Many of the nation’s mayors are meeting in Washington just as the Trump administration is moving into office. The mayor of the state’s largest city is voicing hope the new president will pay attention to the needs of local governments.
Conversations at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors mostly center on how cities will be able to work with the incoming administration. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says leaders of the group have met with president-elect Trump and held a productive discussion. Cownie is encouraged by Trump’s voiced support for investment in infrastructure, a top priority of the nation’s mayors.
“To improve roads and bridges and streets and sewers and hospitals and airports and schools," Cownie says. "All of the things citizens depend on.”
Cownie says it's too early to tell what's ahead in the relationship between Trump and the nation's mayors.
“We all have some reservations because we just don’t know," Cownie says. "I think, at lease from our leadership, they feel there’s a glimmer of hope and understanding that existed in their conversation.”
Cownie says Trump’s business background as a developer may make him aware of the needs of cities.