NEW! Learn about the Metro Mayors Coalition's anti-gang initiatives.
About the Coalition
The mayors and city managers of Boston, Cambridge,
Chelsea, Everett,
Malden,
Melrose,
Medford,
Quincy,
Revere and Somerville
established the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition in August
of 2001. In 2006, Brookline and Winthrop joined the Coalition, and in 2008, Braintree joined, raising its membership to 13 mayors and city and town managers.
The Coalition is a groundbreaking organization
in metropolitan Boston. The Coalition is a voluntary,
collaborative and consensus-based forum where members
exchange information and formulate solutions to common
problems. MAPC played a pivotal role in establishing
the Coalition and provides staff support and financial
administration.
The Coalition has enjoyed tremendous success over
the past year:
- For the first time, Coalition municipalities have
collectively purchased goods and services such as
office supplies and other consumable goods thereby
increasing their purchasing power and lowering their
costs. Boston, the largest municipal purchaser of
goods and services in New England, is the lead municipality
with MAPC staff providing the coordination.
- The Coalition played a key role in facilitating
a joint homeland security application that resulted
in a $1.96 million grant for public safety equipment.
In addition, Coalition communities are cooperatively
developing emergency plans to share emergency equipment,
develop working relationships among secondary responders,
and participating in the United States Coast Guard's
Model Port Program steering committee.
- Through the Coalition, the mayors and city managers
developed a comprehensive municipal relief agenda,
MMC's
Core Elements of Municipal Relief. The Massachusetts
Legislature included many of the proposals in a
municipal relief law passed in July 2003.
- The Pioneer
Institute for Public Policy Research awarded
MAPC an honorable mention in its 2003
Better Government Competition for its role in
facilitating the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition and
promoting
regional cooperation.
Throughout history, numerous attempts to promote
regional collaboration among urban core local governments
that were proposed by governors, mayors of Boston,
and legislative, business and civic leaders did not
yield any notable achievements. Today, however, the
Coalition has become an effective vehicle to address
common issues confronting urban core governments.
The Coalition has made significant strides in overcoming
the obstacles that hampered past attempts at interlocal
cooperation. Results have demonstrated the tangible
benefits achieved through collective action. MAPC,
along with contemporary and enlightened mayors and
city managers have finally designed a model that works
for Greater Boston; with MAPC providing the both the
nexus for collaboration and the staff necessary for
carrying out locally developed intermunicipal programs. The potential for the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition
is almost without limit. There are so many areas and
issues that lend themselves to regional collaboration.
Over the next year, the Coalition will continue working
on activities in progress and deliberating on the
next iteration of initiatives which could include:
- Continuing our progress in the areas of collective
purchasing and homeland security planning;
- Effecting the consolidation of municipal employee
group health insurance plans;
- Developing a comprehensive urban agenda;
- Exporting the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition model;
and
- Developing the long-term strategy and financial
plan to institutionalize the organization.
The Coalition is funded by member municipalities,
in-kind contributions from MAPC and a grant from The
Boston Foundation. Logistical support is provided
by Bunker
Hill Community College.
Contact Joel Barrera, 617-451-2770 ext. 2019 jbarrera@mapc.org
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