Latest news with #U.S.ConferenceofMayors
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
James Carville Says He'll Back AOC If She Wins 2028 Democratic Nomination
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said Tuesday that he'll throw his support behind U.S. Representative Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez of New York if she wins the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. The Context Carville's comments are a stark departure from his longtime criticisms of Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most progressive members of the House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez has often clashed with Carville and other members of the Democratic establishment for what she's described as being out of touch with the party's base. James Carville speaks at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 26, 2017, in Miami Beach, Florida. James Carville speaks at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 26, 2017, in Miami Beach, Florida. Lynne Sladky/AP What To Know Carville was asked during an appearance on MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber about a recent poll in which 26 percent of likely voters said they see Ocasio-Cortez as the face of the Democratic Party. The longtime strategist and political consultant—who was a key architect of two-term President Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign—began his response by calling the poll "utterly useless." "So all Republicans, all you see is AOC on Fox," he told Melber, referring to the New York lawmaker by her nickname. "So that's the general public's view. That's not the Democratic view. It means nothing." Carville then said he doesn't have a "very favorable opinion of the Democratic Party" and that there "is no leader of the party" at the moment because it "doesn't have a message." He went on to say Democrats will choose their leader during the 2028 election season, adding: "Look, we lost an election. I don't like the party. I don't blame the party reputation for being low, but I think that if AOC wants to run for president and she is the nominee, then God bless you." "You are the leader of the Democratic Party," Carville said, while tipping his hat to the camera. "Whoever gets that nomination is going to be it." Melber pointed out the significance of Carville's comments, saying, "Well, here we've backed into some intraparty news. You heard it here first. James Carville, once a critic of the AOC podcast landscape, now says, 'If you win, you win,' and you've got his support." "If you win, you win," Carville said while laughing. "Look, that's my answer. If you win the election, you've got it." The veteran strategist's comments Tuesday come weeks after he disparaged Ocasio-Cortez, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives who have criticized the Democratic establishment. Both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are crisscrossing the country on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour and drawing massive crowds as they call attention to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other billionaires' vast influence in politics. "Bernie has run for president twice, he's lost twice. AOC and her kind ... they want to run against other Democrats," Carville said during an appearance on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show last month. "They don't want to run against Republicans. When you beat a Republican, come back and see me and I'll be impressed." Carville went on to suggest during his interview with Cuomo that Democratic voters were trying to send a message to Sanders by not selecting him as the party's nominee and that Ocasio-Cortez would see similar results if she runs for the top of the ticket. "Maybe they need to split off from the Democratic Party," he told Cuomo. What People Are Saying Carville told The New York Times last year that the Democratic Party is run by too many "preachy females": "A suspicion of mine is that there are too many preachy females ... 'Don't drink beer. Don't watch football. Don't eat hamburgers. This is not good for you.' The message is too feminine: 'Everything you're doing is destroying the planet. You've got to eat your peas.'" Ocasio-Cortez mocked Carville's comments in the Times piece, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "Maybe he should start a podcast about it. I hear men are really underrepresented in that space." What Happens Next Ocasio-Cortez has refrained from announcing whether she plans to run for the 2028 presidential nomination, saying that her "central focus" is countering Trump's agenda on issues like health care, Social Security and immigration.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tacoma receives ethics complaint about mayor's paid trip to Israel. What's next?
The city of Tacoma has received an ethics complaint about Mayor Victoria Woodards' all-expenses-paid trip to Israel last month. As previously reported by The News Tribune, Woodards traveled to Israel for seven days mid-March as part of a delegation of U.S. mayors organized by the American Jewish Committee in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. She was the only mayor from Washington to attend. The trip included round-trip airfare to and from Tel Aviv, luxury hotel accommodations, meals, historic tours, lectures on Israeli politics and society and a meeting with the families and survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Woodards told The News Tribune when she returned from Israel that she went on the trip to better understand the Israel-Palestine conflict and for spiritual reasons as a Christian. Her choice to accept the trip has been criticized by some, including the local Jewish Voice for Peace chapter. One member told The News Tribune the trip 'flies in the face of not just the ceasefire resolution that Mayor Woodards signed onto [in May], but just every standard of human morality.' City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune the city's Board of Ethics was processing an ethics complaint about Woodards' trip and can't comment on the issue. She did not provide a timeline on when the public would know more. Lee said she was only aware of one complaint. Woodards declined to comment at this time. Longtime Tacoma resident Rob Harrison told The News Tribune he submitted the ethics complaint to the city on March 27. Harrison said he filed the complaint not to target Woodards personally but to get some clarity from the city about whether accepting the trip and its perks was prohibited or an improper use of her position as mayor. 'It's about upholding the principle that city employees should be free from any appearance of being influenced by gifts. As a citizen, I believe this is crucial for maintaining public trust. We citizens have limited power to influence city policies, primarily through our votes,' Harrison said in an email, noting he used AI to craft his message. 'I hope the city will demonstrate its commitment to ethical governance by clearly stating its position on this issue following my complaint.' In his complaint Harrison called attention to two sections of the city's Code of Ethics, which is expected to be upheld by all current and former city officers and employees, elected or not. The complaint was obtained by The News Tribune through a public record request. Under the 'prohibited conduct' 1.46.030 section, Harrison questioned whether Woodards violated Section H that bars city officials or employees from 'knowingly us[ing] his or her office or position to secure personal benefit, gain or profit, or use his or her position to secure special privileges or exceptions for himself, herself, or for the benefit, gain or profits of any other persons.' He also questioned if Woodards violated Section K that bars city officials and employees from 'directly or indirectly, giv[ing] or receiv[ing], or agree[ing] to give or receive, any compensation, gift, favor, reward or gratuity for a matter connected with or related to the City officer or employee's services with the City of Tacoma.' Harrison argued that part of the reason Woodards said she went on the trip was because of her personal beliefs as a Christian. The trip, then, offered her a 'personal benefit … even beyond the substantial monetary value,' he said. 'The trip itself was offered by the American Jewish Committee to United States mayors for the express purpose of affecting U.S. policy at the local level,' he wrote. 'And while politicians on the national level indeed command attention, state and local politics move forward at the same time, often at a quicker pace in terms of legislation and reaction to crises. Thus, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards used her position as mayor to qualify for this trip. It is not offered to other Tacoma citizens.' In terms of accepting compensation or gifts, the ethics code notes city officials and employees can accept meals 'when it is provided in conjunction with a meeting directly related to the conduct of City business or where official attendance by the City officer or employee as a City representative is appropriate,' such as a public award ceremony or when they accept, 'Nominal promotional items including, but not limited to, items such as ball point pens, calendars, wearing apparel or food items which cannot reasonably be presumed to influence the vote, action or judgment of the City Official or be considered as part of a reward for action or inaction.' Harrison argued the AJC 'hopes to affect politics at the municipal level' and noted the city of Tacoma has conducted business to pass a ceasefire resolution in Gaza. 'Though resolutions are non-binding, any future business regarding Israel, Jewish people or Jewish religion could be perceived to be influenced by this weeklong trip. Indeed, that is the reason the American Jewish Committee offers this free trip,' Harrison said in the complaint. 'There has been City Council business regarding Israel. There may be future business regarding Israel and Jewish people to come before the City Council. It is a glaring gap that this ethics clause does not mention the perception of bias. It reflects badly on the City of Tacoma for a city leader to accept a gift in the thousands of dollars when that gift is obviously meant to influence them and that gift is not available to everyone.' The city's Board of Ethics will convene to discuss the issue, although Lee said the meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled. The Board usually meets publicly every three months, and members are citizens who are formally appointed by the council although recommended by the Government Performance and Finance Committee, according to the city's website. According to procedures outlined online, upon receipt of an ethics complaint the board will send a copy of the complaint to the person it was filed against and the city attorney. The city attorney will serve as a legal advisor to the board and examine whether the facts of the complaint file the Code of Ethics. Then they will issue an opinion for board members to consider. Board members then will deliberate. The board may subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath and compel the production of documents that relate to the complaint. The board might also appoint an independent investigator to investigate the facts of the complaint, who might be a city employee if that person is 'sufficiently removed' from the matter and is impartial. Neither the person who filed the complaint nor anyone else 'shall have special standing to participate or intervene in the investigation or consideration of the complaint by the Board,' according to the procedures outlined online. Upon reaching a conclusion, the board would issue findings of fact based on the evidence of record presented and conduct a hearing relaying that information. Hearings are open to the public, but deliberations will be conducted in closed session, according to the procedure.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
N.B. mayor goes to Washington, hears U.S. counterparts share tariff concerns
The mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield flew to Washington on Thursday to meet with municipal leaders from the U.S. and Mexico to talk about the mutual negative impacts of the U.S. trade war. "There was a real sense of solidarity in the room," said Brittany Merrifield, who also serves as president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick. Not knowing what to expect, Merrifield said she felt some apprehension before attending what was described as a friendly meeting of neighbours. "I knew that some of the mayors were going to be Republican so I didn't know what kind of messaging they were going to come with," she said. Merrifield speaks to Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., about the negative impacts of tariff threats. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) What transpired was two days of candid accounts from grassroots politicians who said their constituents are already feeling pain from the tariffs and trade uncertainty brought on by the Trump administration. Merrifield found it remarkable because she thought the U.S. mayors were risking political reprisals. "It was actually quite courageous for them to be there," said Merrifield. "I have huge respect for all of these mayors who came under those conditions to do what they feel is right for the people they serve." The delegates, including eight from Mexico, as well as Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Rebecca Bligh — a Vancouver city councillor and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — presented a united front at a news conference Friday. It opened with remarks from Andrew Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Merrifield attended the summit with Dan Murphy, executive director at Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) "The story is the same for all of us," said Ginther, after warning that tariffs were expected to add $21,000 US to the median cost of an American home during a housing supply crisis. "All of us are mayors, we are closest to the people we represent," he said. "We understand that politics and partisanship go on in … Washington, but we just care about what's best for our residents, our workers, our companies, the consumers in our cities, and we're going to make our voice heard." Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., said tariffs could have a $3-billion US impact on trade in his state. He said about one in five jobs in South Carolina connects to the auto, aerospace and textile sectors, which are heavily dependent on international trade. "It supports well north of 10,000 jobs just in our community," said Rickenmann. He said metal packaging manufacturer Sonoco, based in South Carolina, was already feeling the impact of Trump's executive order to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum. The decision by some provinces to pull American alcohol from their shelves is also hitting Kentucky distillery employees, he said. "That's causing major layoffs already," he said. Anticipation of more tariffs The mayors were speaking in anticipation of more tariffs to come. Late Wednesday, Trump said he'd signed an executive order that will impose a 25 per cent import tariff on vehicles not made in the U.S. Although the full implications of the tariff weren't immediately clear, he said the levy will kick in on April 2. "I know that President Trump cares about Michigan," said Bryan Barnett, the mayor of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I need to relay to the Trump administration how important these decisions are to the auto industry and to the state that supported him." Andy Schor, mayor of Lansing, Mich., which is home of two General Motors auto assembly plants, said tariffs will hurt the working class. "We make on average $48,000 US per year," said Schor. "If cars go up anywhere close to $10,000, you're going to have people that cannot afford to buy cars." Schor also noted that mayors from both sides of the political divide were united in their concerns. "To see a mayor, Bryan Barnett of Michigan, leaning Republican, and Andy Schor of Michigan leaning Democrat … all of us coming together, along with our new friends, I think this is something that people are going to stand up and take notice of," said Schor gesturing first to Barnett, then to himself, then to the other mayors in the room.
CBC
29-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regina mayor joins counterparts from across North America in D.C. to call for end of trade war
Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski joined a conference of mayors from across North America on Friday to call for an end to the growing trade war between the United States and its neighbours. Bachynski was one of seven Canadian mayors invited to the two-day conference in Washington, D.C., jointly hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. More than two dozen local officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States attended. "We urge national leaders to put our communities first, end the trade war, and keep our countries strong with free and fair trade," the coalition said after the conference concluded on Friday. "Our families, businesses and workers depend on it." Bachynski said he communicated the province's tariff challenges during the meeting. "Some of my points were highlighting our industries — food, fuel, fertilizer, steel — really leaning into those industries that we know we're a global powerhouse in," he said. "The idea that by imposing tariffs, the U.S. will magically have an industry up here to take over the creation of resources, the creation of jobs, is unrealistic." On March 26, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new 25 per cent tariff on foreign-made auto parts, throwing the Canadian auto industry into disarray. It is scheduled to begin on April 2. The move came after several months of on-again off-again tariffs. On March 12, the U.S. launched a 25 per cent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, which followed the March 4 resumption of a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods that were briefly implemented in February. Roughly 40 per cent of Canadian goods were then exempted from the tariffs on March 6, when Trump amended the policy to exclude all goods covered by the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. That exemption is set to expire with the launch of the auto tariffs on April 2. Bachynski said the uncertainty of the tariff environment was another topic of discussion at the conference. "Whether or not we know what kind of tariffs are in place or not in place on any given day, the uncertainty still drives a lot of impact," he said. "Investment goes on pause, hiring may freeze due to uncertainty." Bacynski said some American are wary of pushing back against Trump's policies. "There is a genuine reservation about what speaking out could mean in terms of impacts to funding that they might receive," he said. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who also attended the meeting, said that the Trump administration will hear the message sent by the conference. "I'll leave it to the prime minister and the new federal government after the election, the premiers of our provinces, to handle the high level negotiations," he said. Currently the Canadian government has tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods, and a reciprocal 25 per cent tariff on an additional $29.8 billion worth of goods in response to the steel and aluminum tariffs. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would launch fresh retaliatory tariffs if new American tariffs go into effect on April 2.
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Deltona vote allows Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr., to avoid penalty over Washington, D.C. trip
Deltona vote allows Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr., to avoid penalty over Washington, D.C. trip Show Caption Hide Caption Florida autistic child rescued from pond The 5-year-old autistic child was found hanging onto a log in a pond in Deltona Tuesday night. Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr., used city funds and a city vehicle to travel to Washington for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the presidential inauguration By not getting the trip pre-approved by the City Commission, Avila violated a 2013 travel policy. Commissioners voted Feb. 17 on whether Avila "knowingly" violated the policy. The vote was 4-3 in favor, but required a supermajority vote of 5-2 before any further action could be taken. Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr., violated the city's travel policy when he went to Washington, D.C., last month. He said so himself at an unprecedented quasi-judicial hearing – a trial where commissioners acted as prosecutors and Avila was the defendant, complete with a lawyer. To attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, and several balls and galas, Avila used a city vehicle and spent $1,750.85 in city funds. City money paid for a hotel and gas to drive with his wife to Washington on Jan. 17, checking out on Jan. 20, and returning the car on Jan. 22. Commissioner Stephen Colwell making a motion to find Avila guilty said the mayor was "fully aware of the policies and procedures of the City of Deltona when he went on this trip. This is the second time he's done it." Commissioner Dori Howington asked to add language that the mayor violated the travel policy. Thus, the motion contained two allegations, not just that he violated policy, but did so knowingly. "He was not accused of two violations. He was accused of one violation,' City Attorney Gemma Torcivia said. So the whole hearing hinged on commissioners proving Avila knowingly violated the policy. And to find Avila guilty in that setting required a supermajority vote of 5-2. After two hours, the vote was 4-3, with Avila joined by Vice Mayor Davison Heriot and Commissioner Emma Santiago in voting no. Avila playbook: Claim ignorance of policy The mayor and his attorney, Anthony Sabatini, had a clear strategy. Admit the mistake, but argue ignorance of the policy. Complain about too many policies. And suggest those alleging he violated the policy had "political" motives. Colwell has been friends of former Vice Mayor Jody Lee Storozuk, who took the opportunity during a public comment session on Feb. 3 to turn in paperwork to run for mayor against Avila in 2026. But Colwell wasn't the only commissioner who had concerns about the policy violation. Commissioner Dori Howington, who was endorsed by Avila last year, previously had said she hated "being put in this position," but the mayor should have to pay the city back for traveling to a "partisan event." What is the Deltona commissioners' travel policy? In 2013, the Deltona City Commission renewed a six-year-old policy that commissioners who want to travel out of state must first get approval from the full board. Avila said he wasn't aware of the policy when he booked the hotel and reserved a city vehicle for the weekend of the second inauguration of Donald Trump. He never got commission approval. Colwell attempted to prove Avila was not being truthful by playing a video from a November 2023 meeting, at which a resident, Elbert Bryan, complained during a public comment section that commissioners hadn't been following a travel policy. Sabatini argued the video wasn't evidence, saying the resident didn't cite a specific name or number of the policy and didn't name Avila. No commissioners at the time brought any concerns about Avila's travel to a conference in Mississippi that year, he said. "It was simply one throwaway statement from the crowd out of dozens of public commenters that day," Sabatini said. Avila, who became mayor in 2023, said he never was provided a copy of the travel policy when he was onboarded. He also held up a thick stack of what he said were all of the City Commission's policies. "It's a part-time job," he said. "I have not specifically gone through this big book of policies and procedures." How many policies? The 2013 policy was a revised update of a 2007 policy. There were no significant differences. Several commissioners also discussed a November 2024 travel policy authored by the city manager. Even though it was said to apply to employees, appointed board members and elected officials, Commissioner Maritza Vasquez-Avila said the policy cannot apply to the commission without the body's approval. But others suggested it complicated matters. "Right, wrong, indifferent, at this point, that it applies to staff, appointed boards and elected officials. I understand that just makes things even more confusing," Heriot said. "We went from two policies, now we've got a third one." Howington made a case that Avila knowingly violated the policy because he previously signed travel reports for mileage reimbursement, which, just above his signature included "that it conforms in every respect with the requirements of the City of Deltona travel regulations." "So you signed this, did you not?" Howington asked. "I did. So now we have a regulation and not a policy. We can play with words all day, Commissioner Howington. "Rules are rules are they not?" Howington responded. Avila 'planned' to attend conference as 'guest' Commissioner Nick Lulli asked Avila the purpose of his trip. Avila responded: 'So, there was multiple purposes. Obviously for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. I did get the invitation from Sen. Scott's office regarding the inauguration and a couple other after-hours galas, balls, but none of that cost the city money.' Lulli asked Avila what the U.S. Conference of Mayors is. 'It's mayors from all over the country that come together and they try to work on different policies, procedures," Avila said. "They talk about things that affect your cities.' Ormond Beach, for example, is a member and its mayor, Jason Leslie, attended. The city paid a $3,838 membership fee last July and a $1,500 fee to attend the conference, records show. Lulli established that the conference costs money to attend, and that neither Avila nor the city paid any fee, then asked: "How did you plan to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors if you had not paid for admittance to it?" Avila responded: 'I planned to go in as a guest.' It's unclear whether the Deltona mayor attended any U.S Conference of Mayors daily sessions. Leslie said he "might have seen him in crossing at some point," but the only time he spoke to Avila was at an evening social event. Avila posted on Instagram a photo of himself with three other Florida mayors, including Leslie, at a U.S. Conference of Mayors inaugural reception. Leslie added the U.S. Conference of Mayors required badges to attend both sessions and social hours. The U.S. Conference of Mayors didn't respond to News-Journal questions about whether conference attendees are allowed guests and if so, for which events. Avila didn't respond to requests for comment. During the hearing, he displayed a report he said he had made about the Washington trip. The News-Journal has requested the report as a public record on Thursday. Through Monday, the city had not provided it. What's next for Deltona? Heriot, the vice mayor, proposed a review of the travel policy in the next 30 days. 'We need to put this to bed and be done with it,' he said. Avila said he wants the commission to review all policies every two years, while Heriot pushed for a full index of all policies with the date they were enacted, adding: 'I look forward to clear and concise policy moving forward."
