City leaders who gathered in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual winter meeting were decidedly upbeat about the economy and their ability to have a voice in shaping federal policies, including those dealing with energy, water infrastructure and climate change.
Speaking to reporters on Jan. 22 at the opening of the three-day meeting, Mesa, Ariz., Mayor Scott Smith (R) said, “The tone of this conference is much different than the funeral wake we've experienced in the past.”