Mayors Focus On Future Of Cities At South By Southwest

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 20 mayors from across the country are in Austin, TX this weekend for South by Southwest (SXSW), the world-famous event that brings together new ideas, emerging technologies, and a prolific concentration of cross-industry thought leaders. As part of the annual gathering, mayors are participating in Civic I/O, the Mayors Summit at SXSW, an event that was created in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors, South by Southwest and the Office of Austin Mayor Steve Adler. Mayors will join in a series of interactive discussions that will focus on how cities can leverage emerging technologies to tackle some of the biggest civic and municipal challenges.

Participating Mayors include:

A press avail with mayors is scheduled for Sunday, March 10 at 9:30 am CT.  It will take place in the Hilton Austin Downtown, SXSW City Hall (The Reverbery).  Interested media should RSVP to Sara Durr at [email protected].

Highlights Include:

Sunday, March 10 at 2 pm: The City Hall Blueprint For Running the Country
Featuring South Bend (IN) Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Dallas (TX) Mayor Mike Rawlings, and Miami (FL) Mayor Francis Suarez

LBJ once said, "When the burdens of the presidency seem unusually heavy, I always remind myself it could be worse. I could be a mayor." Mayors are executives of government who are relied on to get stuff done and can't afford to play political games or shut down their governments. As several mayors and former mayors explore their own runs for the White House, this discussion will examine the political realities of how a mayor could turn the success of running a city into a successful model for Washington. LOCATION: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon C

Saturday, March 9 at 2 pm: Out for the Count: How to Repair the Broken 2020 Census
Featuring Mesa (AZ) Mayor John Giles

The census is more than just a survey. It is a once-a-decade head count of everyone living in our country that has a major impact on our lives. The census is used to determine such critical things as the number of seats each state has in the US House of Representatives and to how we distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. As we approach the 2020 Census, it is already fraught with major challenges. Do we have enough resources to adequately execute the census? How will the attempt to add a citizenship question impact the census? What issues exist as we shift to a digital census regarding privacy and digital access for all communities? How would a census undercount impact the country? Hear local and national leaders discuss what lies ahead for the 2020 census and what you can do about it. LOCATION: Hilton Downtown Austin, Salon A

Sunday, March 10 at 11 am: Mayors Matchup: Tech Innovation Pitch Competition
Emerging companies will pitch their ideas to address challenges facing cities in a "Shark Tank"-style forum. A panel of mayors and industry experts will serve as judges and award $10,000 to the winner. Last year's first place winner was Biobot Analytics, which uses cutting-edge technology to transform sewers into public health observatories. Their product, the Opioid Consumption Monitoring (OCM) Program is helping address the nation's opioid drug crisis by gathering data before opioid use results in arrests and deaths by overdose. LOCATION: Hilton Austin Downtown, SXSW City Hall (The Reverbery)

***NOTE: Panels will be on the record and open to media with an official SXSW badge unless otherwise indicated.  All Civic I/O evening events are closed to press.  Mayors are available for interviews while in Austin.  To arrange an interview, please contact Sara Durr at [email protected].

About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

About Civic I/O -- Civic I/O is a network of innovators and instigators committed to the hard work of progressing their cities. United by a common drive and ambition, civic leaders join together to help each other imagine and realize what is truly possible, altering the course of their city's future and making a lasting impact. 

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors

Related Links

www.usmayors.org