Newly Elected Mayors
The Seminar for Newly Elected Mayors is a dynamic, integrated, non-partisan program for incoming mayors and mayors who have recently taken office from U.S. cities with populations of 75,000 or more. The Seminar, hosted biennially in odd-numbered years, began in 1975 as a collaboration between the Institute of Politics and the United States Conference of Mayors.
The most recent seminar took place at Harvard Kennedy School on November 30 – December 2, 2021, with a focus on governance during a pandemic, jobs and economic development, and leadership during crises.
Sessions are led by current and former mayors, scholars, and practitioners representing viewpoints across the political spectrum. This is the only program of its kind for new city executives and aims to introduce new mayors to the skills mastered by big-city mayors who have met the challenges of governing in the complex environment of urban politics. It gives new mayors access to respected thinkers and practitioners in the public policy arena. In addition, this convening provides mayors a priceless opportunity to build relationships with their colleagues from cities across the country and across the political spectrum, as well as the opportunity to discuss common goals and challenges away from the pressures of city governance.