Mayor John Robert Smith on why transportation matters to him
February 12, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
Check out this short video of Mayor John Robert Smith, T4 America co-chair and former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, in which he discusses his very personal reasons for choosing not to seek a fifth term as mayor and move to Washington, D.C. to be a part of this effort to change the course of our country’s transportation system.
Urge your Mayor to join Transportation for America
April 20, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
| Read the letter from the mayors, send it to your mayor and tell them to sign on. |
| MAYORS’ LETTER (.doc) |
| More about our partners |
When we launched our campaign platform in late February, we were fortunate to have Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi here in Washington, D.C. to deliver the keynote address.
Perhaps better than anyone, mayors understand the impact that Washington’s decisions on transportation spending can have locally. From big cities to small, they see the crumbling infrastructure, congestion, and lack of transportation choices that hamstrings their cities’ ability to compete economically.
Six four mayors have already joined Transportation for America, but we’re looking for more.
Just a few weeks ago, these mayors wrote a letter to President Obama and Congress explaining why they support the campaign. It urged our national leaders to take the opportunity presented by this year’s transportation bill to write something truly transformative — keeping America competitive and keeping all Americans moving.
For a generation, the United States has invested trillions of dollars in a world-class highway system. Today, we need to protect that investment by prioritizing maintenance over expansion while we build out the rest of the system — so that all of America has access to the transportation options needed to compete and thrive in the 21st Century global economy.
Urge your mayor to join the campaign and be one of the first to sign the letter! Download the mayors’ letter, take it to your mayor and tell them to sign it and join Transportation for America as a partner.
The letter was signed by Mayors John Engen of Missoula, MT, Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis, MN, Mayor Patrick McCrory of Charlotte, NC, and Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, MS. (Since then, Mayor Don Ness of Duluth, MN, and Mayor John DeStefano of New Haven, CT have added their names.)
Your mayor can add their name to the letter by filling out the form and returning it to us. Continue reading to see the full text of the letter.
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Meridian, Mississippi Mayor urges a renewed effort to continue “uniting” the United States of America
March 3, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
 Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi gives the keynote address at the platform launch event last week. Creative Commons photo by Steve Davis/Transportation for America |
As we mentioned last week, Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi came to Washington, DC last week to help Transportation For America officially launch our full platform with a special event in the Cannon House Office Building.
Mayor Smith provided a stirring keynote address, evoking Eisenhower’s vision of a connected America — a vision realized over the last 50 years through our interstate system that was once the envy of the world.
But times have changed, and while investing in maintenance of what we’ve already built, we now need to kick start an ambitious effort to build the second half of our transportation system: The robust intercity rail, the streets safe for walking and biking, the public transportation that provides congestion relief and transportation choices for Americans far and wide, and the rest of an interconnected 21st Century network that can keep us moving into a prosperous American future.
We were honored and delighted to have him speak at our launch event.
Continue below to read his full speech from last Thursday. Our thanks to Mayor Smith and his office for supplying us with the full text.
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February 26, 2010
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The United States of Transit Cutbacks
Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts
Transportation: In your eyes
Send us your transportation-related photos.
