Strengthening Ties with Mayors of American Cities

Singapore Embassy Night Reception. L to R: USCM CEO Tom Cochran; USCM President and Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, David Holt; Singapore Minister of State for Culture Community and Youth and Transport Baey Yam Keng; Singapore Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Home Affairs Sim Ann; Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska and USCM Second Vice President, Leirion Gaylor Baird; Mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser; USCM Vice President and Mayor of San Diego, California, Todd Gloria; and Singapore Ambassador to the U.S. Lui Tuck Yew.

The Singapore Embassy Night Reception was organised by the Singapore Embassy in Washington D.C, together with the Washington D.C. Mayor’s Office, as part of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) 94^th Winter Meeting.

Held from 28 to 30 January, the USMC 94^th Winter Meeting was presided over by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and hosted by Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. One of its primary roles is to convene U.S. Mayors of cities with more than 30,000 residents to engage with the White House, Administration, and Congress, ensuring that federal policies address the priorities of cities.

Embassy Night Reception - Strengthening Relationship with US Mayors

Minister of State Baey and CLC Executive Director Hugh Lim with (L to R) Mayor of Tampa, Florida, Jane Castor; CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities, Clarence Anthony; Mayor of Lansing, Michigan, Andy Schor; and USCM President and Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, David Holt.

The Singapore Embassy Night Reception was attended by more than 450 guests, including mayors and city officials from across the United States, and business council leaders. Guests learned more about Singapore through a specially curated exhibition that highlighted the country’s history, social policies, innovation and the Singapore-United States relationship. CLC was part of this exhibition where the delegation shared on our work as a global knowledge centre through several of our publications drawing on the experience of Singapore and other global cities.

In her speech, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Home Affairs, Sim Ann spoke about Singapore’s multiple identities as port, island, city and state. She also spoke about how the Singapore-U.S. bilateral relationship has benefited the peoples of both countries.

Minister of State Baey, who is also North East District Mayor, shared on how much cities have in common in having to address the effects of climate change, the needs of an ageing population, and adapting to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. He emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing and global discourse at platforms such as the upcoming World Cities Summit that will convene Mayors from all over the world to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships.

Building on his speech, the CLC delegation furthered Singapore’s urban development experience by connecting with U.S. Mayors to strengthen existing relationships and explore potential collaborations. In particular, the team shared details of the 10^th edition of the World Cities Summit, encouraging Mayors to add their voices in shaping a more liveable future for cities and residents with their attendance and participation at the upcoming Summit in June.

Exploring New Areas of Collaboration

The Singapore delegation meeting with partners from (L to R) Bloomberg, National League of Cities, and the Urban Land Institute.

Whilst in Washington D.C., the CLC delegation took the opportunity to meet up with representatives from Bloomberg CityLab and reconnected with partners from the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute to discuss new areas of potential collaboration in the urban dimension. CLC has close working relations with the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute (ULI); a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the former at the World Cities Summit 2024, and several MOUs over the years with the latter culminating in numerous joint research projects and publications. ULI is also a World Cities Summit 2026 Strategic Partner. We look forward to furthering deeper relations and commitment with all partners, existing and new.

Contributed by: Cheryl Lee, Assistant Director, Knowledge Platforms