Reno mayor disappointed Clinton skipping conference

Friday, May 29, 1998 | 2:51 a.m.

"This just isn't acceptable," said Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin, who noted that Clinton attended the mayors' last three national summer conferences.

"I'm disappointed. That's a strong word for me. I don't like to be disappointed. It's not a good thing," Griffin said Friday.

"We'll still try to convince him of the value of coming," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors announced on Thursday that Clinton would address the 66th annual meeting of the mayors via satellite from the White House on June 19.

The White House press office had no immediate response Friday to Griffin's concerns.

Clinton plans a trip to China in the days following, which apparently creates a conflict with attempts to visit Reno.

Conference officials are disappointed Clinton won't be able to attend but understand the scheduling conflicts and are pleased he'll speak to the group electronically, a spokesman for the Conference of Mayors office in Washington said Friday.

Griffin said nearly 300 mayors already have registered for the conference June 19-23, more than attended last summer's meeting in San Francisco where Clinton appeared.

He said he'll contact Nevada Gov. Bob Miller, a Democrat, and other members of Nevada's congressional delegation to help persuade Clinton to change the schedule to allow for a stop in Reno.

"The president has been a good friend of mayors and I think it is important to give the address in person," Griffin said.

"I think it's important to America's mayors, the state of Nevada and the city of Reno for him to stop for an hour or two."

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said Friday he would be happy to contact the White House to encourage Clinton to attend if his schedule changes.

"The president's schedule is a very busy one. I don't think this should be read as any kind of snub to Reno or Nevada," Bryan said in a telephone interview from Las Vegas.

"President Clinton has visited Nevada more than any president in history. I was with him in Nevada at least four times over the past two years," he said.

Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo has committed to an appearance and several other Cabinet members have been invited to attend.