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Williamsport mayor selected to national network of leaders

News Category: Media

Williamsport mayor selected to national network of leaders

Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter has been selected as one of 15 leaders to join the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), a selective national network of Democratic state and local elected officials with more than 200 members, with Honorary Co-Chairs U.S. Senator Chris Coons and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, according to a news release.

Members of the network have been chosen from more than 2,000 nominations over NewDEAL’s 14 years, and are united by their work to enact pro-growth and pragmatic solutions across their diverse array of communities.

As part of NewDEAL, they are recognized for their forward-thinking approach and commitment to making government work to solve modern challenges, the news release added.

Members have included U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who joined as a mayor, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who joined as a County Commissioner. Slaughter joins current NewDEAL Leaders serving from Pennsylvania, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti.

Slaughter joins the group at a time when state and local leaders are on the frontlines of responding to economic issues around the cost of living and the changing nature of work, as well as challenges caused by climate change, racial inequities, threats to our democracy, and emerging technologies, the press release said.

NewDEALers are supporting each other in thinking big and building a more prosperous and equitable future.

Recognizing the policy challenges and opportunities created by these issues, and amid a critical election impacting the direction of every community across the country, the NewDEAL has released guides to help state and local officials deal with issues from artificial intelligence’s impact on election security to housing affordability.

In addition, NewDEAL partnered with the congressional New Democrat Coalition on a center-left agenda to defend fundamental American freedoms, and published a messaging guide to help leaders communicate effectively on a range of topics, the news release said.

NewDEALers’ next major convening will take place at the 2024 Leaders Conference, November 20-22 in Washington, DC, where about 70 members will join other innovators from the public and private sectors to discuss a forward-looking agenda for state and local Democrats to address the biggest challenges facing our country, including A.I., housing, education, climate change, and threats to our democracy.

Slaughter was selected to join NewDEAL in part because of his work to modernize and streamline city government while investing in a higher quality of life for Williamsport.

Elected as the city’s first Black mayor in 2019 on a platform of government transparency, he has invested in neighborhood revitalization and made upgrades to nearly every park in the city currently, while also securing millions of dollars in funding for public safety and working to roll out a hybrid public safety response team to handle mental and behavioral health calls, according to the news release.

NewDEAL Leaders have found broad support for their work across red, blue, and purple states and cities, with more than 20 rising to higher office in the past few years. Throughout the organization’s history, more than one in four NewDEAL Leaders has moved to higher office. These leaders include members of Congress, such as Marilyn Strickland in Washington, Brittany Pettersen in Colorado, Jennifer McClellan in Virginia, and new Mayors in cities from San Jose, CA to Stamford, CT.

“We are in a vitally important moment for state and local leaders as we work to improve our schools, expand economic opportunity, channel transformational levels of federal aid, and ensure Williamsport is positioned for sustainable growth and prosperity,” said Slaughter. “I look forward to sharing lessons with and learning from other leaders who are setting the standard for effective governance, and I am excited to be part of NewDEAL’s efforts to expand opportunities for Americans in communities nationwide.”

The new class of NewDEAL Leaders includes:

Kesha Hodge Washington, Councilmember, Phoenix, Arizona

Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Councilmember, Santa Cruz, California

Lindsey Daugherty, Representative, Colorado

Jena Griswold, Secretary of State, Colorado

James Maroney, Senator, Connecticut

Jason Esteves, Senator, Georgia

Juliana Stratton, Lieutenant Governor, Illinois

Emma Kerr-Carpenter, Representative, Montana

Jayme Davis, Representative, North Dakota

Dontavius Jarrells, Representative, Ohio

Rachael Heisler, City Controller, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania