WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is the newest addition to the monthly meeting of the mayors hosted by Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown.
"Just exchanging ideas and you know, get to learn something from everybody," said Kenney. "We got the infrastructure bill that's coming, and it's going to have to be some consensus on state projects, and the northeast has similar issues that we're dealing with. So in addition to COVID and some of the other things you have to deal with, it's always nice to get out of the city for a little bit exchange ideas with other people."
The other mayors besides Wilkes-Barre's and Philadelphia's at the table are the mayor of Hazleton, Nanticoke, Scranton, Kingston, Williamsport, and Pittston.
"For me, the size of the city, it's really all about numbers, issues, whether it's COVID or budgets or police, the issues are kind of the same," said Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo. "It's just what the multiplicative factor is. So it's great to be here and exchange ideas. It's nice to expand a group a little bit and have some different insights that will be here."
"We don't know everything. I mean, we can always learn from somebody, and they do things differently or better. We can take that and take it back home and implement it there," added Kenney.
Philadelphia just announced a vaccine mandate for indoor dining and sporting events to start next year—something Mayor Kenney says he's ready to discuss, but it's not something mayors in our area are prepared to make a decision on.
"I don't know much about it. And hopefully, we'll learn more today about that," said Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown about the topic.
Mayor Brown is hoping to brainstorm on many issues affecting the city.
"Homelessness is one thing that we are really trying to address and do what we should be doing as mayors but also, you know, crime. Issues are just there that we have no matter what size, if it's Nanticoke or if it's Philadelphia. It's slightly similar issues that we all have," explained Brown.
Mayor Kenney says he hopes to take a seat at this regular roundtable discussion for the rest of his term as mayor of Philadelphia.
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