Catch up with the full launch webcast for First & Main from March 1, 2018.
Why First & Main?
The corner of First & Main is where everything happens, and ensuring its prosperity is key. Whether in a rural area, a tribal community, or a smaller city, First & Main is the anchor of it all. It’s where you can find the old train depot that built the town, City Hall, the businesses that drive the economy, or the most beautiful and valuable historic buildings. Promoting the economic vitality of these places is key to America’s prosperity, but communities are counting on a reliable federal partner to support their homegrown, local efforts.
Today that support is threatened.
Local elected leaders have developed a blueprint aimed at 1) protecting and improving a range of federal government programs that give them the resources they need to prosper, and 2) extending these proven ideas and strategies that work to other places through a larger national agenda. You can read the full First & Main Blueprint here.
Local leaders are signing a two-page public letter to Congress and the administration in support of the blueprint. Read and sign that letter here.
The First & Main Blueprint
Civic and elected leaders in these places see deep inequities in the health, transportation, and economic development outcomes that result from federal investments. Many smaller or mid-sized communities are too often left out, but even when investments do reach them, the benefits often fail to extend to everyone within their community. To correct these disparities, local elected leaders from small and mid-sized American towns and cities have developed this new Blueprint to cross party lines and extend prosperity to their towns and cities—and the people within them—that have been missing out or left behind.
The First & Main coalition
First & Main is comprised of local elected officials from across the country, including mayors, city councilors, town leaders, county executives and commissioners, tribal leaders, and other local elected officials.
These leaders are calling on the federal government to support and partner with their local communities by enacting the Blueprint. They urge a focus on proven solutions that will stimulate the kind of economic growth that will create vibrant, healthy communities; bring prosperity to all of their residents, families, and workers; and produce the rising tide that lifts all boats in their communities.
What you get as a coalition member
First & Main is about making the voices of local elected leaders heard in Washington. As a coalition member, we will provide the tools you need to enact the blueprint and ensure a strong federal partner for your community. Coalition members will receive:
- Updates on federal legislation and policy analysis
- Opportunities to engage with federal policy makers in Washington, D.C and at home
- Social and traditional media assistance
First & Main is helping these local elected leaders advocate for the Blueprint through all available avenues including annual appropriations and budgetary processes, a federal infrastructure package, streamlining existing programs, promoting key policy improvements, and other federal domestic programs.
What does First & Main cost?
Nothing. First & Main is completely free!
Who is helping to organize the First & Main coalition?
First & Main is a project of Smart Growth America, the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide. From providing more sidewalks so people can walk to their town center, to ensuring that more homes are built near public transit and that productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth builds great neighborhoods across the nation that all Americans can share. SGA is focused on improving lives by improving communities, and advocating for people who want to live and work in great neighborhoods.
What’s “smart growth?”
Smart growth is a way to build cities, towns, and neighborhoods that are economically prosperous, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable. We believe smart growth solutions support thriving businesses and jobs, provide more options for how people get around and make it more affordable to live near work and the grocery store. Our coalition works with communities to fight poorly planned development and save money. Learn more about smart growth.
I’ve still got questions
For questions or more information, email info@firstandmain.org.