Administration sending federal officials to help struggling cities

In a new effort to encourage economic recovery, the Obama administration is sending federal officials to work with six struggling cities for a year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The federal officials will be dispatched from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, and the Labor, Transportation, and Commerce Departments to Detroit, Mich., Chester, Pa., Cleveland, Ohio, Fresno, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., and New Orleans, La. They will provide technical and planning expertise to help local officials tap federal funds and leverage local and regional resources.

The cities were selected according to their ability to execute community programs and collaborate with public- and private-sector players while attracting business, as well as the seriousness of their problems, such as urban decay and high joblessness and homelessness, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan told the Journal.