burlington’s conference will tackle issues including the opioid epidemic, land use policy and racial and economic equality, 21st century policing, and net-zero energy.
Attendees will also discuss what effect the Trump administration will have on cities. Mayors will also present on cutting-edge projects and initiatives they have been implementing in their cities.
“It’s really fun to see, because these are folks that really care about making a difference in their cities,” Rhodes-Conway said of the event.
The discussions and networking at annual meetings have resulted in several improvements to cities around the country. Mayors have implemented new ideas for solving transportation and parking issues, improving infrastructure and boosting economic opportunity.
Two mayors that met at a meeting went to attend the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference together in Paris.
Rhodes-Conway said that meetings focusing on the preservation of local control helped the director of public relations for Portland, Ore. learn how to work more effectively with her legislature on issues such earned sick leave and minimum wage.
This is the first time a summer meeting is being held in Burlington, although the Queen City previously hosted a workshop in Dec. 2014 called “Building Liveable Communities,” that was held in conjunction with AARP.
The agenda includes Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick discussing his city’s approach to fighting the opioid epidemic, Los Angeles housing policy specialist Ben Winter sharing his city’s work on permanent supportive housing, and Katie Sheehy, a representative from Seattle’s planning and zoning office, speaking on the city’s efforts to address racial inequality through development.
Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo will be on the panel on 21st Century policing, while Burlington Electric Department General Manager Neale Lunderville will talk about the city’s net-zero energy goals. Burlington’s chief innovation officer, Beth Anderson, will discuss the city’s approach to handling data.
Climate change activist Bill McKibben will give the keynote speech at a dinner at the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain on Thursday.
Mayors will also have opportunities to check out the city. The conference agenda includes tours of the downtown and McNeil Generating Station, biking on the waterfront and an outing to a Vermont Lake Monsters baseball game. The leaders will also head to the South End for a welcome reception at Citizen Cider and dinner at ArtsRiot.
Rhodes-Conway called the attendees the “nerd mayors” of the U.S., and said they love learning and talking about issues.
“The mayors that we get, they’re policy wonks. The level of interest in really good local government and policy is really big,” she said.
