Abramson To Discuss Stimulus In Rhode Island

Economic recovery is on the agenda as Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson travels to Rhode Island for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.Abramson's spokesperson Chris Poynter says the meeting will be almost entirely focused on handling the economic meltdown on the municipal level."Meetings about stimulus money and stimulus projects across the country; meetings about foreclosures—cities across the country, including Louisville, are facing a high number of foreclosures—and how to deal with them," he says.The Mayor's visit comes in the wake of cuts to Metro travel budgets. Poynter says the trip is essential and it will not deplete the travel fund."It's not frozen, but we are closely monitoring the travel budget," he says. "The Mayor is on the board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He goes every year and he comes back with good ideas that end up being implemented here in Louisville."The conference was supposed to include discussions with Vice President Joe Biden and other White House officials, but a dispute between the Mayor of Providence and the city's firefightersunion will likely prevent Biden and his team from attending.