Why MayorTV?

In today's presidential campaign, America is all heartland -- tractor pulls, county fairs, town halls and truck stops. Candidates scramble for photo ops in plaid, stump in wheat fields and scarf down corn dogs. Our country, it seems, is all country.

Yet we are an urban nation. More than 80% of Americans live in cities. Urbanites drive 90% of our economy. In pandering to rural voters, presidential candidates ignore the bread and butter issues that most Americans deal with every day -- housing, transportation, infrastructure, crime, education.

Have the presidential candidates lost touch with urban America? Are "urban issues" code for poor people and ethnic minorities, and thus to be avoided at all costs? Should the candidates have an urban agenda? What should it be?

To find out, we asked the people who know our cities best -- America's Mayors. In punchy video interviews, a diverse and influential group of mayors gave their prescription for an agenda that supports American cities, and thus America at large.

The result -- MayorTV.com -- offers surprising insights into presidential politics, priorities and the candidates themselves.

Mayors We Interviewed
  • Antonio Villaraigosa

    Los Angeles, CA

    “Poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing, infrastructure ... it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues.”

  • Shirley Franklin

    Atlanta, GA

    “We must invest in infrastructure, or Atlanta's economy -- and the national economy -- is going to shrivel up and die.”

  • Manny Diaz

    Miami, FL

    “The media and the pollsters focus on issues like war, abortion, gay rights. Quite frankly, for those of us in the trenches, they're not the hot button issues.”

  • John Hickenlooper

    Denver, CO

    “Cities are America's laboratories. But once we figure out solutions, we need the federal government's help to roll them out to the entire country.”

  • R.T. Rybak

    Minneapolis, MN

    “I want a community organizer in the White House, because that's what I do every single day.”

  • Douglas Palmer

    Trenton, NJ

    “Our cities are where it’s at.”

  • Christopher Doherty

    Scranton, PA

    “The strength of a city is the combustion engineering that takes place inside it.”

  • Pegeen Hanrahan

    Gainesville, FL

    “Use our cities more effectively.”

  • Byron Brown

    Buffalo, NY

    “The presidential nomination process certainly has a negative effect on the coverage of cities.”

  • Tom Menino

    Boston, MA

    “I challenge you, presidential candidates - talk more about cities. It will be beneficial to you, it will be beneficial to the country.”

  • Rocky Anderson

    Salt Lake City, UT

    “President Bush has not only neglected cities, but has hurt our cities in such enormous ways.”

  • Sheila Dixon

    Baltimore, MD

    “We have wars here in our city. We should be making strides against drugs and gang violence, but it's something I never hear the presidential candidates talk about.”

  • Bob Duffy

    Rochester, NY

    “Our cities across this country are proud. They have a great history. But like a boxer, they've taken one knee, and they have to bring themselves back.”

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