Mayor JB Whitten attended a national summit in Washington, D.C., focused on how global issues influence local communities.
The event brought together more than 30 mayors to meet with policy leaders and members of Congress.
Whitten said the summit offered valuable insight into how federal foreign policy decisions shape challenges and opportunities for Crestview.
Crestview Mayor JB Whitten was one of more than 30 mayors from across the United States invited to Washington, D.C., this November to take part in the Mayors Foreign Policy Summit — a two-day event hosted jointly by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).
The summit is designed to connect local leaders with national and global policy experts, offering mayors a front-row look at how international issues — from trade and national security to immigration and emerging technologies — ultimately affect cities back home.
Whitten said the experience was both informative and immediately relevant to Crestview.
“I found this visit at the request and expense of the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition to be extremely beneficial to me and to the city of Crestview,” he said. “I better understand the impact that our Federal Government’s relationship with foreign countries has on issues we face at the city level.”
During the summit, participating mayors also visited the offices of members of Congress. Whitten said that face-to-face time was invaluable.
“The visits to the U.S. representatives’ and senators’ offices were especially fulfilling because we were able to directly input our local concerns to those at the federal level,” he said.
CFR President Michael Froman noted the importance of having mayors involved in national foreign policy discussions.
“Mayors are essential actors in U.S. foreign policy,” Froman said. “Cities are where international trade, immigration, and technological innovation intersect with people’s daily lives. By bringing together mayors from across the country, we’re strengthening the crucial but underdeveloped link between local leaders and the policy community in Washington, not to mention the rest of the world.”
The Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition host the event as part of an ongoing effort to bridge local governance with global policy conversations.
More information about both organizations can be found at cfr.org and usglc.org.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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