City of Erie Mayor Joe Schember Hosts Director Tom Perez, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs During City-wide Tour of Projects That Benefited from ARP Funding and[...]

City of Erie Mayor Joe Schember Hosts Director Tom Perez, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs During City-wide Tour of Projects That Benefited from ARP Funding and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

City of Erie Mayor Joe Schember hosted Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tom Perez on a tour throughout Erie on Friday, September 27 to highlight projects made possible through the American Rescue Plan funding, the Biden/Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other federal funding programs.

Erie Mayor Joe Schember presents the key to the city to Director Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, on September 27, 2024 at Erie City Hall, 626 State St. MONICA Z. GUSTIN/CITY OF ERIE

"The City of Erie received $76 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds which was critical for economic and community development initiatives throughout the City," said Mayor Joe Schember. "In addition to addressing the economic impacts caused by COVID-19, the funds have also allowed us to additionally invest in infrastructure, housing, public safety, parks and public spaces, and information technology. These projects are transformative for the City of Erie, and we were honored to show Mr. Perez just some of the initiatives that benefited from these federal investments."

Mayor Schember showcased a few of the many impactful projects that ARPA funding helped including Velocity Network (VNET) - (fiber optic project); Child Development Center - (affordable childcare and workforce development); Eagle's Nest - (Youth athletic center); and Iron Works Square - Erie Malleable Iron Co - EMI - (brownfield cleanup/redevelopment).

Director Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, toured Eagle's Nest Leadership Corporation, 1129 Pennsylvania Ave, on September 27, 2024, during a city-wide tour of local Erie businesses that benefited from American Rescue plan funding. From left: Chris Groner, City of Erie Director, Office of Development Finance; Erie Mayor Joe Schember; Bishop Duane Brock, Eagle's Nest founder and CEO; Tom Perez; Jasmine Flores, Erie City Council President, and Renee Lamis, City of Erie Chief of Staff. MONICA Z. GUSTIN/CITY OF ERIE

The mayor was joined by City Council President Jasmine Flores; City of Erie Chief of Staff Renee Lamis; and City of Erie Director, Office of Development Finance, Chris Groner. Mr. Perez began the day with a roundtable discussion with representatives from the Erie Police Department, Love Your Block, Public Works, the Strengthening Police Community Partnerships Council, the Mayor's Business Council, Hispanic Latine Advisory Council, Mayor's Labor Roundtable, the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Erie, Diverse Erie, Senator Casey's Office and Senator Fetterman's Office who all spoke first-hand on the tremendous impact of the ARPA funding in the City of Erie. Mr. Perez (originally from nearby Buffalo and of Dominican decent) impressed upon the group what a rich "quilt of opportunity" that is being created in Erie supported by "community, diversity, labor, and business equity."

Members of the Mayor's Business Council pose for a photo with Director Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, during his visit to Erie on September 27, 2024.

From left: Chris Groner; City of Erie Director, Office of Development Finance; Erie Mayor Joe Schember; Jessica Schultz, Owner of Herb & Honey Bakery; Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Armando Reyes, Owner of Lake Erie Woodworks; and Missy Hitz, Founder of Monacella Massage & Kinesiology. MONICA Z. GUSTIN/CITY OF ERIE

Since 2021, the City of Erie has invested ARPA funding in hundreds of projects, initiatives, businesses, and homes. Overall, the City of Erie invested approximately:

• $20M in grant and loan programs for economic and community development.
• $15M in housing grants and loans through the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Erie.
• $14.1 M in public safety.
• $12M in infrastructure investments to shore up the city's aging stormwater system.
• $8.4M for parks, recreation, trails, information technology, Love Your Block, and Groundwork Erie initiatives.
• $2.9M for permanent supportive housing (which is in the planning/funding stages).

Director Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs met with Tina Mengine, Erie County Redevelopment Authority CEO, during a tour of the former Erie Malleable Iron Co. complex on September 27, 2024, during a city-wide tour of local Erie businesses that benefited from American Rescue plan funding. MONICA Z. GUSTIN/CITY OF ERIE

Mayor Schember reiterated the critical importance of the ARPA funding and stressed the transformational impact the investments have had on the residents and business owners of Erie. "We are incredibly grateful for this unprecedented investment in the City of Erie."

From left: Officer Hayden Foltz, City of Erie Police, Director Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; Erie Mayor Joe Schember; and Officer Antwane Fields, stand for a photo outside of the former Erie Malleable Iron Co. complex on September 27, 2024, during a city-wide tour of local Erie businesses that benefited from American Rescue plan funding. MONICA Z. GUSTIN/CITY OF ERIE

About Tom Perez

Tom Perez serves as Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Perez brings decades of local, state, and federal experience to the White House having served as a Montgomery County, Maryland Councilmember; as Secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice; as Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and as Secretary of Labor under President Obama. He received his bachelor's degree from Brown University, his master's degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.

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