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Conference of Mayors, Wells Fargo Work toPrevent ForeclosuresThe U.S. Conference of Mayors andWells Fargo, who services about one ofevery six U.S. home loans, met for thefifth time in San Diego in April as part ofa national alliance focused on foreclosureprevention, property disposition, homeownership,and community development.Mayors and Conference of Mayors staffjoined Wells Fargo industry experts todiscuss efforts and strategies to addresshousing challenges in local municipalities.During the forum, Wells Fargo officialsemphasized the importance to encourageconstituents facing financial distressto contact their mortgage servicer.“When customers choose to workwith us, we help about seven of 10 witha solution to avoid foreclosure,” said JoeOhayon, senior vice president and headof community outreach with Wells FargoHome Mortgage servicing.While 93 percent of Wells Fargo mortgagecustomers are current with theirloans and the company’s delinquency andforeclosure rates are better than the industryaverage, Ohayon says commonly,homeowners’ financial challenges extendbeyond their mortgage and are oftenrelated to an employment change – losinga job or making less money at a new job,health problems and even divorce.“Our goal is to help as many homeownersas we can avoid foreclosurewhenever possible,” said Ohayon.At the home preservation workshopthat was held at the same time as the SanDiego forum, Wells Fargo met with 138homeowners struggling with mortgagepayments among more than 40,000 thecompany has met with at its workshopsnationwide.The effort is helping homeowners avoidforeclosure. For instance, after an excellentpayment history on their first and onlyhome, Roderick and Cleo of Californiawere experiencing payment challengesand attended a recent Wells Fargo homepreservation workshop. They had a seriesof personal setbacks beyond their control,including Roderick suffering an injuryat his job and Cleo getting laid off fromhers. That changed their income and theirability to stay current with their mortgagepayments. The choice to attend the workshopresulted in their payment being moremanageable, and helped them keep theirhome and avoid foreclosure.Wells Fargo has participated in morethan 1,100 home preservation eventssince 2008, including hosting 88 largescalehome preservation workshops. WellsFargo has scheduled more home preservationworkshops in Phoenix (April 23),Stockton (CA) (May 7), Dallas (May 23),New Orleans (June 14), and Birmingham(AL) (June 20). Local mayors are welcometo tour the upcoming workshops.Wells Fargo customers facing mortgagepayment challenges can visit the websitewww.wellsfargo.com/homeassist/ or call800-678-7986 to work with Wells Fargoto explore options that may be availableto help them avoid foreclosure.Wells Fargo is also taking a proactiveapproach to maintain abandoned properties.Officials may contact the WellsFargo Home Mortgage Property PreservationDepartment by calling toll free at1-877-617-5274 or send e-mail to codeviolations@wellsfargo.com.“We service and regularly inspectand maintain our vacant properties,” saidWells Fargo Home Mortgage’s PropertyPreservation Department Vice PresidentSherilee Massier.Another important resource is a database,known as MERS®, that can be usedto research the mortgage servicer forat-risk properties. MERS provides accessto data on the MERS® System free ofcharge to homeowners, county officials,and regulatory officials (subject to privacyrestrictions). Officials can access thedata on local mortgage loans registeredon the MERS® System online at www.mersinc.org or by calling toll-free 1-888-679-6377.usmayors.orgPage 18 U.S. MAYOR April 29, 2013
World Cultural Economic ForumMay 1-3 • New Orleans • AGENDA(as of 4/24/13)It is requested that all participants andguests pre-register for this meeting. Alldelegates must wear WCEF badges forall sessions and social events. The badgeis the chief identification for admissionto all scheduled events. Failure to wearbadges may cause inconvenience to participants.Wednesday, May 1All Day Arrival in New Orleans10:00 AM to 6:00 PMRegistration1:30 PM to 3:30 PM• Tour of New Orleans Cultural & CreativeIndustries (OPTIONAL). Pre-registrationrequired. The tour will coverthe city’s cultural arts education &talent pipeline with a visit to the NewOrleans Center for Creative Arts andthe Ellis Marsalis Center in MusiciansVillage; future expansions of the culturaleconomy with a visit to the LafitteGreenway Cultural District and theLower Garden District Film & MusicProduction Cluster; and, a discussionof the heart of New Orleans’ culturaleconomy, the City’s annual MardiGras celebration. The tour will returnto the Roosevelt Hotel.6:00 PM to 8:00 PMWelcome ReceptionThursday, May 28:00 AM to 5:00 PM• Registration7:30 AM to 8:30 AM• Breakfast Buffet8:30 AM to 11:30 AM• Opening Ceremony of the World CulturalEconomic Forum• Distinguished visitors will be welcomedand enjoy a demonstration by MardiGras Indians• Tracing their roots back to a timewhen American Indians helped shieldrunaway slaves. The Mardi Gras Indiansare among the most colorful andmysterious of New Orleans’s Culturalphenomena. Finding it difficult to participatein Mardi Gras “Krewes,” earlyAfrican Americans developed theirown way of celebrating by organizingMardi Gras Indian tribes as Krewes.Today, Mardi Gras Indians shineat every opportunity by showcasingtheir spectacular hand-made costume,lovely song and contagious spirit.Watch them parade and perform atseveral events including Jazz Fest,“Super Sunday” the Sunday after St.Joseph’s Day or come during MardiGras season when their celebratoryspirits shine most – you can’t leaveNew Orleans without having joined inthis truly unique tradition.• MITCHELL LANDRIEU, Mayor of NewOrleans• MICHAEL NUTTER, Mayor of Philadelphia,President, United States Conferenceof Mayors• TOM COCHRAN, CEO and ExecutiveDirector, United States Conference ofMayors• St. Petersburg: A Cultural CapitalHIS EXCELLENCY SERGEY KISLYAKRussian Ambassador to the UnitedStates• Bay Lights Project: Melding Art, Technologyand the City. The world’slargest light sculpture illuminatingthe world famous San Francisco BayBridge was unveiled in early March.This public art project, which is illuminatedby more than 25,000 LED lights,will be on display for two years. Thepanelists will discuss the artist’s visionbehind the project, the impact on thecity and the technology and sustainabilitygoals achieved in the process.• JO BELTRAN, President, San FranciscoArts Commission• AMY CRITCHETT, The Bay Lights,Executive Producer, Illuminate the Arts,Executive Director• PHIL O’DONNELL, Operations Manager– Iconic Installations, PhilipsColor Kinetics11:00 AMOfficial Photo Opportunity for WCEFParticipants/Press Availability12:00 PM to 1:30 PMLuncheonHIS EXCELLENCY GARY DOER, CanadianAmbassador to the United States1:30 PM to 2:45 PMPlenary SessionLiverpool’s Cultural and EconomicRenaissance• ANDY SNELL, Head of InternationalInvestment, Liverpool Vision• Creative Place Making: Public Art andUrban PlanningJASON SCHUPBACH, Director ofDesign, National Endowment for theArts• From Tragedy to Heritage DestinationWILLIAM BELL, Sr., Mayor of Birmingham2:45 PMBREAK3:00 PM to 4:00 PMHosting Large International SportingEvents. Security session abouthosting large international sportingevents. Discussion will cover topicsincluding transportation, security,branding/marketing and legacyaround the sporting events.• Panelists:MITCHELL LANDRIEU, Mayor of NewOrleans, Chair, United States Conferenceof Mayors Tourism, Arts, Parks,See WCEF on page 20usmayors.orgApril 29, 2013 U.S. MAYOR Page 19
Page 1 and 2: Since 1933, the Official Publicatio
Page 3 and 4: Menino:We Are OneBostonBoston Mayor
Page 5 and 6: COPS Hiring Grants: Due by May 22By
Page 7 and 8: GRO1000from page 6seed meal, and do
Page 9 and 10: See DISGRACE on page 10usmayors.org
Page 11 and 12: WASHINGTON OUTLOOKBy Larry JonesCon
Page 13 and 14: WASHINGTON OUTLOOKBy Laura DeKoven
Page 15 and 16: 2013 National CommunityDevelopment
Page 17: May 1- 3World Cultural EconomicForu
Page 21 and 22: Join the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Page 23 and 24: U.S. Communities Unveils New Electr

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