7918-04 Commitment to Resurrecting the American Dream

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RESOLUTION NO 7918-04 BY' Corrigan, :ID>8r~o;II \QllV1ÐL~9 Du'nn9 FitzGerald~ MRdigan. Seeli~. A RESOLUTION of Commitment to Resurrecting the American Dream WHEREAS, the American dream is rooted in principles of fairness, opportunity, and a chance to succeed and growing divisions between rich and poor, haves and have-nats, and people of color and whites stand in the way of the success of all American communities today; and, WHEREAS, too many people in America's cities and towns no longer have access to what most of us take for granted - a safe and affordable place to live, the opportunity to support themselves adequately through work, ,and the ability to help their children take the next step up the ladder; and, WHEREAS, recent studies and polls show that the economic gaps are getting wider, more and more young people are being left behind because of unequal educational opportunities and limited job opportunities, and countless workers do not have the needed skills to take advantage of new jobs; and WHEREAS, the leaders of America's cities and towns face the challenges and costs of these divides and disparities ,everyday by trying to meet growing needs for an affordable home, a good education, access to basic medical care, and much more; and WHEREAS, the National League of Cities believes that government at all levels has a fundamental responsibility to address the growing disparities by developing policies and programs that wiH give every American an equal chance to achieve the American dream Now therefore; BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, STATE OF OHiO' Section 1. That the Mayor and Council of the City of Lakewood are committed to do our part at the local and regional '-evel to maximize access to affordable housing, strengthen public education, create opportunities to develop marketable job skills, and build an inclusive community Section 2. That the Mayor and Council of the City of Lakewood call on all 2004 candidates for public office to speak directly to the issues of divides and disparities in America and specify what they are willing to do to put the American dream within reach for all families Section 3. That the Mayor and Council of the City of Lakewood join the National League of Cities in calling for a national domestic agenda in 2005 that (1) supports families and child care especially through schools that work for every child and affordabie health care, (2) puts affordable housing and homeownership within reach for every American, (3) grows our local economies to increase jobs and opportunities to learn new skills to match job openings, and (4) supports all governments working together to better serve Americans Section 4, It is found and determined that all formal actions of this Council concerning and relating to the passage of this resolution were adopted in an open meeting of this Council, and that all such deliberations of this Council and of any of its committees that resulted in such formal action were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements Adopted' 5'1 f,.,k-- 7, leð ,1' Ç~~2~ PRESIDENT Approved' ~ ~. 't, (lgt?'f -J£0 ~ 71-ffzt= CLERK M~:1/~µ