Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s new role as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors has him advocating for a larger agenda than the city he is used to running.

On Meet the Press over the weekend, the Mayor made the argument that cities could use extra aid, and one of the places to come up with the funding is the budget going to the costs of war.

By ending the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the strikes in Libya, cities could institute or continue programs that help those currently out of work. It’s the cities, he says, that deliver services.

The Mayor assumed his new role over the weekend.

From the Contra Costa Times:

In his first appearance on “Meet the Press” in his role as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa presented his argument Sunday for an increase of federal funding to cities.

And, part of that, he said, is ending the wars in the Mideast to make more money available to cities.

Read the full article here.