Immediately following the major party nominating conventions, on Monday, Sept. 8, the Metropolitan Planning Council hosted surrogates for the presidential candidates at its 2008 Annual Luncheon. The event featured Illinois State Rep. James Durkin (R-Western Springs), national legislative co-chair and Illinois co-chair for Sen. John McCain; and former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, executive chairman of CityView, for Sen. Barack Obama. Carlos Hernandez Gomez, CLTV political reporter, moderated the forum, Metropolitan Mandate: How the Next President Will Maximize Metro Potential, one of the first substantive policy discussions of the general election campaign.
MPC asked the surrogates to address the same three questions – focusing on economic development, transportation infrastructure, and housing options – to ascertain how the candidates, if elected, would address some of the most urgent issues confronting America's metropolitan regions.