ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mayor-elect Ken Welch is one of 10 newly elected mayors, including Eric Adams of New York City, Michelle Wu of Boston, and current mayors invited to the White House on Tuesday to meet with senior officials and Cabinet secretaries.
They will discuss the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure law and Build Back Better agenda along with other key priorities for cities.
According to a news release, the participants are expected to meet U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Martin J. Walsh, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Julie Rodriguez, Assistant to the President and National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy, Senior Adviser to the President and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling and Senior Adviser to the President and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu.
Of the 10 mayors and mayor-elects attending, two are Republicans and eight are Democrats. They are Jim Ross of Arlington, Texas; Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, South Carolina; Andre Dickens of Atlanta; Tim Kelly of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Justin Bibb of Cleveland; Aftab Pureval of Cincinnati; and Bruce Harrell of Seattle. Though elected in a nonpartisan race, Welch is a Democrat.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to brainstorm solutions to challenges that are important to our residents, including affordable housing, climate change and investment in infrastructure," Welch said of the invitation in a statement. "We want to make sure St. Petersburg gets its share of federal dollars, and we want to build strong relationships at every level of government to ensure we are all working together to creatively address the issues that our residents have made clear are their top priorities.’’
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