BIDEN

PROVIDENCE — Vice President Joe Biden will attend June’s annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is being held for the first time in Rhode Island, according to Tom Cochran, the organization’s executive director.

Mayor David N. Cicilline, who serves on the board of the nonpartisan group and is the president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, will play host to the convention, June 12 to 15 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

President Obama declined an invitation to attend, according to Cochrane, who said the White House did not give a reason.

Biden was last in Rhode Island for the funeral of former Sen. Claiborne Pell, on Jan. 5.

Joining the vice president at the conference, Cochran said, will be Alvaro Uribe Velez, the president of Colombia, and Tadatoshi Akiba, the mayor of Hiroshima, Japan.

These notables, mostly members of Mr. Obama’s Cabinet, also have confirmed they will attend what is the largest annual gathering of mayors, he said:

•White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett

•Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson

•National Drug Control Policy head Gil Kerlikowske

•Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan

•Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

•Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke

•Sen. Mark P. Begich, D-Alaska

•Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S.

The mayors’ meeting — where the organization outlines its policy agenda and elects officers — brings the promise of national attention to Rhode Island. But the meeting is also expected to be an economic boon to the city, with nearly 1,100 — mayors, staff and family — expected to attend, according to Cochrane. So far, 163 mayors have registered for the event.

A key focus of the meeting will be how cities plan to use federal stimulus funds received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Other topics will include illegal guns and gun violence, energy independence, education and the 2010 Census.

The attending Cabinet members will be on hand to speak with mayors on June 13 and 14. Biden is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15, according to Cochrane.

Mexican Ambassador Sarukhan is expected to speak about the impact of increased drug cartel violence on communities along the Mexican border and the need for a U.S. ban on the sale of AK-47 military assault rifles, according to Cochrane.

Akiba, of Hiroshima, will talk about his efforts as president of Mayors for Peace, an international group of mayors that advocates for nuclear disarmament.

Among those federal officials that have yet to confirm their attendance:

•Secretary of Energy Steven Chu

•Secretary of Transportation Ray H. LaHood

•Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

•Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner

•Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

•Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

•Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis

•FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III

pmarcelo@projo.com