WASHINGTON — St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman was at the White House on Thursday to be the “good example” for a small group of cities participating in an Obama administration program meant to break down barriers between different government agencies.
The program, called Strong Cities, Strong Communities (or SC2), was founded in June and is, according to the White House, “aimed at creating new partnerships between federal agencies and localities to spark economic development in communities that have faced significant long-term challenges in developing and implementing their economic strategies.” Participating cities include: Chester, Pa.; Cleveland/Youngstown, Ohio; Detroit; Fresno, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; and New Orleans.
Coleman and the mayors of those cities met with White House officials, including President Obama, on Thursday to talk about different isues facing their communities, ranging from job creation and crime to health care and transportation projects. Coleman said St. Paul’s relative success when it comes to navigating government beuracracy made the city a good model for other communities to follow.
Coleman said the Central Corridor Light Rail project is the most high-profile example of that effort.
“Because of the work that the Department of Transportation did, because of the work that [the Department of Housing and Urban Development] did, because of the work that the funders in the philanthropic community have done … we are not just building a transit corridor, we are changing a community,” he said.
In a way, St. Paul’s proximity to its neighbor, Minneapolis, complicates its relationship with federal government entities — the two cities need to coordinate on Twin Cities-wide projects in order to secure funding and bypass the red tape that comes with them. But Coleman said he’s worked well with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and that relationship has opened the door to more cooperation from the federal government.
Coleman is in Washington for National League of Cities meetings and met twice with Obama this week. On Tuesday, Coleman told the president to continue his focus on direct federal in schools and praised the success of the Build America Bonds program that ended in 2010.
Coleman also met with HUD and Department of Labor officials, where he inquired about the future status of St. Paul’s Community Development Block Grants. He said a lot of his focus this week has been on youth summer employment and reforming the way vocational schools and community colleges train the workforce.
Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dhenry
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