United States Conference of Mayors calls on candidates to focus on Urban issues
DES MOINES -- In the hours before "The Iowa Brown and Black Forum," a minority focused forum featuring the three major Democratic presidential candidates, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) held a press conference where it said urban issues are American issues. "The significant majority of Americans live in cities and metropolitan economies as well as the fact that the vast majority of our gross domestic product comes from those cities," Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Stephen Benjamin said. Baltimore Mayor and USCM President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Benjamin, Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran all spoke at the event. "We represent all people and we want to hear real reasons for real problems and we want to hear candidates address things that really are meaningful to all the people in this country," Cownie said.
