This discussion panel features the participants listed on the opening slide.
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This next conversation will focus on how mayors and local leaders have prioritized engagement throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, without further ado, let me introduce our moderator and two guests.
NANCY LEAMOND: Thanks, Mike.
MIKE WATSON: Next, we haveStephen Benjamin,Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina.
Welcome, Mayor Benjamin.
STEVE BENJAMIN: Good to be with you.
MIKE WATSON: Finally, we have MayorSatya Rhodes-Conway, the 58thMayor of Madison, Wisconsin.
NANCY LEAMOND: Well, thanks Mike, and I’m thrilled to be here with these two mayors.
Many thanks to Mayor Benjamin and Mayor Rhodes-Conway for joining us today.
So, let’s move to them, and my first question goes to Mayor Rhodes-Conway.
I really appreciate, and I think my staff appreciate, the tools that the framework makes available.
And, you know, we’re still in the phase of gathering our baseline information.
And its a little odd to be gathering baseline information during a pandemic, but there you have it.
Both on being in the age-friendly communities data pipe and everything that has come to light via the pandemic.
We really want to verify that we’re engaging everybody as part of our planning processes.
NANCY LEAMOND:Well, thank you for that.
So, thank you for that.
Mayor Benjamin, Id like to turn to you, and it’s so good to see you.
How have you seen perennials heighten economic vitality in Columbia?
And contribute more to a livable community?
So, it’s an honor to be here with both of you.
Pre-pandemic, in this country alone, the 50-plus marketplaces was a $7.6 trillion market.
They just actually have some assets, some experience and an amazing commitment to make your community better.
We were recipients of a Cities of Service Experience Matters grant.
MIKE WATSON: Thanks, Nancy.
So cities may be taking a number of approaches to gathering data and community input on this.
STEVE BENJAMIN: And I agree.
It’s important as Satya mentioned, all the noise that surrounds everything that we all do right now.
Were also in the greatest economic disruption.
And also the greatest social unrest that we’ve seen probably since 1968.
And many of our cities are seeing a precipitous increase in crime.
Everybody’s got a lot on their plate right now.
We’ve made some decisions around some of our money.
Get involved, get engaged, reach out proactively.
Reach out and share your very best ideas as to how we build cities well for people.
Satya, well go to you first.
We could use that entire amount just to replace revenue.
The council adopted a plan that is really investing in five buckets.
NANCY LEAMOND: Thank you that’s very helpful, mayor.
STEVE BENJAMIN: Thank you for the question.
Our allocation was about $29 million.
We also did not receive any of the direct allocations that went to cities on the CARES Act fund.
We have made decisions.
But we decided we would invest in affordable housing, in facilitating forever housing, which includes senior housing.
We’re big believers in investing in the public realm parks and recreation, the place where citizens engage.
Looking at a few initiatives, right now.
Then we’ve invested heavily in our employees as well.
Were still trying to become a more multimodal city.
We’ve also gotten a lot of information about the lack of culturally relevant and easily accessible resources.
And you know, here in Madison we have a couple of different committees.
We have a Committee on Aging and we have the Senior Center board.
NANCY LEAMOND: Great.
STEVE BENJAMIN:Sure.
So the good thing about the pandemic is that everyone’s gone digital.
There are so many more ways that you could physically get to a city council meeting.
There are ways to participate now via Zoom or whatever tool your respective municipality may have.
And you will also miss your opportunity to influence us as well.
Now everyone engages in so many different platforms.
I want to encourage people get online.
But it’s the different channels of communication, which are so diverse and diffuse right now.
NANCY LEAMOND: That’s great advice.
Since we’re taking questions from the audience, I think I turn back to Mike.
MIKE WATSON: Yes, thanks Nancy.
And then what’s one thing that gives you hope?
Mayor Benjamin let’s start with you and then go to mayor Rhodes-Conway.
STEVE BENJAMIN: One thing that worries me, and one thing that gives me hope.
The active misinformation and disinformation campaigns discouraging people from protecting themselves, to protecting their community.
Then you have to get over this foolishness.
I am a lifelong president emeritus of the mayor’s mutual admiration society.
I believe in mayor’s and beliee in local leadership.
MIKE WATSON: Very well said Mayor Benjamin.
Mayor Rhodes-Conway do you want to add anything to that?
I worry that we’re not collectively going to be able to get past that.
So that’s probably the biggest worry for me.
And, what are the important issues that we have to pay attention to?
Was this a problem in your community and, if so, how did you resolve it?
We delivered devices to people.
We set up pen pal relationships.
It did take a lot of creativity.
I feel like that was a pretty successful effort here in Madison.
We have these wonderful nonprofit organizations that exist in different ways and in each community.
How do you help them scale up?
Although we didn’t get the right allocation of CARES money, we run a pretty effective city.
We finished nine of 11 years with a budget surplus.
We sent several hundred thousand dollars to senior resources, scaled up their existing connections.
MIKE WATSON: Really impressive and important work you just talked about mayor Benjamin.
A lot of the challenges you mentioned are actually felt across the age spectrum as well.
MAYOR BENJAMIN: Run, Run, Run, Run, Run!
I serve as a member of our council.
It helps shape our community.
Probably the most impactful way is exactly as I said.
You don’t have to run if you don’t want to.
Some people don’t want to get in politics right now.
It’s important that you personally get involved.
MIKE WATSON: That is a great setup for our final question.
Both of you are clearly age-friendly champions.
We’ve seen it in your work at the community level and we’ve heard it here today.
I think that framing, that benefit for the whole community, is really important.
I think that framework is a very powerful one.
I think it’s very powerful for encouraging folks to engage with age-friendly work.
STEVE BENJAMIN: I’d say again that demography is destiny.
I would say that every mayor sees the world very differently, as every person does.
So if you engage with your mayor, understand how she thinks or how he thinks.
There may be an economic discussion.
They may have a livability discussion, maybe a focus on significant volunteerism or the gig economy.
If they just never get it, consider running.
MIKE WATSON: Great advice for us to end on.
Mayor Benjamin, Mayor Rhodes-Conway, Nancy, thank you.
This has been wonderful, and I know inspiring.
There are too many takeaways and themes for me to recap here but Ill just highlight a few.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Learn More
2021 AARP Livable Communities Engagement Workshop
Page published October 2021
