In February, the Bush Administration announced its Strengthening America's Communities initiative. If approved by Congress, it would merge federal programs such as the massive community development block grant initiative, Rural Development agency funds and Economic Development Administration funds into a single, two-part grant program for communities in need, administered by the Commerce Department.
Commerce has picked 25 people from across the nation to form an advisory committee that will review the proposal and make suggestions.
Commerce on Thursday issued a press release naming 17 committee members, not including Flanary.
But Friday, Flanary said he's been assured by Commerce officials that he received a seat on the panel. His name and seven others were left off the press release because federal officials hadn't finished processing their security clearances, which include fingerprints and extensive background checks, he explained.
The eight members weren't named in time to take part in the committee's first meeting Thursday and Friday in California.
The 17 committee members identified include:
* Chairman Mark Drabenstott, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and director of the Center for the Study of Rural America.
* Vice Chairman Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness in Washington, D.C.
* Brian Aungst Sr. of Florida, regional director of public affairs for Bright House Networks (formerly Time-Warner).
* Alan Autry, mayor of Fresno, Calif.
* Wanetta Ayers, executive director of the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference.
* Rosa Bruce, director of housing and revitalization for Casa Grande, Ariz.
* Linda Butts, director of economic development and finance for the North Dakota Department of Commerce.
* Robert Michael Duncan Sr., chairman of Kentucky's Inez Deposit Bank and Big Sandy Regional Development Authority.
* Richard Hoffman, Texas deputy attorney general for families and children.
* Matt Kramer, Commission of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
* Theodore Liu, director of the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
* James Martin of Tennessee, executive director of United South and Eastern Tribes Inc.
* Paul Pate, mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
* Phillip Singerman, executive director of Maryland Technology Development Corp.
* Dorothy Terrell of Massachusetts, president and CEO of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.
* James West, mayor of Spokane, Wash.
* Bob Young, mayor of Augusta, Ga.
The 18 programs slated for consolidation have provided tens of millions of dollars to the city of Norton and the counties of Lee, Wise and Scott for water, sewer, economic development and other projects. The programs are spread among the federal cabinet departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Treasury.
Administration officials say the programs often do not coordinate well among development projects and sometimes overlap, creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Also, the administration believes that too often, wealthy urban communities automatically get federal development funds at the expense of more needy rural areas that must compete for dollars.
If the initiative is approved, annual funds for the current programs to be consolidated would drop from $5.31 billion to $3.71 billion. All communities would be required to compete for funding and to meet to-be-developed performance measures to keep getting money.
Flanary said he will support making all communities compete for grant funds, and advocate putting a cap on the size of projects now funded by automatic "entitlement" grants that go to urban areas.
However, Flanary said he's skeptical of putting all 18 programs under the direction of the Commerce Department, because that could subject big chunks of development money to a single yes or no vote. Currently, he said, if one agency declines to fund a project, local officials can make the sales pitch to others.
