Mayors push bipartisanship and housing investments
Dave Byrnes
CHICAGO (CN) — The U.S. Conference of Mayors courted press at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, telling reporters that the conference's current top priority is housing.
"We all know it's the biggest issue that's out there," San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, told reporters.
Led by its president — Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, whose city is hosting the DNC — the conference said it was going to pressure lawmakers for more federal funding to expand housing supply. The group echoed the Biden administration's Department of Housing and Urban Development, which last week announced $100 million in new competitive grant funds to build housing stock.
Ginther told reporters that the conference was seeking further legislation that would provide for the construction of at least 3 million new housing units over the next 10 years. He did not provide an exact dollar figure.
"Our goal is to try to have whoever the next president is act within their first hundred days ... [The proposed legislation] will ask for a direct federal investment into local communities to dramatically increase the amount of supply of housing units in cities across America," Ginther said.
Johnson also used the event to plug his own administration's $1.25 billion "Cut the Tape" initiative meant to speed the development of local affordable housing and small businesses. He said that with the initiative, Chicago was "finally open for business" but "no longer for sale."
The initiative, which the Chicago City Council approved this past April, represents efforts by Johnson and his allies to move away from a development funding model based on tax increment financing districts. These districts cover a designated area of the city, and use tax revenue generated there to fund further development in the district.
They have been a major part of how the city funds development for decades, but have faced criticism for lacking transparency and abetting gentrification. The new plan takes the funds generated by the districts as they expire, up to $250 million annually, and splits the money evenly between the city's Department of Housing and Department of Planning and Development.
"We've already seen $10 million all ready to be put on the west and south sides of the city," Johnson said of the initiative, though Courthouse News was unable to independently verify this claim.
Though Johnson was not the favored Democratic pick during last year's mayoral elections, the conference on Monday emphasized mayoral unity across lines of party and ideology. Ginther called the organization "one of the last bastions of bipartisanship in America."
"America has never needed its mayors more than now," he said.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego also made a point of congratulating Johnson on the security on display at the convention thus far. The DNC has placed Johnson, a former community and union activist, in an awkward position. On the one hand, he faces pressure from left-wing protesters — many of whose organizers helped put the progressive mayor in office — for protest protections and access to convention spaces. On the other, he has to answer to national Democratic players expecting him to ensure the week runs smoothly.
Thus far Johnson has managed to thread the needle, with protest organizers publicly thanking him for making concessions to their marches even as they fought the city in federal court for protest permits and logistical assistance. Gallego's remarks show that at least publicly, Chicago's mayor has thus far managed to keep Democratic officials content as well.
"It is not easy what you have to balance and we really appreciate your leadership in delivering a great but safe experience," Gallego said.