The Mayor of Manitowoc was in Washington D.C. this week as he represented not only the Clipper City, but the State of Wisconsin at the Congressional Cities Conference.
The National League of Cities, which runs the conference, is an organization comprised of local leaders from all over the country that are trying to make life better at a local level.
Mayor Justin Nickels was a part of the convention because he serves as the President of the League of Municipalities in Wisconsin.
“So this is really a legislative conference, where we come to speak to our senators and our congressmen about issues that are important to cites around the country,” he explained.
Nickels explained to Seehafer News that a lot of what was discussed this week revolves around federal dollars, where it’s going, and how it’s getting there.
“A lot of it is dealing with the Infrastructure Law that was just passed to ensure the dollars come directly to cities not through state legislatures where it can be muddled up,” the Mayor said. “Still talking about ARPA funding, which is a lot of dollars that flowed directly to communities for a lot of important things to deal with COVID, but also to deal with clean water and a lot of other things.”
Nickels said that President Joe Biden addressed the group on Monday, where he agreed that the money from the Infrastructure Law should go directly to cities.
The mayor said he is “fortunate to come through the League of Wisconsin Minimalities, and it’s always great to talk to a lot of local officials that are dealing with a lot of the same things were are in Manitowoc.”