NEWLY ELECTED MAYORS TO ATTEND
HARVARD MAYORAL ISSUES CONFERENCE

Cambridge, MA – A group consisting of over twenty five incoming mayors from large cities across the country will gather at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) next week for a three-day seminar on leadership and the issues they will face.  The 20^th biennial Seminar on Transition and Leadership for Newly Elected Mayors, co-sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, will run from Wednesday, December 4 through Friday, December 6, at the IOP at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. 

“We gladly welcome again newly elected U.S. mayors to Harvard,” said Trey Grayson, Harvard Institute of Politics Director. “Our seminar focuses on providing a critical opportunity for new city leaders to engage with and learn from top academics, policy experts and political practitioners on the urgent issues and complex challenges of governing today.”

The newly elected U.S. mayors will participate in a variety of sessions led by academics, practitioners, and current and former mayors.  Focusing on training for new city leaders, the Seminar includes sessions on transitioning from the campaign to City Hall, finance and administration, jobs and the economy, public safety, education and technology. 

The Seminar will feature a public event open to the media, “Managing in a Time of Crisis,” on Wednesday, December 4, at 2pm in Harvard Kennedy School’s Malkin Penthouse.  The panel discussion will feature newly elected mayors as well as Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School professor Dutch Leonard and Tuscaloosa, AL, Mayor Walter Maddox. 

Newly elected mayors scheduled to participate include Kathy Sheehan of Albany, NY; Esther Manheimer of Asheville, NC; Marty Walsh of Boston, MA; John Ducey of Brick Township, NJ; Bill Carpenter of Brockton, MA; Marni Sawicki of Cape Coral, FL; Patrick Cannon of Charlotte, NC; Richard Kos of Chicopee, MA; Aja Brown of Compton, CA; Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH; John Eberhart of Fairbanks, AK; Mark Holland of Kansas City, KS; Howard Wiggs of Lakeland, FL; Philip Levine of Miami Beach, FL; Jerry Morales of Midland, TX; Toni Harp of New Haven, CT; Harry Rilling of Norwalk, CT; Bill Peduto of Pittsburgh, PA; Harry LaRosiliere of Plano, TX; Lovely Warren of Rochester, NY; Rusty Paul of Sandy Springs, GA; Ed Murray of Seattle, WA; Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, FL; D. Michael Collins of Toledo, OH; Ron Bigelow of West Valley City, UT; and John McNally of Youngstown, OH. 

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Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, was established in 1966 as a memorial to President Kennedy.  The IOP’s mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics and public service.  The Institute strives to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and the world of politics and public affairs.  More information is available online at www.iop.harvard.edu/.