Mayors Make Pitch for Piece of Stimulus Pie

For American mayors, economic crisis means a chance to hit up the feds for a buck, Politico reports. The US Conference of Mayors has compiled a list of 4,600 projects that would create 261,000 jobs in 154 cities; the plan currently totals $90 billion, but an official said cities could easily get $180 billion as Barack Obama ups federal spending to create jobs.

The mayors are hoping not to lose control of the process to congressional earmarks. Says a spokesman, “Right now, they’re fighting on Normandy Beach, and we’ve got to get bullets there.” They’re counting on having an in with Obama, who has consulted with the mayors of Los Angeles and Chicago, and is considering Miami’s Manny Diaz for the cabinet. (More mayor stories.)