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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO CITY, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti Appointed to Chair U.S. Conference of
Mayors Task Force on Trade in The Americas
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the
President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Mesa,
Arizona Mayor Scott Smith, announced the appointment of Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti to Chair a new "Trade in the Americas Task Force"
within the Conference. The appointment was made prior to Mayor
Garcetti's recent visit to Mexico and his first international trip.
In an appointment letter to Mayor Garcetti, USCM President Scott Smith
said, "To be most effective, this task force needs a leader with your
qualities from a city like Los Angeles. Combined with the global
profile and diversity of Los Angeles, your early commitment to
international economic engagement -- starting in Mexico -- and efforts
to collaborate with regional leaders on trade and foreign investment,
you will make an excellent leader and spokesperson on this issue for
all mayors."
"Creating jobs is my top priority in Los Angeles, and since we're the
nation's gateway to Asia and Latin America, and home to the nation's
busiest seaport and destination and arrival airport, we are uniquely
positioned in terms of international trade," said Mayor Eric
Garcetti. "I am honored for this appointment and look forward to
advancing international trade in ways that create jobs right here in
the U.S.A."
The chair of the Task Force will decide the scope and direction of the
task force, attended by mayors from around the country, and become the
primary way that U.S. mayors can advance action on programs,
regulations, and investments needed in the areas of trade and global
economic development. For example, the task force can serve to
advocate the collective views of mayors within the U.S.-Mexico High
Level Economic Dialogue, implementation of the Look South Initiative
of the Obama Administration, and similar efforts.
Over the past year under Smith's leadership as USCM President, he has
placed a strong focus on trade and made promoting the growth of U.S.
cities a central priority, by expanding commercial relationships with
counterparts in Mexico, Canada, and throughout Latin America. Smith
spearheaded the passage of a Conference policy resolution to set
objectives for a "Trade in the Americas" agenda.
And at the Winter Meeting in January, Conference leaders featured
Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora and Commerce Secretary Penny
Pritzker to highlight the new "Look South" initiative.
The Conference also recently signed formal partnership agreements
between USCM and associations of mayors in both Mexico (Federation of
Mexican Municipalities/FENAMM) and Brazil (the Brazilian Association
of Mayors/ FNP), to strengthen direct relationships between mayors in
the U.S. and Latin America.
Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of The Conference said, "we
are pleased LA Mayor Eric Garcetti will be leading our efforts as we
follow through on the signed memorandum of understanding and the body
of work and success we will have with our partner mayoral
organizations, FENAMM in Mexico and FNP in Brazil."
Through the new Trade in the Americas Task Force, the nation's mayors
will be able to build on their recent efforts and enhance the work
already taking place in other USCM Committees including: international
affairs, exports, transportation, manufacturing, workforce, and metro
economies.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110125/MM36443LOGO
SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors
-0- 03/10/2014
/CONTACT: Lina Garcia, 202-341-6113 / (lgarcia@usmayors.org); Elena Temple-Webb, 202-286-1100 / (etemple@usmayors.org)
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110125/MM36443LOGO
CO: The U.S. Conference of Mayors
ST: District of Columbia California
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0000 03/10/2014 17:09:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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