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On Tap at U.S. Mayors Conference: Guns, Jobs and … MC Hammer?

Raymond Thompson for KUT News

If you’re looking for Mayor Lee Leffingwell this week, you may have to head beyond the dais. Mayor Leffingwell is joining fellow municipal leaders in Washington D.C. beginning Jan. 17, attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors 81st Winter Meeting.

Leffingwell will be listening to featured speakers including Vice President Joe Biden and members of  President Barack Obama’s cabinet, discussing issues facing America's mayors today.

With Biden and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaking, and coming on the heels of President Obama's plans to reduce gun violence, an emphasis on gun measures is expected; Education secretary Arne Duncan will deliver an address on preventing gun violence in schools on Thursday. And with cities still reeling from the recession, there will also be a heavy focus of discussion on creating economic opportunities and developing jobs and businesses.

Also, you can expect Mayor Leffingwell to kick it civic style with performers including The Roots, John Legend and even MC Hammer, who's speaking on civic innovation in his homebase of San Francisco. (Maybe Hammer can drop a topical song: how does, "Please Sequestration,  Don't Hurt 'Em" sound?)

The U.S. Conference of Mayors runs through Jan. 19.