Free Republic

WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (pronounced TEE-hart), R-Kan., released the following statement in response to heinous accusations from Mayor Bloomberg’s political organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns. On Monday the Bloomberg organization paid for a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post assigning blame for the Fort Hood massacre, in part, to firearm policy authored by Tiahrt and approved by Congress since 2002. “The mayors who politicized the tragic deaths of those whose lives were taken along with the dozens who sustained injuries at Fort Hood should immediately issue a public apology to the victims and their families,� said Tiahrt. “Their use of...

Virginia - The antis have “learned” about VCDL protesting the Falls Church Mayor, tomorrow, Monday, October 26 and the Norfolk Mayor, Tuesday, October 27 and are, er, up in arms. They are trying to get their members to turn out at the city council meetings to counter our protest. As EM Matt Gottshalk said when he saw this, “I’ve never seen so much slander in so few words.” Here is what the Virginia Center for Public Safety (how’s that for a misnomer?) sent to their members (my comments imbedded in brackets) CRITICAL ALERT! Please forward this to anyone who can...

A new report from a national coalition of mayors urges President Obama to adopt dozens of reforms to help curb gun violence, including steps to crack down on problems at gun shows and the creation of a federal interstate firearms trafficking unit. The "Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns," a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, presents 40 recommendations that "would dramatically improve law enforcement's ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals -- and, in doing so, save innocent lives." The strategies outlined by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan group of...

A new report from a national coalition of mayors urges President Obama to adopt dozens of reforms to help curb gun violence, including steps to crack down on problems at gun shows and the creation of a federal interstate firearms trafficking unit. The "Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns," a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, presents 40 recommendations that "would dramatically improve law enforcement's ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals -- and, in doing so, save innocent lives." The strategies outlined by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan group of...

In May 2006, a small group of mayors, including ousted Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, were invited to a “summit” in New York by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to found Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The purported idea was to get so-called “illegal guns” off the streets; a lofty goal for sure, but might it not be a better idea to get criminals off the streets instead? Of course, removing a criminal element from society has never been the MAIG goal. This group, which now boasts more than 400 members claiming to represent 56 million American citizens –...

Everything was for sale -- from politicians to kidneys. Separate federal probes targeting rogue rabbis in Brooklyn and corrupt public officials in New Jersey led to the arrests yesterday of 44 people, including three mayors and five religious leaders. All the suspects in both investigations were brought down by the same shady developer, who wore a wire for three years while he bought off politicians, passed supposedly dirty money for laundering and even arranged for a $160,000 kidney sale. "The list of names and titles of those arrested today sounds like a roster for a community leaders' meeting," said Weysan...

NEWARK, N.J. – An investigation into the sale of black-market kidneys and fake Gucci handbags evolved into a sweeping probe of political corruption in New Jersey, ensnaring more than 40 people Thursday, including three mayors, two state lawmakers and several rabbis. Even for a state with a rich history of graft, the scale of wrongdoing alleged was breathtaking. An FBI official called corruption "a cancer that is destroying the core values of this state." Federal prosecutors said the investigation initially focused on a money laundering network that operated between Brooklyn, N.Y.; Deal, N.J.; and Israel. The network is alleged to...

Forty-four people were arrested today in a New Jersey public corruption sweep. The group includes Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, state Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith and state Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt. Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez is charged with agreeing to accept an illegal cash payment.

A two-year corruption and international money-laundering investigation stretching from the Jersey Shore to Brooklyn to Israel and Switzerland culminated in the arrests of 44 people on Thursday, including three New Jersey mayors, two state assemblymen and five rabbis, the authorities said. The case apparently began with bank fraud charges against a member of an insular Syrian Jewish enclave centered in the seaside town of Deal, N.J. Eventually, stemming from that arrest, a federal informant posed as a crooked real estate developer offering cash bribes to obtain government approvals — and the case mushroomed into a political scandal that could rival...

Why has the New York Post omitted the party affiliation of New Jersey politicians that were arrested today? All the remainder Democrats were not indicated (excess of seven), and NONE indicated of the Rabbis, and many many more are missing whether Democrats or Republicans. However, TWO Republicans were conveniently indicated ... something is ROTTEN with Post Staff Writers.

We’ll hopefully know more about this story in a few hours, it seems, but for now, let’s give you at least the basics. The AP has reported (no link available) that FBI agents are sweeping across northern New Jersey on Thursday, making arrests in what reportedly is described as a major corruption probe. WNBC-TV in New York reported and showed images of the mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus being taken into FBI headquarters in Newark. The station also showed rabbis being taken into custody. The sweeps are reportedly taking place in Hudson, Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Posted on Tue, Aug. 05, 2003 Macon mayor defends trip to Africa Ellis says Ghana could process city's parking tickets By Mike Donila Telegraph Staff Writer Macon Mayor Jack Ellis on Monday defended his plans to visit Africa, saying that his mission, in part, is to encourage Ghanian officials to import more goods from Middle Georgia. Ellis also said that during his weeklong trip he will lay the groundwork to possibly enable Macon's Ghanian sister city of Elmina to process local parking tickets. "Ghana is very important to the city, the state - even the region where we live. They...

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has declined President Obama’s invitation for a meeting at the White House on June 29. The mayors have not determined when, or even if, they will accept the invite an administration extended after Obama and Vice President Joe Biden skipped the mayors' annual meeting in Providence, R.I., earlier this month due to a local labor dispute involving firefighters. The White House cancelled plans for senior staff and Cabinet officials to attend the meeting the week before its kickoff, angering some of the nation’s mayors. The administration responded by inviting the mayors to Washington for a...

Mexico Drug Charges Against 7 Mayors, 20 Officials By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 19, 2009 MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico levied organized crime and drug charges Thursday against seven mayors, the former state attorney general and 19 other officials in the western state of Michoacan for allegedly aiding a drug cartel. Three other mayors detained in raids across the state May 26 have not been charged, but will continue to be held pending investigations, officials said. The seven mayors are the largest group of Mexican elected officials arrested on drug charges in recent memory. They and the other suspects...

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a message for Sacramento: hands off my dough. The mayor plans a high- profile lobbying trip to the state capitol Tuesday to protest potential confiscation of local government money by the nearly-bankrupt state government. Villaraigosa will be joined by mayors Jerry Sanders of San Diego and Miguel Pulido of Santa Ana. Villaraigosa's office said Monday that one state proposal to partly fill a $21.3 billion budget deficit would divert 8 percent of local government revenues to the state, which would reduce the Los Angeles general fund by $68 million. The...

DURHAM -- Mayor Bill Bell plans to visit Saudi Arabia next month. Its government will pick up his expenses. Bell will travel with 10 other mayors May 7-14, the city of Durham announced Monday. The mayors were invited by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington. Bell said he was not sure how he was chosen for the trip, but he had spoken with representatives of the Saudi embassy during a trip to Washington for a mayors' conference. "They were very impressed with the Research Triangle Park and the universities and how we've been able to blend public private partnerships here,"...

Invoking his own name-and-shame policy, President Barack Obama warned the nation's mayors on Friday that he will "call them out" if they waste the money from his massive economic stimulus plan.

The U.S. Congress is likely to help cities' struggling economies not only through the stimulus bill it is expected to pass soon but through measures to boost the municipal bond market, Rep. Barney Frank told a mayors' meeting Sunday. Frank has put high on his agenda the creation of a bond insurer that the federal government would operate, and which would charge premiums based on the risk of bonds' defaults, he told Reuters. Most bonds do not default and, therefore, do not need insurance but "the market may still want it," said Frank, who heads the House Financial Services Committee....

President-elect Barack Obama met with the mayors of nine U.S. cities Thursday who together are asking the federal government to give them over $10.7 billion to finance various public works and maintenance projects. Among the mayors who met with Obama, Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz is asking for the most federal tax dollars, a total of $3.2 billion. His requests include $1.5 million to build the Grapeland Flowrider, a new water park attraction, and $100,000 to build dirt-bike trails. Miami also wants $94 million in federal tax dollars for parking garages at the Orange Bowl, and $20 million for work on...

scroll down and click city of your choosing.

Mayors from across the country are in Madison this week for the Mayors Innovation Project summer conference. They'll be sharing ideas about how to run progressive communities in tight economic times. But they will, as well, be wondering whether they are going to have a partner in the federal government. That's something cities have lacked for the past eight years.This week in an interview with MayorTV, an initiative of the Drum Major Institute think tank to focus on urban leaders and issues, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss argues that the Bush/Cheney administration's response has been characterized by "ignorance" as opposed...

HOLLAND - The mayor of this small community 15 miles south of Temple said Tuesday the commission of which she is president is ready to take by the horns the Texas Department of Transportation and its controversial proposal, the Trans-Texas Corridor. Armed with an 80-page manual, “How to Fight the TTC,” and backed by two non-profits who say they protect private property rights, Holland mayor Mae Smith said rural Bell County is ready for a fight. “Bell County sits here like a stepchild and they’re cramming this corridor down our throats,” Ms. Smith said, regarding the commission’s relationship with TxDOT....

Melissa mayor mailing resolutions to fellow mayors to stop state from using gas tax funds for non-road projects BY DANNY GALLAGHER, McKinney Courier-Gazette Melissa Mayor David Dorman said he sits in his office everyday and watches as cars zoom down State Highway 121, a road that will soon start collecting tolls from drivers who use it to get to Dallas, McKinney, Frisco or the Dallas North Tollway and back again. Dorman said before that happens, he wants to know the roads his citizens and drivers are paying the state to use will be maintained and built with those funds. “I...

Using the Greenpeace-friendly term ‘dirty oil’ in reference to crude drawn from the sand, the leaders of some American cities took lines that sounded right out of Treehugging For Dummies, stopping just short of equating Alberta’s oil industry with the Final Event of Revelations.....

The US Conference of Mayors on Monday passed a resolution calling for a phasing out of bottled water by municipalities and promoting the importance of public water supplies. (snip) The mayors, meeting in Miami, approved a resolution proposed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom along with 17 other large-city mayors to redirect taxpayer dollars from bottled water to other city services.

U.S. mayors are adding their voices to those raising concerns about energy produced from Alberta's vast oilsands. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami this week, has approved a resolution calling on its members to ban the use of energy from unconventional sources because of its impact on the environment. "We don't want to spend taxpayer dollars on fuels that make global warming worse," said Eugene, Ore., Mayor Kitty Piercy, who submitted the resolution.

MIAMI — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, here to tell U.S. mayors that he wants to make cities the backbone of regional economic growth and innovation, ended up igniting a war of words with Republican John McCain's campaign over flooding in Iowa. During remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting today, Obama noted that McCain had recently visited flood-devastated Iowa. "I'm sure they appreciated the sentiment, but they probably would have appreciated it more if Sen. McCain hadn't voted against funding for levees and flood control programs, which he seems to consider pork," Obama told the mayors.An Obama...

'100 Mayors For Hillary' Rally Turnout Under 20 Percent POSTED: 2:23 pm EDT April 15, 2008 UPDATED: 2:31 pm EDT April 15, 2008 HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Turnout at the "100 Mayors for Hillary" rally was a little under 20 percent. Only 19 mayors of Pennsylvania cities showed up for Tuesday's rally in the Rotunda of the Pennsylvania Capitol. Other mayors' names were listed on placards supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York for the Democratic presidential nomination. Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed spoke for the group against the backdrop of a banner touting the 100 mayors. He criticized Clinton's rival,...

LUFKIN — Mae Smith, the 64-year-old mayor of the teeny Central Texas town of Holland, seized the civic center lectern like a dragon-slayer ascending the throne. In a fiery red pantsuit and a voice that echoed without the help of a malfunctioning microphone, she and her cohorts revealed to a crowd of about 50 souls clad in denim and plaid a little-known weapon against the foe of all in the room: Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor. The weapon, Smith said, doesn't involve marching on the Texas Capitol, like more than 1,000 did last year, some on tractors and horses. It...

In the midst of inflation, funding difficulties and halted expansion projects, a budget error on the part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) may have exacerbated their challenges. "TxDOT does some mysterious accounting," said Rep. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville). "They had close to $1 billion counted in their budget twice." "That was a serious error on our part and we have made changes to try to prevent that type of error from occurring again," said TxDOT Spokesman Chris Lippincott, adding that the amount added twice in their financial statement was unrelated to the $1.2 billion in federal rescissions, which are...

WHAT: Mayors attending the 76th Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors will hold a Press Conference regarding the immediate need for Congress to secure our nation's borders and implement a practical and effective immigration policy. WHO: Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Sugar Land (TX) Mayor David Wallace, Co-Chairs of the Homeland Security Task Force on the US Conference of Mayors. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Chandler (AZ) Mayor Boyd Dunn and Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup WHY: Members of Congress are advising the Mayors that they will wait for the next congress and the next president to address these...

Gavin Newsom, the divorced San Francisco mayor who provoked a constitutional crisis in 2004 by granting marriage licenses to 4,000 same-sex couples, has chosen the historic Mission Dolores Basilica for a family Mass on the occasion of his inauguration to a second term. Newsom and his family are scheduled to attend Mass at Mission Dolores tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 8, in what his press office is calling a “low-key” second inauguration. Following the Mass, his father, William Newsom, a retired state appellate judge, will administer the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. Given his record,...

Gavin Newsom's political strategist Eric Jaye jokes that he already knows what the analysis of today's mayoral election will be. "However many votes we get," Jaye says, "we know the Bay Guardian will say it wasn't enough." He's got a point. In most elections, pundits try to pick the winner. That's already been handled in this one. Newsom will certainly win a second term as mayor in a cakewalk over a group of offbeat candidates. That's not in doubt. But it does lead to a second question, best expressed by local political consultant Mark Mosher, who asks, "What kind of...

Former Atlantic City Mayor Pleads Guilty To Lying To Get BenefitsThe former mayor of Atlantic City pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to enhance his veterans benefits, a crime that played a role in his bizarre three-week disappearance earlier this fall. Making his first public appearance since leaving office Oct. 10, Robert Levy admitted to falsely claiming to have been awarded two military medals and embellishing his military record in order to receive more money in disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Levy admitted fabricating stories that as a soldier in Vietnam, he had been left in the...

Oakland residents are fed up with random crime - from assaults to burglaries to armed robberies - that is being carried out with seeming impunity on the city's streets. Whether the answer is more cops, a restructured department or something else, businesses and residents across the city want improvements in public safety - and sooner rather than later. In recent months, as I've repeatedly beaten the drum for Mayor Ron Dellums to step up the fight on crime, hundreds of residents have sent me e-mailed notes with their tales of horror. Many of the writers have been victims of crime,...

Sharpe James The defense team of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James is bracing for testimony about marital infidelity to become part of his high-profile corruption case, according to court papers. Confronting an issue that was only hinted at in a federal indictment this summer, James' lawyers are attempting to filter out potential jurors who may be prejudiced by evidence of philandering on his part.

Mexican Consul Enrique Hubbard Urrea has issued an unusual warning to immigrants from his country: Avoid the city of Irving. Deportations in this city have skyrocketed in the last several months – from 262 in all of 2006 to 1,338 through mid-September. "In this city, one has to be extra careful," he told Al Día . "And if possible, avoid going through there, because we suspect, and with good reason, that people are being detained simply because of their appearance." At least 1,600 people have been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement since June 2006 as part of the...

DC. .– The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest association of law enforcement executives, today called on Congress and the Administration, as well as state and local governments, to support strong and effective gun violence prevention policies, and to provide law enforcement with the resources necessary to reverse a two-year rise in violent crime. The IACP unveiled a set of nearly 40 recommendations for policymakers, police, and community and philanthropic leaders which are the result of the “Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence.” The summit, held in Chicago earlier this year, was a groundbreaking collaboration of...

- - 38 leaders of cities meet in Trenton TRENTON -- Just two days after an AK-47 assault rifle and several other weapons were confiscated from a city teenager and a Miami-Dade County police officer was shot and killed in Florida, mayors gathered in the capital city for the U.S. Conference of Mayors leadership meeting called attention to the country's growing problem with gun violence.

Ga. mayor's outreach to Venezuelan leader upsets some residents Associated Press - August 12, 2007 MACON, Ga. (AP) - Some Macon residents have called for demonstrations and boycotts after the mayor of the middle Georgia city formally reached out to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez with a declaration of solidarity. Mayor Jack Ellis said the declaration -- sent about two weeks ago by courier -- was a message that local leaders can stand together despite disagreements at the highest reaches of government. Some local leaders have blasted the mayor's decision to support Chavez -- who is a vocal ally of Iran...

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa agreed Thursday to pay a $5,200 fine for violating multiple campaign finance laws stemming from his 2003 race for the City Council. --snip-- In all, Villaraigosa violated 30 aspects of city campaign finance laws, according to a proposed agreement that he signed Thursday. --snip-- Villaraigosa's campaign lawyer, Stephen Kaufman, downplayed the significance of the violations, calling them common mistakes that other campaigns have made. "These are administrative errors, but nonetheless they should not have happened," Kaufman said. "The mayor has taken steps to make sure this does not happen again." --snip-- Villaraigosa could have faced...

CWA Calls on Local Law Enforcement to Crack-Down on Illegal and Widespread Public Health Problem – Launches YouTube Support Video Washington, D.C. – Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mayor Jim Naugle has been under rapid fire assault from homosexual activists and liberal media for asking people simply to obey the law and to be responsible and respectful to families and children. Recently, Mayor Naugle exposed a popular “gay” community website that serves as an online directory which both encourages and facilitates illegal, public and anonymous “gay” sex. The Mayor was particularly upset that this activity is taking place at two children’s parks...

"Atheists and Criminal Lobbying Union" regarding the meaning of the acronym ACLU. New Times, October 26, 2000 "I don't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.'  Most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy."Sun-Sentinel, July 4, 2007  "I'm supposed to subsidize some schlock sitting on the sofa and drinking a beer, who won't work more than 40 hours a week?" Sun-Sentinel, May 20, 2006  Regarding a proposal to reduce greenhouse gases, calling it "hate-America stuff" concocted by "a bunch of scientists meeting in Paris who've had too much wine.� Sun-Sentinel May 9, 2007  "We're trying to provide a family environment where people...

Just about every proposal Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has pitched since he took office seven months ago has sailed past the City Council. His first, a plan to hire qualified ex-felons for city jobs, was praised for its utility and humanity. And when he asked the council to significantly increase the budget for the mayor's office, not one member of the council questioned it. But now it seems that Dellums' honeymoon with the council and the public is coming to an end. Many residents are weary from the 3-week-old garbage lockout and are looking to Oakland City Hall -- including...

Say you write for or edit the metro section of a major metropolitan newspaper and you have a juicy story of a local ex-mayor who was arrested for running a brothel. It's right on the heels of the Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) prostitution scandal and the politician in the local story in question was once a sheriff's deputy, clearly no stranger to anti-prostitution laws. Party affiliation is just one more tidbit of information that couldn't hurt your readers, right? Not for the Washington Post. Seventy-two year old former Dumfries Mayor Melvin Bray was "charged with running a brothel out of...

Salt Lake City mayoral hopeful Keith Christensen's newly minted support for a downtown skywalk will not vault Mayor Rocky Anderson back into the race after all. "I'm out. I'm not running for re-election," Anderson said Friday, slamming shut the third-term door he had creaked open last month.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was greeted by a crowd of thousands Friday with something he doesn't usually hear - a booming chorus of boos. The icy reception came as Villaraigosa took part in a welcoming ceremony for the newest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy - soccer superstar David Beckham. But when the mayor was introduced, the crowd estimated at 5,000 turned on him with jeers and howls as if he was a member of an opposing team, while the moment was recorded by a vast array of international media. It might have been payback. At a 2005 match...

The NAACP wants Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory to apologize for remarks he made about African American youth after last week's arrests during Fourth of July festivities in uptown. Ken White, president of the Charlotte Branch of the NAACP, on Wednesday called the mayor's comments "insensitive" and said he's concerned they painted "African American youth with a broad swath that cuts deep in many of our communities." McCrory's comments came July 5 in a letter to the city manager congratulating police on their efforts the night before, when 169 people were arrested in uptown. McCrory also wrote that "too many of...

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty yesterday said he is close to a decision on whether city officials will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a federal court ruling that would repeal the District's 30-year-old handgun ban. "We're planning to make that announcement within the next week," Mr. Fenty said yesterday. "We're still exploring all of our options." The Supreme Court appeal must be filed within 90 days of May 8, the date a federal appeals panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to reconsider its earlier ruling in the case. That gives Fenty administration officials...

This theory is by no means foolproof. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, remains popular despite an affair with his campaign manager's wife. Former Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) was unseated in the mid-'90s amid groping allegations that would make Schwarzenegger blush. But it may well be that Republicans are better at using their opponents' sexual peccadilloes against them, summoning up the moral outrage among voters that can be deadly in a close race. It also doesn't help roving-eyed Democrats that women are a mainstay of the party, and women don't appreciate men who cheat. Villaraigosa, a Democrat who is...