Buffalo, NY - December 4, 2009 (WKBW) -- Mayor Byron W. Brown, at the request of President Barack Obama, will host a local forum on jobs and the economy on Wednesday, December 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
Participation is free, but prior registration is required. Anyone wishing to participate can register the following ways: online at www.city-buffalo.com/mayors-jobforum, by faxing the RSVP to (716) 851-5052 or by calling 3-1-1. Any questions can also be addressed by calling 3-1-1.
In a November 30th letter to Mayor Brown, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs requested that the Mayor, along with other mayors from across the country, convene a local forum as a way to reinforce the message President Obama delivered yesterday to approximately 130 attendees at the Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.
In the letter to Mayor Brown, David Agnew, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs said, "We would like to expand this conversation beyond the beltway and are asking mayors across the country to host their own job forums to make sure we hear directly from you and your residents. These discussions -- among neighbors, co-workers and friends -- will be a source of insights and ideas that will inform the President's approach to job creation."
Mayor Brown has organized the forum in an effort to bring together representatives of large and small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, community-based organizations, organized labor, financial experts and the general public to discuss job creation and economic development issues facing Buffalo and Western New York.
"I thank President Obama for his leadership in this effort to drill down to our country's local governments and communities in seeking input for ideas and methods for turning our economy around," said Mayor Brown. "Locally, our region has lost approximately 16,000 jobs since October 2008 and we're facing the highest unemployment rates since the mid-1980's. It's imperative that we examine the various positive job creation models that have worked here and elsewhere, discuss what we can do better and come up with practical and workable recommendations for the Obama Administration. Even with today's news of improving unemployment trends nationally, there are nearly 16 million Americans out of work; we must change that with good paying jobs for our citizens."
