(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Minneapolis mayor-elect talks street cars with U.S. Transportation Secretary
Obama meets with newly-elected mayors
December 13, 2013 at 10:19PM
Minneapolis Mayor-elect Betsy Hodges met Friday with President Obama and other top administration officials, part of a group of 16-newly elected mayors who went to the White House to map out an urban agenda.
Hodges, a DFLer, said the group discussed economic development, along with federal investment in social, transportation and infrastructure projects.
In an interview outside the White House, Hodges said she keyed on U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, the former mayor of Charlotte, N.C.
"You can be sure I talked to Secretary Foxx about or street car initiative, as well as light rail," said Hodges, adding that this is an auspicious time for cities to partner with the federal government.
"The opportunity is that this president has always valued cities and urban areas," she said.
According to a White House transcript of the meeting, Obama spoke of "a shared vision of cities as being critical hubs in which we're creating jobs; bringing businesses; seeing startups develop; making sure that there are pathways, gateways for opportunity for people from the surrounding areas, the surrounding states, the regions, and in many cases, the world."
Our mission this election cycle is to provide the facts and context you need. Here’s how we’ll do that.
