RALEIGH-- This weekend marks the United States Conference of Mayors 83rd annual meeting in San Francisco. Mayors from around the nation discuss how they can better serve their cities.

Among them, North Wilkesboro Mayor Robert Johnson who says he wants to promote economic development in rural areas.

"The big thing for me is trying to make connections with mayors in other areas throughout the country, the larger cities, medium-sized cities, to try to bring any kind of jobs and industry back to our town," he says.

Johnson says he hopes to gather housing funds for residents of North Wilkesboro. He says he wants President Obama to resume his 2010 campaign to bring jobs back to smaller towns and cities.

"In 2010 he was trying to promote a job program and I'd like to see them all get back to that to the rural areas and to mediocre sized cities. The larger cities they've struggled too I understand that, but they don't seem to have the problems as much as the rural and medium sized areas do," he says.

The president spoke to the gathering Friday.