Mayor Rawlings-Blake to Call for Creation of "Baltimore Compact" During Inaugural Address As National President of U.S. Conference of Mayors

Address will call on America’s mayors to make their voices heard in the upcoming 2016 national election on issues involving community policing and jobs

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 22, 2015) –Today, in her inaugural address as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will call for the creation of a "Baltimore Compact" and begin the process of developing an agenda for America's mayors to collectively ensure their issues drive the upcoming 2016 Presidential Election.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake will unveil the "Baltimore Compact" in September when she hosts mayors from around the nation in Baltimore during the conference's annual leadership meeting.  “The Baltimore Compact” will outline solutions to the major challenges cities currently face as well as reflect the priorities of mayors from both political parties and cities of all sizes.

"We will use this document to ensure that Baltimore and other cities not only have a seat at the table, but that Baltimore and mayors drive the agenda,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “Right now ninety percent of this country’s people —and ninety percent of our country’s jobs—are in our metro areas. There is almost nothing we cannot achieve, as long as we work collectively. Together we will make sure our friends in Washington step up to the plate, with Baltimore leading the way.”
Mayor Rawlings-Blake will also acknowledge Baltimore’s recent civil unrest, emphasizing the potential for similar events in cities across the country.

"What we experienced in Baltimore City was the result of polices that failed communities for generations. Despite reforms to our police department, historic investments in education and a one-third reduction in our city's unemployment rate, we saw just how much work is left to be done in order to end the pain so many communities are facing while we work to improve police-community relations," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “The tensions we saw, and the challenges we still face can be seen in other urban centers across the country. As we continue the process of healing our city, I hope that Mayors across the country use this moment to begin attacking the systemic inequalities that their cities have faced for decades. I will continue this fight in Baltimore and together we can all be stronger.”

Rawlings-Blake will be the first African-American woman to lead the The U.S. Conference of Mayors, as well as the first Mayor from Baltimore.

Based in Washington, D.C., The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.  The primary roles of the Conference are to promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthen federal-city relationships; ensure that federal policy meets urban needs; provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake will deliver her inaugural address in San Francisco at approximately 3:45 p.m. (6:45 p.m. EDT)