Melton selected for Harvard program for new mayors
Gary Mayor-elect Eddie Melton has been selected to participate with 29 newlyelected U.S. mayors in the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University’s Program for New Mayors: First 100 Days, the university announced on Wednesday.
Twenty-six other newly elected mayors from nineteen states will participate in the program, where they “will receive world-class training from Harvard faculty, urban innovation and management experts, and other mayors on how to set strategic citywide priorities, build effective city hall organizations, and deliver for residents,” according to a statement from Harvard.
The program is in its second year. Melton is one of three Hoosiers included in this year’s cohort, alongside Evansville Mayorelect Stephanie Terry and Bloomington Mayor-elect Kerry Thompson. Program alumni include mayors of Long Beach, California; Providence, Rhode Island; and Louisville Kentucky.
“Effective mayors build strong city teams and robust citywide coalitions that move communities forward,” Melton said in a Thursday news release. “I am honored to be selected to join the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard’s Program for New Mayors: First 100 Days and learn alongside other U.S. mayors and global experts to strengthen the capabilities our city needs to lead and deliver on Gary residents’ most pressing challenges and opportunities.”
The program begins with a two days of classroom sessions at Harvard.
“In addition to the core coursework and connection with peers, the Program for New Mayors provides opportunities for new mayors to share strategies with other mayors through the Bloomberg Center for Cities’ vast mayoral leadership network, and learn about interventions that are already working effectively to better resident lives in other cities,” the university wrote.
Melton will be the second Gary mayor in recent memory with a connection to Harvard. Karen Freeman-Wilson, who held the office from 2012 to 2019, received a bachelor’s degree from the university and a law degree from Harvard Law School.