ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Mayor-elect Ken Welch is headed to the White House.
On Tuesday, Welch will meet with senior officials in President Joe Biden's administration. He will be joined by other newly-elected mayors.
Among the individuals they will meet are Cabinet secretaries and key White House leaders. They will discuss city priorities, the American Rescue Plan, infrastructure law and Biden's Build Back Better agenda.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to brainstorm solutions to challenges that are important to our residents, including affordable housing, climate change and investment in infrastructure," Welch wrote in a statement.
"We want to make sure St. Petersburg gets its share of federal dollars, and we want to build strong relationships at every level of government to ensure we are all working together to creatively address the issues that our residents have made clear are their top priorities," the mayor-elect added.
The following officials are expected to be in attendance:
- Secretary Marcia Fudge, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
- Secretary Martin J. Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor
- Julie Rodriguez, deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs
- Gina McCarthy, assistant to the president and national climate advisor
- Gene Sperling, senior advisor to the president and American Rescue Plan coordinator
- Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to the president and infrastructure implementation coordinator
Welch made history as the first Black person elected as mayor of St. Pete. He earned more than 60 percent of the vote.
He will be inaugurated on Jan. 6.