by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
As the country awaits a decision on the debt ceiling, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown was one of about 50 mayors from across the country the past weekend to urge congressional leaders to continue negotiations.
Brown attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors Summer Leadership Meeting July 21-23 in Los Angeles, where he supported conference president, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in asking U.S. lawmakers to move beyond the stalemate on Capitol Hill.
“Just hearing from some of the key people from around the country gave us a perspective of what to focus on as mayors when dealing with the federal government because they are focusing on deficit and debt ceiling right now,” Brown said during an interview Monday at City Hall.
“As mayors, you have to focus on jobs. Nobody is talking about jobs in Washington, D.C., putting cities back to work and creating jobs,” he said.
While the conference did send a message on a problem that affects the entire country, Brown was in California promoting Jacksonville.
He toured two of the biggest ports in the country, Long Beach and Los Angeles. According to 2009 cargo volume rankings from the American Association of Port Authorities, Long Beach was No. 4 and Los Angeles was No. 9 in the country for cargo volume.
“They built a port that serves the community so you can have training and education, and they really took a holistic approach to developing the port,” said Brown.
“It was good to see the approach they are taking with their port and its development. Their port is servicing the country, so they are the model to look at,” he said.
The Port of Long Beach opened its Command and Control Center in February. The 25,000-square-foot security center houses the Port’s Security Division and serves as a base for the Harbor Patrol.
It also provides a base for partner agencies that have offices at the Command and Control Center the Coast Guard, Customs and the Border Protection, the Long Beach Police Department, the Port of Los Angeles, and the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
“It was good to be there and talk to community and business leaders, because I want to make sure we are on the cutting edge with our port,” said Brown.
Brown is in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss funding for the Jacksonville port with congressional leaders.
The port wasn’t the only visit Brown considered interesting. He said he also was impressed with a presentation from Dominic Ng, chair and CEO of East West Bank, a full-service commercial bank serving consumers and businesses throughout the U.S. and in Greater China.
“East West Bank was interesting because that bank grew on a market that nobody else was tapping into. They tapped into the Asian market, and they are strong in L.A. They also have an office in Atlanta, and I said, ‘We need you in Jacksonville,’” said Brown.
“(Dominic Ng) gave examples of how he brought investors to L.A. to purchase different things, like a hotel that was in bankruptcy and now is successful,” said Brown.
“My thinking was I need him in Jacksonville because they are doing a lot of exporting and importing. That’s the key. I always talk about positioning Jacksonville so we can compete in the global economy, and what better way to do that than to bring businesses like his to Jacksonville?”
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