LAWRENCE — Two weeks after returning from an overseas mission to bring relief to flood-ravaged Pakistan and peace to Afghanistan, U.S. Sen. John Kerry yesterday took on another formidable challenge: bringing jobs to Lawrence.
Kerry, a Democrat who chairs the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, met for 40 minutes with Mayor William Lantigua and several of his top aides to discuss how federal grants and stimulus money can be tapped to refill the city's empty mills, rebuild its Police and Fire departments and help Lawrence "break out of the cycle."
"It's very tough in Washington right now — there's not a lot of money — but the challenges facing Lawrence are real and significant and it's very important for us to see what can be done," Kerry said after the meeting behind the closed doors of Lantigua's City Hall office.
"While we have an overall recession in the country, it's felt even harder in a community that's already starting with challenges."
Kerry was not specific about what federal aid might be available for Lawrence, but noted that Washington already has assisted several local construction projects, including providing $743,000 to turn the Union Crossing mill into housing and commercial space.
To fuel the rebuilding effort here and nationwide, Kerry said he will introduce a bill in Congress in the next few weeks to fund what he called an American Infrastructure Bank, which would entice private investment in roads, high-speed rail and other infrastructure.
He said his bill would dovetail with President Barack Obama's Labor Day proposal to spend $50 billion on transportation infrastructure over the next six years.
Kerry's meeting with Lantigua was part of a series of meetings the senator is having with Massachusetts mayors while Congress is in recess. He met with Fall River Mayor William Flanagan earlier in the day yesterday and is scheduled to meet with Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan today.
He said he also will be meeting with the leaders of firefighter unions "to figure out what the needs are."
Lantigua said aid to Lawrence's Fire and Police departments was at the top of the wish list he discussed with Kerry.
He said he was "more than satisfied" with the meeting and said Kerry "has been an ally with the city all along."
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