The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) recently announced that Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary has been appointed Vice Chair of U.S. Conference of Mayors Advanced Manufacturing Task Force by Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa Arizona, the USCM President. This noteworthy appointment comes after Mayor O’Leary’s appearance last month at the 81st Annual Conference of Mayors. Mayor O’Leary was one of three panelists who spoke on the best practices in advanced manufacturing. He addressed the Plenary Session that was attended by over 700 fellow mayors and business leaders from around the country.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve as Vice Chair of this most important committee. Manufacturing is critical to the survival of our cities across the U.S.,” said Mayor O’Leary.

Mayor O’Leary’s address to the session last month outlined the work currently underway in Waterbury and the State of Connecticut. Citing the linkage between education, economic development and workforce development, the mayor spoke of the new Waterbury Career Academy’s focus on Advanced Manufacturing, the new state of the art Advanced Manufacturing Center at Naugatuck Valley Community College (and 4 other similar centers in CT) and his success in drawing nine new manufacturing firms to Waterbury, creating over 100 new manufacturing jobs.

“This Task Force was established to promote and share ideas and innovations among cities across our country in an effort to rebuild and expand manufacturing,” Mayor O’Leary said. “It is an opportunity to showcase the good work that we are doing here, and across the nation in cities like Lansing Michigan and Beaverton, Oregon. I see this Task Force playing a vital role in the ongoing progress of manufacturing’s resurgence. I look forward to working with my fellow mayors as we weigh in on national manufacturing polices as well as work to support education and training that is vital to the industry’s continued growth.”

U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy, who in late May launched the Connecticut Manufacturing Initiative, a roundtable of state’s manufacturing community to discuss what federal policies are needed to grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, applauded O’Leary’s appointment. "I'm delighted to hear of Mayor O'Leary's appointment," Murphy said. "He's been an unwavering supporter of manufacturing in our state and has worked hard to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Waterbury. He's been a crucial partner in the push to bring both public and private investment to the Brass City."

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About The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,302 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. The Conference holds its Winter Meeting each January in Washington, D.C. and an Annual Meeting each June in a different U.S. city. Additional meetings and events are held as directed by the Conference leadership.