Harry Moroz

Obama Transition Plans for White House Office of Urban Policy

According to Obama transition co-chair Valerie Jarrett, plans for a White House Office of Urban Policy are moving forward:

Despite the many national problems confronting the new administration, she continued, Obama remains committed to earlier pledges to establish such an office. "Because he began as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, he understands at the local level is really where you can impact change and that local government can play a vital role as we try to jump start our economy," she said. "So having somebody in the White House, because there are so many different agencies that really can impact urban America and to have one person whose job it is to really pull all of that together, is really a critical position. And there are plenty of terrific candidates for that spot."

Obama’s promise to create the office drew loud cheers during a campaign stop at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting last summer. Establishing such an office would be a very visible sign of Obama’s commitment to partner with the nation’s mayors in formulating urban policy.

(A nod to John for the tip.)

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Posted at 10:46 AM, Nov 11, 2008 in Cities | Urban Affairs
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