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| Economic & Community Development
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| Economic & Community Development, Featured, Housing, Workforce Development
- Newsletters
- | Economic & Community Development, Featured, Housing, Workforce Development
At the 2023 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference in New York, the Clinton Foundation and Accelerator for America teamed up to host a Mayors’ Roundtable on the most pressing challenges and opportunities that city leaders are facing as they seek to advance economic mobility for residents and communities. Accelerator for America Co-Chairs Mayor Kate Gallego (Phoenix, AZ) and Mayor Quinton Lucas (Kansas City, MO) were joined for this discussion by Mayors Justin Bibb (Cleveland, OH), David Holt (Oklahoma City, OK), Steven Reed (Montgomery, AL), and Frank Scott, Jr. (Little Rock, AR), alongside federal officials and philanthropic, business, and non-profit leaders from across the country.
In the wake of unprecedented federal investments through legislation like the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, cities and states now face the hard work of maximizing funding and accessing benefits for their communities. From infrastructure to small business support, no one understands these needs better than mayors, but to succeed, more philanthropic and non-governmental support is critical to help the communities that have been left behind. In partnership with the Clinton Foundation and Accelerator for America, the conversation centered on this once-in-a-generation opportunity, and the associated challenges to change the trajectory of urban and regional economies around the U.S. and highlight the role non-municipal partners can play in maximizing impact and implementation.
Facilitated by Mayor Lucas, the Roundtable participants addressed topics ranging from the system issues that are open to be addressed by the unprecedented influx of federal investments and the lessons that have been learned from previous interventions, to the challenges that exist for cities and communities in accessing the new federal funds and what private sector support is needed to build capacity in more places to take advantage of place-based economic development opportunities. In particular, Mayor Lucas emphasized the need to ensure that cities and communities of all sizes and across the entire U.S. are able to position themselves for investment.
Mayor Gallego led off the discussion by emphasizing the importance of first understanding the problem that you are seeking to solve, and where can the mayor and city leadership plug in to develop and advance needed solutions and investments. Even as the fifth largest city in the country and one that is incredibly well-positioned to benefit from federal investments through the CHIPS and Science Act and other programs, Phoenix still has gaps in its workforce and small business pipeline and affordable housing market that must be addressed in order to ensure that its growth will be inclusive for all citizens.
Local leaders should ensure that employers in growing industry sectors are strongly connected to higher educational institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, as well as workforce training and apprenticeship programs so that these opportunities can be highly customized to meet current and future employer needs and increase placement success for participants. Community-based organizations that have trusted relationships with community residents must be engaged to build the talent pipeline. New and different skills are emerging as in-demand for legacy industries, such as the construction industry’s increasing use of robotics, which requires timely updates to curriculum and training practices and re-thinking what can be considered apprenticeable trades. Employers should also be encouraged to evaluate degree and credentialing requirements for their positions, to remove unnecessary barriers to accessing job opportunities. It was also noted that addressing workforce development should be a key focus for all federal infrastructure funding applications. From weatherization of existing buildings to broadband deployment, federal funds have started to flow and the need for speed and urgency at the local and national level was emphasized.
Following from the Roundtable discussion, we encourage mayors across the country to embrace their roles as “conveners-in-chief” to maximize the impact of federal investments by establishing and advancing strategies around inclusive workforce development and equitable small business growth strategies. To initiate this effort, mayors can immediately:
Designate a senior team member to assess the current landscape and existing efforts and to identify key organizations and stakeholders, including employers and community based organizations, that must be at the table.
Connect individually with key leaders whose active engagement in the collective efforts will be critical for success. Examples would include the president of the local community college and the head of the community foundation or other philanthropic funders.
Lay out a compelling vision for what success will look like and what can be achieved by coming together to address gaps and challenges and maximize the opportunities of this moment where federal and local investment can align to address long-standing disparities and create pathways to new economic opportunity for communities.
Bring together employers, entrepreneurs, labor leaders, and economic and workforce development partners to identify the key sectors where workforce development and skills training will be needed in the next several years – whether it’s emerging technologies like the electric vehicle ecosystem or existing trade skills for infrastructure building.
Communicate the key areas where philanthropy and corporate support can assist in their place-based economic development strategies. This does not have to be limited to private actors based in their regions, but a more broad statement about the gaps where the philanthropic community and private sector can engage.
Accelerator for America (AFA) is a national non-profit organization that works with mayors and their leadership teams to advance economic mobility for city residents. AFA finds, develops, shares, scales, and replicates the most promising solutions from across the country, working with cities of all sizes around common challenges and opportunities. Since 2021, AFA has been
working with cities to help them maximize this historic moment of new investment. AFA has published guidebooks, playbooks, and other news you can use as well as worked within cohorts and communities of practice to build capacity in cities and provide the technical assistance our local leaders need for success. AFA works daily with a network of over 50 mayors and more than 70 economic and community development organizations across the country.
Launched by President Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has built a community of doers who are taking action to make a tangible difference in people’s lives around the world. CGI works with partners to develop Commitments to Action – new, specific, and measurable solutions in climate resilience, health equity, humanitarian response, and inclusive economic recovery and growth. Since 2005, more than 3,900 Commitments to Action have been launched through CGI. In a letter to the CGI community this summer, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton said this year’s focus is on how to “keep going” in spite of the difficulties that arise – to build a stronger future for all.
