The Nation - News from June 16, 1988

Mayors must persuade the federal government to help their cities battle drug-related crime and rebuild decaying neighborhoods, the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors said. Mayor Arthur Holland of Trenton, N.J., was installed as the 45th president of the organization during the closing session of its annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Holland, who succeeds Richard L. Berkley of Kansas City, Mo., in the two-year post, said the conference’s top priority will be to convince presidential candidates that cities need help. He said the Conference of Mayors sent a telegram to Congress seeking an amendment that would allow federal anti-crime funds to be sent directly to cities for use in the war on drugs. After drugs, cities need federal help to provide adequate mass transit, housing and job training, Holland said.