Kansas City, MO – Mayor Sly James was sworn in as the 2016-17 President of the African American Mayors Association (AAMA) today at the organization’s annual conference in Washington, DC.
In his acceptance speech, Mayor James expressed his commitment to build on the work of the previous leadership.
“We have great momentum and I will pursue many of the priorities we advanced during the past year,” said Mayor James. “Criminal justice reform will remain a primary legislative priority for AAMA, and I will be a tireless advocate for sentencing reform and other criminal justice measures that are supported by facts, fairness and reality.”
TheAAMA is the only organization exclusively representing African American mayors in the United States, and exists to empower local leaders for the benefit of their citizens. The AAMA’s role includes taking positions on public policies that impact their cities; providing leadership and management tools for mayors and creating a forum for members to share best practices regarding municipal management. Mayor James was on the Founding Board of Trustees, which launched the organization in 2014.
“As AAMA President, I will continue our work on important issues that impact Kansas City and other cities nationwide,” Mayor James added. “We must keep our citizens safe by taking guns out of the hands of those who commit crimes; support civil rights laws that treat all members of our communities with fairness and dignity; provide access to early childhood education that ensures all children are able to read at grade level; and embrace technology as a driving force in our communities.”
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a former Kansas City Mayor, gave the closing speech at the conference following Mayor James’ swearing in ceremony.
###
