Gephardt wants fed, local partners; move would bring federal control cloer tomicro-management, leaving states' rights in the dust

JUNE 23, 16:12 EST

Gephardt Wants Fed, Local Partners
Move would bring federal control closer to micro-management, leaving states' rights in the dust

By GERALDA MILLER
Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) — House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt told the nation's mayors Saturday that an ``active and constructive partnership'' between the federal government and local leaders is needed to rejuvenate cities.

Federal money should go toward rebuilding infrastructure and reviving old city buildings, said Gephardt, who was a guest speaker for the opening of the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting.

``We need to stop throwing away all of the building stock of our large medium and small cities in America,'' said Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat. ``We've always had somewhat of a throwaway society.''

He also said it's important to redevelop brownfields — mildly contaminated industrial sites, many of which are in inner cities.

Under a bill the Senate passed in April, the government would assist in cleaning up more than 500,000 abandoned industrial sites. It would provide $200 million a year for the cleanups and encourage developers to build on the sites by insulating them from future Superfund lawsuits if additional toxic wastes are found.

``It's time for us to get serious and not just talk about brownfields,'' Gephardt said.

He also said more federal funds should go to preschools and after-school and summer-school programs, to ``revolutionize and modernize'' city schools.

Many of the 300 mayors attending the four-day conference said they were pleased to hear a tone of cooperation.

``He was really saying what we needed to hear,'' said T.C. Kay, mayor of Pemberton, N.J. ``That it's going to be a bipartisan effort between Congress and the mayors of the United States to make it happen.''

President Bush was scheduled to speak Monday and tout his plan to give federal funds to religious charities.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are about 1,100 such cities in the country.

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