1 The nation's cities expect a more 'mature relationship' with the federal government under George Bush than they have had during the Reagan era, the incoming president of the National League of Cities says.
2 Using a parent-child analogy to discuss how cities have fared in their dealings with the federal government, Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard told a National Press Club luncheon on Thursday: 'During the sixties and seventies we had a pampered childhood.
3 And then very abruptly at the beginning of the eighties, we were orphaned.
4 We were thrown out in the storm and we were told to fend for ourselves.'
5 'We're looking for a new relationship, a mature relationship, one that binds two powerful entities, the federal government and local government into a common purpose,' and partnership said Goddard, who was recently elected the league's president.
6 The league is the nation's largest and oldest organization representing towns and cities.
7 Although he said the cities had learned to cope, stretch resources and survive their 'Oliver Twist' adolescent period without Washington, the 41-year-old Goddard said municipalities face problems like the spread of drugs, lack of affordable housing, and decaying infrastructure and environment.
8 'There is serious trouble in urban America,' he said.
9 Goddard said the problems of cities are often ignored because they're dull and gradual.
10 He said they aren't noticed until 'after a system fails, after a building collapses or a bridge falls through.'
11 But he said the new administration should focus on what can be done to prevent catastrophe before it happens.
12 Goddard met Thursday afternoon with Jack Kemp, Bush's nominee to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he presented the league's proposal for six initiatives for the Bush administration and the 101st Congress to help tackle urban problems.
13 The proposal includes establishing a council of urban advisers, developing a comprehensive national housing policy, a national policy on children and families and a new federal surface transportation policy, and invigorating federal support for urban research.
14 Goddard said cities recognize the federal deficit problem and don't seek a return to their pampered days, 'but we do need a positive administration response, one which is willing to use national leadership and coordination to help us save money and add a sense of direction.'
15 Goddard said Bush could demonstrate a commitment to a partnership with cities if he consults local officials, sets up a mechanism to consider the impact of agencies' actions and regulations on municipalities, evaluates approaches cities have found successful in dealing with their problems and doesn't rule out spending new funds in critical areas.
16 That done, 'We pledge to help the president-elect become the best urban president this country has known,' said Goddard.

We were thrown out in the storm and we were told to fend for ourselves . "
told
Why were they told to defend for themselves?