The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) adopted a resolution at their 89th annual meeting last month encouraging the implementation of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public schools. However, when asked how they felt about it by The Arizona Sun Times, most of Arizona’s mayors who were asked ducked the question. Not one Arizona mayor — mayors of cities with more than 30,000 people are eligible to be members — voted against it. Mesa Mayor John Giles is a trustee with UCSM.
Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli told The Sun Times he had no comment because he is not a member of UCSM. A staffer from Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega’s office said they would attempt to see if he had a response but were very busy.
Resolution 68 states in part, “The nation’s mayors support the implementation of CRT in the public education curriculum to help engage our youth in programming that reflects an accurate, complete account of BIPOC history.” CRT is illegal in Arizona public schools. Gov. Doug Ducey signed HB 2898 banning it there and also HB 2906 banning government agencies from requiring it for employees.
Only a handful of mayors around the country objected to any of the resolutions adopted at the conference. They were Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, Florida; Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, Michigan; and Mayor Christina Muryn of Findlay, Ohio. All three objected to the CRT resolution.
All four mayors initially listed as sponsors of the resolution took their name off of it after the resolution went public. They were Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky; Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho; Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago; and Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon.
According to USCM Communications Director Sara Durr, “Once a proposed resolution becomes official policy of the organization, co-sponsors’ names are removed.” Wheeler confirmed to Fox News that he is a co-sponsor.
However, McLean said that her name should not have been listed as a co-sponsor. She said she never agreed to it. Apparently one of her staffers had agreed in an email to sign on to it. She explained that it didn’t make sense for her to join it since the public schools aren’t under her authority.
“We’ve prioritized the office of police oversight, climate action, and planting trees in areas that haven’t seen the same investment. I’m committed to justice in these areas – but not in an arena that I have no oversight over,” she said.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) noticed that McLean failed to vote against the resolution. McLean told the IFF that was because she wasn’t present at the meeting where it was proposed and voted on. IFF wondered why she wasn’t at the meeting considering it costs taxpayers $12,242 for her membership. Mesa Mayor Giles is charged $26,216 to be a member.
Other agenda items at the USCM conference included social justice, resettling Afghan refugees, and climate change. USCM is involved in multiple progressive initiatives. They include Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Mayors and Business Leaders for Compassionate and Equitable Cities, and Mayors Climate Protection Center. UCSM provides awards for Environmental Health and Sustainability. The issues page includes documents from the gun control groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords. There is a “Progressive State Leaders Committee” and “Voters Should Not be Intimidated” guide from the left-wing think tank Brennan Center for Justice.
USCM describes itself as a “non-partisan organization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger.”
There is a database of all those mayors on the website, but that doesn’t mean the mayors are members.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
