State Leaders Confer
Date:
09/02/2010Summary:
More than 900 city and town officials from all parts of the state, legislators, business leaders and guests gathered in Glendale last week for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference.Contact:
More Than 900 City and Town Officials Gather in Glendale for League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference
More than 900 city and town officials from all parts of the state, legislators, business leaders and guests gathered in Glendale last week for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Annual Conference.
Among those in attendance were Yuma Mayor Al Krieger, Councilmembers Cody Beeson and Raul Mendoza, and Community Relations Director Greg Hyland. The conference is held annually in late summer and provides a unique opportunity for local officials to gather together to attend training sessions designed to aid in more effective and efficient management of Arizona's municipalities, to hear from state and legislative officials, as well as share common concerns and ideas for problem solving.
"The League Conference gives us a chance to sit down with our colleagues from around the state and discuss issues that affect each and every one of us in Arizona", said Mayor Krieger. "It also showed me that Yuma is in a stronger financial position than most of our neighboring cities and towns. We've been proactive in our approach to this economic downturn, we've come up with some innovative solutions, and it's showing in our financial position comparted to the rest of the state."
2010 Conference highlights included:
- An opening general session on Wednesday, August 25 that included an update from National League of Cities (NLC) President Ronald O. Loveridge and a keynote address by economist Lowell Catlett, Ph.D., on putting today's economy into perspective and prospects for the future.
- More than 20 concurrent sessions throughout the four-day training, including a panel of legislative leadership recapping the 2010 session, discussions with state agency officials, an update from Arizona Town Hall, and sessions on topics such as economic development, public transportation funding, exploring public-private partnerships, and redistricting implementation, among others.
- Recognition of key legislators who supported local governance during the 2010 legislative session, including Senator Amanda Aguirre, and Representatives Russ Jones and Lynne Pancrazi
- Additionally, U.S. Senator John McCain, Governor Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard addressed attendees.
- An all-day youth program for youth delegates and chaperones from across the state. More than 100 participated in this program focused on youth leadership and civic engagement.
- A closing forum of candidates for statewide office on Friday, August 27. Co-presented by the Arizona Capitol Times, forum participants included:
- Rodney Glassman, Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate
- Terry Goddard, Democratic Nominee for Governor of Arizona
- Ken Bennett, Incumbent and Republican Nominee for Secretary of State
- Felecia Rotellini, Democratic Nominee for Attorney General
- Andrei Cherny, Democratic Nominee for State Treasurer
- Penny Kotterman, Democratic Nominee for Superintendent of Public Instruction
- During the conference Mayor Krieger was elected to the League's Executive Committee.
League activities are directed by the 25-member Executive Committee, consisting of Mayors and Councilmembers from across the State. Committee members are elected to one- or two-year overlapping terms. Members and officers of the Executive Committee are determined by all League members at the League's Annual Conference through a process coordinated by a Nominating Committee
In addition to the many educational sessions and networking events at the conference, mayors and Councilmembers from across the state met during the event to develop resolutions for the League's 2011 Municipal Policy Statement. The policy statement represents the collective interests of cities and towns statewide and will guide the League of Cities and Town's lobbying efforts during the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.
The 2011 League conference is being held August 30th through September 2, 2011, at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
For More Information
For further information, please contact Director of Community Relations, Greg Hyland, CPM at (928) 373-5023 or on his cell phone at (928)580-4751 or by e-mail or Dave Nash, City of Yuma Public Affairs Coordinator at (928) 373-5015 or on his cell phone at (928) 941-0199 or by e-mail.
