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According to its Web site, the U.S. Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan organization made up of mayors who lead towns with populations of 30,000 people or more. The USCM has a five-point mission statement, and that is to promote sound national policy for towns and cities, strengthen relations with the federal government, make sure the federal government is attentive to the goals of city and town governments, guide mayors towards becoming better managers and providing a forum where mayors can share information and ideas.

While the mayor said he accomplished much at the conference, the item he was most excited about was a 10-point plan of priorities directed at the federal government on how it could help them do their jobs more effectively.

Points included in the plan included how the federal government can help municipalities better promote tourism and the arts, fight crime, revitalize infrastructure, create a competitive workforce. In this article, Miron talks a little about what he learned at conference, and how it affect Stratford.

Q. You said it's a nonpartisan group, do you find that really to be the case?

Miron: "We didn't wear badges naming our party affiliation. Political parties rarely come up, because when you get past the state and federal levels, the issues that truly affect us are all the same. They aren't partisan issues. At this conference, we talked about environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, lessening our carbon footprint, environmental issues of that nature. I don't think anyone's against these concepts, just how we get there."

Q. Of all the points in the plan, was there one priority that seemed more important than the rest?

Miron: "Of all the issues we talked about, the 10th one was the most important, preventing unfunded mandates. We proposed new legislation that would strengthen local and federal partnerships, all in an effort to further restrict the ability of Congress to impose unfunded federal mandates."

Miron: "No. No. 9 is the arts. Here in Stratford, I've explained to people numerous times that the arts and tourism business is a $166 billion industry in this country. That translates into 5.7 million full-time jobs and more than $12 billion in federal income tax."

Q. Is this why USCM is lobbying for a cabinet position for arts and culture?

Miron "Yes. with the re-emerging Shakespeare Theater and the Army Engine Plant property possibly becoming a site for studio production facilities, I'm very interested as to how that may play out. Also, frankly, the federal government gives states a too small amount for the arts and that's not good. It should invest more. Not only are the arts nourishing for the soul, makes towns more attractive and livable. It's also big business."

Q. Would a national cabinet position for the arts make that big a difference to Stratford?

Miron: "The way federal-level arts funding is distributed is crazy. The money goes to the state, and then the state decides how to dole it out. That's flawed. Also, the impact from 9-11 is still felt today. While international travel has flourished, this country has seen a 17 percent drop in tourism, a continuing trend that not only affects the big tourism places, but the smaller places as well. Just by economics alone we have to make tourism and the arts a national priority."

Q. What about environmental initiatives in the plan, what does global warming have to do with Stratford. One of your points calls for the creation of federal "energy block grants," similar to the 33-year-old Community Development Block Grant program that Stratford receives funding from every year.

Miron: "That's true, only this funding, instead of being based on a formula that rewards bigger cities with lower income populations, it would be based on population density. Climate protection is a point that I'm personally motivated by. I signed onto this 2 1/2 years ago when I became mayor. I think it's important our infrastructure becomes more sustainable, more 'green'."

Q. On a local level, what are you doing now to help the environment.

Miron: "With our fleet of vehicles, we have been buying many different types, experimenting to see if say, hybrid vehicles are less expensive to operate than ones that are powered on natural gas or ethanol. Should we fill the tires with nitrogen, or regular air? If you fill them with nitrogen instead of air, it can improve fuel efficiency by 3 or 4 percent, and there's less wear and tear on the tires, which also saves money.

Another program we've implemented is Smart Energy Program. For every 100 residents that sign up to a special program that will switch their homes over to electricity that originates with renewable, sustainable sources, the town gets one solar panel. We try to tell everyone we can about the program at every event I attend. So far though, we only have about 150 people signed up."

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