Mayor Don Plusquellic, vice chairman of the
Homeland Security Funding Task Force expressed his concern for Ohio’s cities while
announcing the task force’s findings in Washington, D.C. this afternoon. The mayor
has been concerned that most Ohio communities---many of which are cash-strapped---have, to
date, received no Homeland Security funding."We must give our first responders the
tools they need to protect our communities," said Plusquellic from Washington today.
"The process for getting funds to communities where they are most needed has been
ineffective. Even the President of the United States admits the money was not flowing and
told me in January that it needed to be ‘unstuck’. This puts our
cities---especially the many that are cash poor---at risk."
Ohio’s largest cities, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Cleveland and Akron
continue to share concerns of how best to bolster their emergency management capabilities
more than two and a half years after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Freeing up the
funds that have been pledged more than two years ago by the federal government cannot come
soon enough for mayors of these cities, according to Plusquellic, incoming president of
the United States Conference of Mayors.
"In Akron, we have been investing roughly $30,000 weekly since 9/11 in covering
the cost of homeland security protection procedures. The larger the city, the larger the
outlay of funds. I am proud to have been a part of the process to recommend changes that
will speed up the delivery of these funds to our communities," said Plusquellic.
END
