At least four Iowa mayors are attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors, underway in Kansas City through Sunday. The non-partisan gathering of 200-plus mayors is open to those from communities with populations of 30,000 or more.
Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart says homelessness is one challenging issue many of the elected leaders from across the country are facing. Mayor Hart says he launched a homelessness task force earlier this month.
“We’re going to take a look at the data collection to figure out who’s homeless, which demographic meets that, and then just work collectively on best practices,” Hart says, “not just in the local area, but also networking and talking to other mayors and stealing some of those best practices.”
Gun violence is another key topic, though Hart says Waterloo’s numbers in that category are trending downward, which he credits to efforts like gun buy-back programs. Many communities are also struggling with mental health, Hart says, and how to expand services.
“No longer is it the day where we can say mental health services only belongs at the county level,” he says, “but cities have to work to engage and share best practices.”
The mayors are working to compile a list of priorities for the next administration prior to the November presidential elections. Even with so many elected leaders at the conference, he says there’s no political grandstanding. Hart notes, there’s no such thing as a Republican pothole or a Democratic pothole.
“Folks are working here, shoulder to shoulder, outside of partisan lines, to make sure that we create the best communities possible,” Hart says. “That’s one great thing about being on the local level. It is the intersection of people, the intersection of state and federal governments, but our folks are expecting us to move beyond politics and move towards real solutions.”
Other Iowa mayors at the 92nd annual conference include Danny Laudick of Cedar Falls, Connie Boesen of Des Moines and Brad Cavanagh of Dubuque.