Portland Mayor to talk stimulus with Obama
Mayor Jill Duson will join a delegation of 60 mayors from across the country this morning for a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the president's economic stimulus package.
The $787 billion stimulus comprised of tax cuts and new federal spending includes more than $1 billion for Maine, which will be doled out through various state agencies. Some estimates show Portland could receive up to $90 million in the form of Medicaid payments, public works spending and education programs.
Duson hoped for the chance to press Obama and other top officials to make sure the stimulus spending is done in a transparent way and that the focus remains creating new jobs and saving existing ones.
"First and foremost, I want to make sure this creates jobs that otherwise wouldn't be there for workers in Portland and surrounding areas," she said in a Wednesday interview.
Portland's stimulus wish list submitted to state and federal authorities late last year included almost $100 million in public works and infrastructure projects. Big ticket items on the list included $12 million to upgrade city sewers, $8 million to reduce energy consumption in city buildings, $23 million for a Jetport expansion and $8 million for road projects.
Beyond that, Duson planned to discuss the city's ports and waterfront needs -- two areas she said were not heavily funded under the stimulus plan that emerged from Congress after lengthy debate.
She also hoped to push White House officials to increase accountability and ensure a transparent process to maintain the public's trust. "We need to be cognizant of tracking the development projects and documenting where every dollar goes."
Duson learned Tuesday she was selected to join the contingent from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and said she immediately began searching travel Web sites for the best deals on flights to Washington, D.C. She said the cheapest flight had her leaving out of Boston on Thursday.
Friday's meeting will include President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and other top cabinet officials and will run from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Duson, a Democrat, called the chance to meet with Obama and other leading party officials an "amazing opportunity personally" but said she was focused on representing the city's needs and planned to "put a lid on the giddiness."
The mayor is expected to return to Portland late Friday.
