The first-ever conference for mayors from cities along the U.S.-Mexico border was held in Juarez in late September. The purpose of the meeting was to "form a united,common front" to the problems affecting both sides of the border, according to Juarez Mayor, Ramon Galindo. Some of the U.S. cities expected to be represented at the meeting were Sunland Park, NM, Brownsville, TX, and San Diego, CA. But only one U.S. Mayor attended the meeting, held to discuss issues of immigration, economic development, drug trafficking, and public spending.
El Paso was to be represented by one of Mayor Larry Francis' aides, Mark Smith, but he, too, was absent from the historic meeting. Nevertheless, Juarez Mayor, Galindo said El Paso's lack of representation would not hurt relations between the cities. He said he and Mayor Francis share the same concerns about their respective cities.
The city of Socorro's mayor, Rogelio Lozoya, was the only U.S. mayor present at the conference. Lozoya said the city of Socorro, TX lacks funds for infrastructure and other needs and was curious about the methods of asking the federal government for resources. Most of the Mexican mayors discussions were focused on the problem that drug trafficking is posing for their communities. Galindo added that the U.S. needs to take direct actions against its drug (demand) problem. On the issue of infrastructure funding, Mayor Galindo explained that there are about 300 people arriving daily into the city of Juarez in search of a better life and the flow of these people has placed a strain on social services and contributed to a high crime rate. Part of the agenda among Mexican mayors included discussions on strategies to continue their fight for more equitable funding from their federal government. According to Galindo, the federal government keeps 10 cents of every peso spent in Juarez and he is proposing to be able to keep 5 cents of that.
Sources: Diario de Juarez, El Paso Times