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Providence to host Mayors Conference in '09

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Providence will host meeting of U.S. Conference of Mayors in '09

The meeting -- to be held in June -- typically includes about 1,500 mayors and officials, and their families.

BY KAREN A. DAVIS

Journal Staff Writer - Tuesday, March 16, 2004

PROVIDENCE -- Leaders of the nation's cities will converge on Providence in 2009 to discuss common issues, problems and solutions plaguing municipalities across the country.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently selected the Ocean State's capital city as the site of its 2009 meeting, according to Mayor David N. Cicilline.

Cicilline said this will be the first time that the event has been held in Providence.

The meeting typically includes about 1,500 mayors and officials, and their families, Cicilline said.

The event, in mid-June, will include meetings at the Westin Providence, Providence Biltmore and Courtyard by Marriott hotels. Programs and activities will be planned by Cicilline's staff, which will work with the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, city officials said.

"It is an incredible accomplishment for our city to be chosen the host city for the 77th annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors," Cicilline said in a statement. "We are absolutely delighted and honored to receive this designation and are looking forward to showcasing the great attributes our city has to offer to the scores of mayors, officials and staff members who will participate."

Cicilline said Providence was among a number of cities vying to host the meeting, which attracts mayors from Maine to Miami and Los Angeles to New York.

The event provides a forum for mayors from large to mid-sized cities to review policy issues, report on studies and develop recommendations, Cicilline said.

The non-partisan organization represents 1,183 cities with populations of 30,000 or more.

Cicilline said a recent study by the group found that metropolitan areas created 84 percent of the nation's jobs, which generated 89 percent of the nation's economic growth.

Columbia University officials have heralded cities as serving as the "key laboratories" in addressing such national issues as homelessness, poverty, crime, education and the environment.

This year's meeting is in Boston. The group will meet in the following years in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami.

In August 2001, Rhode Island hosted the annual convention of the National Governors Association, a four-day event that garnered much attention for the state, but left Rhode Island with a $500,000 bill for security and other expenses.

From The Providence Journal

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Garris Town

Garris

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This year's meeting is in Boston. The group will meet in the following years in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami.

Whoa... Nice company to be in, don't you think :), considering that we're, what, 1/4 the size of the next smallest city in that group (Boston)?

In August 2001, Rhode Island hosted the annual convention of the National Governors Association, a four-day event that garnered much attention for the state, but left Rhode Island with a $500,000 bill for security and other expenses.

Boo hoo... The degree of advertising equal to that coverage across the nation would be orders of magnitude more...

- Garris

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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Whoa...  Nice company to be in, don't you think :), considering that we're, what, 1/4 the size of the next smallest city in that group (Boston)?

Boo hoo...  The degree of advertising equal to that coverage across the nation would be orders of magnitude more...

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, we also recently hosted the FOP conventetion, beating out cities such as Las Vegas. We had to bus these people as far away as CT because we didn't have the hotel rooms. No way we should have got this convention.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

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The FOP was crazy, and I don't really understand why they chose us knowing we didn't have enough rooms. The Mayors Convention won't be as large as the FOP, and by then we should have at least the Masonic Temple and the second Westin Tower online, and perhaps the Fogarty Building Hotel. The Holiday Inn could be out of commission though, depending on when the transformation to a Hilton occurs.

EDIT: The Charles Street Hotel should also be online if they get final approvals soon.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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the hilton is supposedly going to start soon.. when proccianti said in the paper something like "we are just waiting for the westin's approval, the holiday inn is ready to be gutted out"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I

Recently the journal reported the mayor saying like a major annoucement sometime in the next few months on Lasalle Sq. Maybe the old police station.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

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Recently the journal reported the mayor saying like a major annoucement sometime in the next few months on Lasalle Sq. Maybe the old police station.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would imagine (hope) that that would have something to do with working a deal with Blue Cross Blue Shield to keep them in Providence, and also to take the courtyard out front to use as part of the reconfigured LaSalle Square. Blue Cross is spread out around the city, and one of the things that Andres Duany proposed was doing a swap (for either the courtyard land, or the entire building in LaSalle Square), between Blue Cross and the city.

They have a couple thousand workers and it would really be a blow to the city to lose them.

I wouldn't hold my breath just yet for a major announcement out of the mayors office regarding the old public safety complex. Messolela (who's doing the Fogarty Building Hotel), has the rights to that. I don't think the mayor gets along with him. Big news would be the city wrestling control of the complex from Messolella and getting another developer to actually do something with it, as opposed to the constant wheel-spinning that Messolella is doing there.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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I would imagine (hope) that that would have something to do with working a deal with Blue Cross Blue Shield to keep them in Providence, and also to take the courtyard out front to use as part of the reconfigured LaSalle Square. Blue Cross is spread out around the city, and one of the things that Andres Duany proposed was doing a swap (for either the courtyard land, or the entire building in LaSalle Square), between Blue Cross and the city.

They have a couple thousand workers and it would really be a blow to the city to lose them.

I wouldn't hold my breath just yet for a major announcement out of the mayors office regarding the old public safety complex. Messolela (who's doing the Fogarty Building Hotel), has the rights to that. I don't think the mayor gets along with him. Big news would be the city wrestling control of the complex from Messolella and getting another developer to actually do something with it, as opposed to the constant wheel-spinning that Messolella is doing there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I read this in the story that was written about the downtown conference about a week or two ago, so who knows what this is. My plan for this building would be to turn it over to the Providence Library next door, close down that part of Fountain St and connect the building. Then add a large parking garage to service them, the civic center and hotels. :whistling:

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CtownMikey Burg

CtownMikey

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it will especially be interesting due to the fact that they are going to be in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami in prior years to Providence... and I'm sure they will give us some feedback as far as how they liked the city. So with our new developments being complete.. and im sure a bunch more will be on the boards by 2009, it'll be nice to hear their comparison of Prov. to the most recent hosting cities

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Mike D Whistle-Stop

Mike D

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Providence should also look into what Boston, Chicago, LA, LV and Miami are doing to improve their cities for some inspiration. Those five cities must be doing something right (even Boston :) ) if they have been chosen to host the Mayors' Conference. Providence is clearly doing something (or things) right if they are getting the Conference in '09.

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