• Mayor Smith and others met with Federal Transit Administration Chief Peter Rogoff in Washington D.C. to discuss the Central Mesa Light Rail Transit Extension through Mesa’s downtown. The Central Mesa Light Rail Transit Extension is the first light rail project in the country to submit an application with the federal Small Starts program. Under the Small Starts program, the federal government provides up to $75 million in funding for the project. The remainder of the projected $230 million cost of the extension will be paid for with Proposition 400 funds, which were approved by voters in 2004.
   
• In a forum sponsored by the Brookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Program and the National League of Cities, Mayor Smith was a panelist along with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Bowling Green Mayor Elaine Walker in Washington, DC to discuss the impacts of the economy on local governments. 
   
• Mayor Smith hosted a new series of public town-hall style meetings titled, “A Conversation with the Community.” Residents engaged in open dialogue with the Mayor to discuss City topics and neighborhood issues.
   
• Exactly one year after speaking at the Brookings Institution’s Mountain Megas conference, Mayor Smith returned to Denver for the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Smith joined mayors from cities such as Las Vegas, Sacramento, Boise and Santa Fe. The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors, the American Architectural Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts.
   
• Mayor Smith was elected by fellow mayors from across the country to serve on the Advisory Board of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the leading organization of 1,200 large cities. Eleven mayors were elected to the 25 member Advisory Board. New leadership was elected during the annual conference where local leaders came together to discuss and debate policy issues that impact urban America and metropolitan areas.
   
• Appointed to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Executive Committee consisting of 25 mayors and councilmembers from across the State. The League of Arizona Cities and Towns provides an important link among the 90 incorporated cities and towns in Arizona representing collective interests at the State Legislature and providing timely information on important municipal issues.
   
• Building America’s Future Co-chairs Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA), Governor Ed Rendell (PA), and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (NYC), welcome Mayor Smith as a member of the bipartisan, national infrastructure coalition comprised of state and locally elected officials to help secure a renewed federal commitment to infrastructure. Building America’s Future is dedicated to smart infrastructure investment – energy systems, roads and bridges, mass transit, water and sewer systems, rail, ports, airports, levees and dams, schools and housing – to enhance the quality of life and safety of our communities, create jobs, and promote energy independence.
   
• Appointed to serve on the NLC Transportation Infrastructure & Services (TIS) Policy and Advocacy Committee. The Committee, consisting of mayors and council members from across the country, serves in a policy and advocacy role to the League’s Board of Directors. Recommendations from the committee go to the League’s entire membership for approval and inclusion in NLC’s National Municipal Policy (NMP), a collection of position statements on a variety of issues with immediate and long-term implications for the nation’s cities and towns.
   
• Mayor Smith met with President Barack Obama at Dobson High School and discussed the effect of foreclosures on local governments and the real estate market in the Phoenix-metro area. The mayor also presented the President with a Chicago Cubs jersey and three autographed baseballs donated by members of the team.

Committees

• US Conference of Mayor’s Advisory Board
• National League of Cities Transportation Infrastructure & Services Policy and Advocacy Committee
• Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Board, Director
• Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council Executive Committee
• Maricopa Association of Governments Transportation Policy Committee, Vice Chair
• League of Arizona Cities and Towns Executive Board
• AT Still University Council