Local mayors travel to D.C. to ask for stimulus cash

Mayors from across the country said stimulus funds would be more productive if distributed through them rather than state governments and complained that money has not flowed for projects designed to cut energy usage, said Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder.

About 250 mayors met with President Barack Obama, cabinet members and others in the administration at the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.

For the first time the mayors were allowed to ask questions as well as listen to reports from the federal officials, said Mulder.

"We talked a lot about the economy," said Mulder after returning from Washington. "It was apparent that that was first and foremost on all of our agendas."

Cities should get stimulus grants directly because some states used the funding to bail out their own budgets without creating jobs or getting things done, said Mulder. However, she did praise Illinois for using stimulus funds to improve streets such Higgins Road near O'Hare International Airport.

Municipalities might use the money for projects such as loans to help small businesses weather the economic storm or for projects that would put people to work, she said.

Cities have submitted applications for green initiative grants to reduce reliance on fossil fuels or find innovative ways to use renewable energy, but none of these projects have been funded, she said.

Federal officials responded that writing 50 checks and administering that number of projects is easier than dealing with thousands.

"We got our message across, but it might be just like last year - they met with us and met with the governors and that's where the money went," said Mulder.

While health care is important, she said, the message from the Massachusetts election is "it's not necessarily as important to the American people as are jobs and the ability to put food on the table."