Chester, PA One of Six Cities in White House Pilot Program


Chester Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. greets HUD Regional Administrator Jane Vincent as she takes the podium. Both took part in announcing the "Strong Cities, Strong Communities" Initiative, a new pilot program to spur economic growth and government partnerships.

Hearty guffaws rebounded throughout a Chester City Hall meeting room on the morning of July 11, 2011 as Chester city leaders and federal agency representatives gathered for a photo. After being asked to squeeze together multiple times for the shot, one group member made the remark that they'd �be working closely together like this� for months to come. That set the whole room laughing.

�I guess this is one of those �Kodak moments' for the city of Chester,� Chester Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. said as the group welcomed a new initiative created by the Obama Administration.

Butler, along with leaders from more than five federal agencies, launched the �Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative� (SC2) on July 11. Chester, as one of six pilot cities for the new initiative, will take part in a varied number of capacity-building tools aimed at sparking economic growth through partnerships with government agencies.


Federal representatives and local leaders join Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. (center) and Regional Administrator Jane C.W. Vincent (second from right) for a group photo. The group represents a team of local and federal government workers that will collaborate to help redevelop Chester.

SC2 focuses on making it easier for local governments to navigate the maze of federal agencies when seeking funding, providing assistance to help ensure that federal funds are used more effectively and developing new partnerships to accelerate economic revitalization. The Obama Administration received feedback from mayors nationally over the past two and a half years, discussing what changes they thought would help to spur economic growth in their areas. SC2 works to address their requests.

�I can't tell you how pleased we are to join you in this project, not only now, but as we look to the future,� said Jane Vincent, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Vincent explained her hopes for the pilot program, stating that Chester would become a model for other small cities in the region. To read more about the new initiative or to find out about the other participating cities, check out http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/07/11/announcing-strong-cities-strong-communities

HUD Regional Administrator Jane Vincent speaks of her goal for Chester to become a model city for the nation. Vincent said that she was excited for HUD to be part of the nationwide project.
Marie Johns, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, speaks with HUD Regional Administrator Jane Vincent following the ceremony. Johns has a long history of business and civic leadership and has worked on redevelopment in Chester previously.

 
Content Archived: January 24, 2013