Sunday, August 10, 2008

Rowlett Mayor John Harper among speakers at 11th Annual Transportation Summit in Irving August 12–15

By Pegasus News wire

IRVING — Rowlett Mayor John Harper will be a guest speaker at the 11th Annual Transportation Summit in Irving at the Mandalay Hotel on August 12–15.

With the highway trust fund in a current state of crisis and communities demanding creative solutions to transportation and logistics problems, the Summit promises to provide a one-stop shop for the critical policy discussions that will lay the proper foundation for future development. Over 1,200 people historically attend the Summit from 40 states and 15 countries, each year the quality of speakers and participants surpasses the previous.

"Since being elected Mayor of Rowlett, I am very active in all of the advocacy groups and decision-making groups involved with mass transit issues in the Metroplex," said Mayor Harper. "Now that multi-modal mass transit investments have finally been approved for the City of Rowlett, I am looking forward to the economic development that they will bring. My presentation to the 1,200 attendees at the Transportation Summit is aimed at encouraging continued investment in multi-modal mass transit systems in North Central Texas, using the City of Rowlett as an example."

Mayor Harper will speak from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, August 12 in the Special General Session called A Key to the City: Mayors' Roundtable. Mayors from across the nation meet to discuss their understanding and the "key" to the advancement of the public’s welfare in the 21st century regarding transportation. The Moderator will be Herbert A. Gears, Mayor, City of Irving, and speakers with Mayor Harper include: Mick Cornett, Mayor, Oklahoma City, OK; Susan Fennell, Mayor, City of Brampton, Ontario, Canada; and Richard Kaplan, Mayor, Lauder Hill, FL.

The Summit will feature many notable speakers including Keynote speaker John Horsely, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison; Members of the U.S. House of Representatives including Congressman Ralph Hall, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Congressman Kenny Marchant, Congressman Ted Poe, Congressman Louie Gohmert, and Congressman Michael Burgess; Lieutenant Governor of Texas, David Dewhurst; State leaders such as Texas Senators John Carona & Florence Shapiro, Mayor Mick Cornett of the City of Oklahoma City, OK; Mayor Richard Kaplan of the City of Lauderhill, FL; and hundreds of local officials from throughout the country.

Mayor Harper has been very active in keeping Rowlett in the forefront of transportation issues in the Metroplex. In April, he was appointed Chair of the Finance Committee of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition (DRMC) and also is a member of the Governance Committee for DRMC. Mayor Harper said he will continue to seek opportunities to tell the Rowlett story to all who are interested and, after that, he said he plans to use his management and leadership skills to keep North Central Texas in the forefront of transportation issues.

The Transportation Summit will include many exceptional keynote luncheons, special general sessions and panel sessions. With the highway trust fund in a current state of crisis and communities demanding creative solutions to transportation and logistics problems, the Summit will provide a one-stop shop for the critical policy discussions that will lay the proper foundation for future development. For more information about the Summit, contact Trudy Hester at the office of Dean International, 214-750-0123.

Source: City of Rowlett

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