We were honored to hold our 2023 Summer Meeting in historic Scranton, PA! The Summer Meeting featured panels on EV fleet transitions, raising job quality, tenant protections, and more.
Thank you to the speakers, generous sponsors, and innovative mayors that made this meeting a success. Scroll down to see meeting materials, presentation slides, and more!
Meeting topics include:
- Housing Quality & Tenant Protections
- The Electric City: Electric Vehicle Implementation
- Work that Works: The City’s Role in Job Quality
- Sunshine in the City: Fiscal Transparency & Community Trust
- Innovation Showcase!
We are a national learning network for mayors committed to shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and efficient democratic government.
Briefing Books & Panel Slides
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The City's role in Private Sector Job Quality
Panel Speakers Included:
- LiJia Gong, Local Progress
- Mayor Paige Cognetti, Scranton, PA
- Teri Ooms, President & CEO, The Institute, Scranton, PA
- City Council President Mary Sheffield, Detroit, MI
- Mayor Daniel Biss, Evanston, IL
Briefing Book Resources:
- The Role of Local Government in Protecting Workers’ Rights, Terri Gerstein and LiJia Gong, Economic Policy Institute & Local Progress, June 2023
- Workers’ rights preemption in the US, Economic Policy Institute
- The Living Wage Report, The Institute and the University of Scranton, 2022
- Scranton helps boost wages of longtime lampshade manufacturer in Pine Brook, Jim Lockwood, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa., Dec. 2022
- Notice of Funding: Small Business Wage Boost Grant and Negative Economic Recovery Grant Program Guidelines, City of Scranton, Oct. 2022
- Detroit OK’s workplace standards board for arena workers, Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News, May 23, 2023
- Industry Standards Ordinance, City of Detroit, Nov. 2021
- Evanston, Illinois Enacts Sweeping Fair Workweek Law, Fox Rothchild, June 2022
The Electric City: EV Fleet Transition
Panel Speakers Included:
- Aradhana Gahlaut, Senior Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute
- Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, Easthampton, MA
- Fátima Luna, Climate and Sustainability Policy Advisor, Mayor’s Office, Tucson, AZ
- Eileen Cipriani, City Business Administrator, Scranton, PA
Briefing Book Resources:
- How Cities and Counties Can Electrify Their Fleets, Aradhana Gahlaut and Ben Shapiro, RMI, January 2023
- Easthampton EV Conversion Press Release, City of Easthampton, March 28, 2023
- City of Tucson’s Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap, City of Tucson, 2022
- Scranton Unveils Fleet of Electric Vehicles, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office of the Mayor, March 9, 2023
- Electric Vehicles Save Money for Government Fleets, Tony Dutzik, Diane E. Brown and Doug O’Malley, U.S. Pirg Education Fund, June 2023
Sunshine in the City: Fiscal Transparency & Community Trust
Panel Speakers Included:
- Shayne Kavanagh, Sr. Manager of Research, Government Finance Officers Association
- Mayor Paige Cognetti, Scranton, PA
- Jessica Eskra, City Solicitor, Scranton, PA
- Andrew Holland, Assistant Director, Office of Performance and Innovation, Durham, NC
Briefing Book Resources:
- A Guide to Online Financial Transparency, Mark Mack, Government Finance Officers Association, December 2019
- Public Engagement and Transparency Is Key to States and Localities Using Federal Aid to Advance Racial Equity, Iris Hinh, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 2022
- Rethinking Public Engagement, Shayne C. Kavanagh, Valerie Lemmie and Martín Carcasson, Government Finance Officers Association, May 2023
- Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Community Engagement, What Works Cities – Bloomberg Philanthropies, November 2021
- City of Scranton Strategic Economic Development Plan, August 2022
- City of Scranton ARPA snapshot, One Scranton, July 2023
- Communications & Outreach Plan, City of Durham Participatory Budgeting Initiative, October 2018
- Durham participatory budgeting enters third year with $2.4 million for residents to spend, Michael Ramos, The Chronicle, November 29, 2022
Tenant Protections & Rental Housing Quality
Panel Speakers Included:
- Sarah Gallagher, Senior Project Director, National Low Income Housing Coalition
- Mayor Jaime Kinder, Meadville, PA
- Eileen Cipriani, City Business Administrator, Scranton, PA
- Mayor Derek Slaughter, Williamsport, PA (no slides used)
Briefing Book Resources:
- Promoting Housing Stability Through Just Cause Eviction Legislation, Jade Vasquez and Sarah Gallagher, National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2022
- City Council approves anti-retaliation ordinance to protect tenants, Mike Crowley, Meadville Tribune, March 9, 2023
- Meadville anti-retaliation ordinance, City of Meadville, March 1, 2023
- Scranton Rental Regulation Reform, Scranton City Hall, Department of Law, November 10, 2022
- Scranton Overhauled RENTAL Ordinance (2022), Scranton City Council, November 2022
- Scranton Tenants’ Bill of Rights, Department of Licensing, Inspections and Permits, April 2023
- Rescue plan-funded land bank to improve city’s economic outlook, Mark Maroney, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, August 1, 2023
- Williamsport Land Bank Ordinance, City Council of Williamsport, December 2021
- Syracuse lawmakers ban evictions by landlords who snub city’s rental registry, Tim Knauss, Syracuse.com, September 14, 2020
- Kansas City Tenant Bill of Rights, City of Kansas City, 2019
Registration, logistics and agenda
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Registration
All US mayors are invited! Other elected local government leaders and staff should confirm with their mayor’s office before registering.
MEMBER CITIES
Mayors and representatives: As always, registration is free for member cities. Not sure if you are a member city? Please see this list of current members: https://airtable.com/shr72tcxQiYCfvDhT.
You do NOT need to be a member city to attend:
NON-MEMBER CITIES
Mayors: $375/person
Council members or city staff: $425/person
Learn more about membership here: https://www.mayorsinnovation.org/join/.
SPECIAL SCRANTON NEIGHBOR RATE!
Mayor Cognetti would like to encourage local and regional mayors to attend by inviting mayors from Pennsylvania and it’s closest neighbors to apply for a $100 discount toward their registration! You are eligible for this discount if your city is located in any of the following states: DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA. Please indicate this in your registration below.
NGOs
If you are with a non-governmental organization, such as a non-profit or academic institution, please contact knspear@mayorsinnovation.org for an invitation.
SPONSORS
Interested in sponsoring? Contact knspear@mayorsinnovation.org.
Travel & Logistics
Our conference hotel and primary conference venue is the Radisson Lackawanna Station, a historic landmark and former train station. We’ve reserved a hotel block at the special rate of just $98/night. Book using this link by July 10.
“Our historic hotel was originally a train station that opened in 1908, and you can admire many of the original features, from the marble columns to the Tiffany stained-glass ceiling, as you walk through our stately lobby.” – Radisson Lackawanna Station.
The hotel is just a 10-minute drive from the Wilkes-Barre International Airport, the city’s nearest airport. The Radisson operates an airport-hotel shuttle service that operates 7 days a week from 6am – 11pm; you can reach the shuttle at 800-395-7046 or watch here for updated information on conference-specific shuttle support as we get closer to the event. Rental cars are also available at the airport.
Agenda
Our Summer meeting includes a mix of policy panels, networking events, and city tours that highlight and bring to life the innovative policy and partnerships happening in Scranton, PA.
Our agenda runs from approximately 6pm on Wednesday, Aug. 9 until approximately 3pm on Friday, Aug. 11. For those looking to stick around and experience more of Scranton, we’re organizing a group trip to a Scranton RailRiders minor league baseball game on Friday night and will have additional information posted here soon about historic landmarks and exciting events that you can add to your itinerary if you’re spending more time in the area.
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
From our Summer Meeting host…
“We are brimming with excitement to host the Mayors Innovation Project 2023 Summer Meeting August 9-11, here in the Electric City of Scranton, PA!
Since I took office three years ago, we’ve worked to build an innovative city, focusing on creating economic opportunity, valuing diversity and inclusion, and investing in a high quality of life for all our residents. The Summer Meeting will be your opportunity to hear more about some of the great work we’re doing while also learning from our peers from across the country.
This three-day event will provide you with a combination of in-depth policy, actionable solutions, and a chance to see some of our work up close through city tours and excursions highlighting our city’s rich history in anthracite coal mining, manufacturing, rail transportation, and more (and yes – you’ll recognize landmarks from The Office!). The agenda will include discussions around housing quality, electrifying city fleets, the city’s role in job quality, and fiscal transparency and accountability.
In addition to the important work of helping cities tackle their biggest challenges, the Summer Meeting will provide you with plenty of fun opportunities to network with mayors from around the country and to take in the city.
As always, registration is free for Mayors Innovation Project member city mayors and staff, though you do not need to be a member city to attend. You can find more information on the meeting, track agenda and speaker updates, and register today at this link.
I look forward to seeing you in August!”
– Mayor Paige Cognetti, Scranton, PA