Councilman Michael Tubbs met with key White House officials and urged them to make Stockton one of 20 hardest-hit “Promise Cities” to receive special federal aid, says a press release from his office.
“Taking the lead and not waiting one second,” Tubbs met personallly with Director of Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew, and Deputy Assistant to the President Raquel Russell on Tuesday February 26, 2013.
He spoke by phone with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Director of Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Munoz.
“Our city has suffered for far too long for us to wait until the White House announces their plan,” Tubbs said in a press release. ”We need to be as vocal as possible and make sure the Obama Administration fully understands our dynamic challenges. Additionally, I wanted to hear first hang from decision makers what they were looking for in selecting the cities and wanted to ensure that Stockton was on the President’s agenda as they craft their program.”
Bra-vo.
If Stockton does not qualify for the Promise Cities program (announced by Obama in his SOTU Address) the program is a farce. But expecting government to recognize Stockton’s need would be foolhardy. Our leaders need to take the initiative and lobby. At least one has served the city well by doing so. Real leadership, anyone?
