Don't order the soup

Last week was an interesting visit to Tucson, Arizona for the Arizona League of Cities Annual Meeting. I stayed at the Starr Pass Resort which is a really beautiful property with the best that Arizona has to offer. The meeting was great and I saw several friends and made a few new ones. My session was on Wednesday morning and I was joined by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. She is well liked by the cities in Arizona and seems to understand the things that affect cities. Her website is http://www.governor.state.az.us/

Arizona is on the front lines of the immigration dedate and it is hard to spend ten minutes there without hearing a discussion on the issue. The League sponsored a panel on immigration and I attended to learn what I could. A representative of the Minuteman group was part of the panel and gave an impassioned validation of why they do what they do. I wasn't convinced and still have grave reservations about demonizing immigrants. I did learn something that I didn't know. I learned that citizens from Canada who enter the United States through our Northern border and overstay are considered different from citizens of Mexico who do the same thing. The reason is that Mexican citizens are required to get a visa to enter the United States, while Canadians are not. There are so many things that most of us do not know about immigration. This doesn't mean that one person is right or wrong, but it is an indication of an overall lack of information.

I got to review our new Public Service Announcements for the National League of Cities. I'll post a link as soon as I receive it. The spots are really good. They are professionally done and really connect to the Inclusive Community message.

Now for the down side of my trip to Arizona. Food Poisoning!!!!! I had a bowl of soup and needless to say, it didn't agree with me. It really knocked me for a loop. I did get to meet several people from the chef's staff and gave a detailed report(don't ask!!) to a loss prevention specialist for the hotel. Take my word for it, this was not a good experience.

So long for now. I won't be eating any soup on my next venture.

Blog World

You might be visiting my blog for the first time today, due to an article in the Nation's City Weekly. If you are a first time visitor, I hope you enjoy your visit. This has been a fun experience and one that I hope provides some insight on the National League of Cities and the Inclusive Communities Program. I have always felt that technology should be something that helps in a positive way and blogs certainly have that potential. I never have been able to keep a journal and blogging gives you a simple and easy way of doing it.

One thing about traveling is that it does seem to run together at times. You find yourself forgetting about a special experience or some special people that you have met. I also keep a scrapbook of things that I have picked up from throughout my travels. Not a "crafty" type of scrapbook, but one that is a place to paste the many articles and notes that I have received from everyone across the country. I currently have six big books that are filled with airline tickets, programs, articles, pictures and about anything else that can lay flat on a piece of paper. Hopefully I will look back one day on the many people, places and things that I have had the opportunity to see this year.

One thing that is difficult to convey in the blog or the scrapbooks is the incredible experience that this has been. Each day I wake up and marvel at the prospect of another day leading our organization. It is challenging and I know that it will impact the rest of my life. I have received so many exciting opportunities and I look forward to next year as the Inclusive Communities Program really starts to have an impact in our country.

The recent release of the demographic information on diversity in America is something that can be our fortune or our peril. I saw a report on a new book by Newt Gringrich and it outlines what he feels is the "invasion" of America and a very grim outlook. I do believe that we live in challenging times, but I believe that we have a unique opportunity to grow into the type of country that can be a model for the world. With the growth of technology and the "flat" world that it brings about, we are living in a more diverse world than ever. Imagine, our forefathers lived their entire lives and were never exposed to what our grade school children see every day on the internet.

Yes, these are exciting times. I look forward to continuing this blog and providing a glimse at what it is like to be leading the National League of Cities. Stick around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A time to pause

I heard on the news tonight that Mayor Bob O'Conner of Pittsburgh has taken a turn for the worse. Mayor O'Conner was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh and just a few weeks after I had talked to him at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Meeting in Las Vegas. This is such sad news. Bob is a person who has made a difference in Pittsburgh in just a few short months. I was so impressed by his agressive style and his energy. He was Pittsburgh through and through. I wish him well and hope that he recovers.

Another good friend, Mayor Jesse Corley of White Hall, West Virginia is struggling with cancer. Jesse is a great guy and someone who has become the visible leader of his small town. Jesse had to miss one of the high points in his political career a few weeks ago when they dedicated the city's new City Hall. Jesse also moved into the position of First Vice-President of the West Virginia Municipal League this past weekend. This will be a tough battle for Jesse and I hope that he makes it through the Chemo.

This makes me think about our lives as politicians. We are in the public eye and our lives are on display every day. We also have to suffer with illness in a public way. Our citizens know more about our treatments than many families. We have to keep a stiff upper lip, even when we are in pain. I am reminded of my good friend Mike Guido, the Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan and the current president of the U. S. Conference of Mayors, who is also battling cancer. Mike recently was at the National Association of Counties meeting in Chicago, when he left immediately after his speech. He was headed back home to appear at a local festival. I know that he was pressing himself to keep up appearances for the "home" crowd.

I know that we knew this when we ran for office, but I hope that we recognize that fighting a battle like cancer can be an intensely personal mission. We sometimes need our privacy, but we know that this is not often possible. I just hope that my dear friends can wage this battle on "their" terms and recover to a fufilling life.

God Bless, Bob, Jesse and Mike.

Scarborough Country

I flew to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend for the Florida League of Cities Annual Conference and spoke to about 800 delegates. Joe Scarborough, host of the MSNBC show "Scarborough Country" was also on the program and was a very interesting person. He was a four-term congressman from Northern Florida or the "Redneck Riveria" as he put it. The Florida League is one of the largest in the country and they really know how to put on a meeting. Their closing banquet was on of the nicest that I have attended. They swore in the new President, Rene Flowers of St. Petersburg. Rene is a very nice lady and will do a great job for the Florida league.

Richard Jeni, an actor and comedian who starred with Jim Carrey in The Mask was the featured entertainment and he was great. Other than a small glitch at the hotel, it was a great trip. Around 5:00AM the electric went off in the hotel and I had to carry my luggage down eighteen floors. It was quite a sight seeing hundreds of guests walking down dozens of floors.

Suprisingly, the airports were no problem at all. I got right through the security and had no problems.

News and Notes with Ed Gordon

I had the opportunity to appear on the National Public Radio show, "News and Notes with Ed Gordon" last week. They recorded the show from a studio in Morgantown. Professor Charles Ogletree from Harvard was also a guest and we discussed the Inclusive Communities Program. I have met Dr. Ogletree on several occasions and he is one of the most articulate speakers on the issues of civil rights and urban public policy. We talked a little about the issue of "sundown towns". The sundown towns were, possibly hundreds of towns throughout the United States that had a policy of no Africian-Americans after the sun went down. This was either implyed or, in some cases, formalized by an ordinance of the governing body. Mayor Ted Ellis of Bluffton, Indiana suspects that his town may have been one of these towns. Ted did a great job in the USA Today article and in a segment, right before mine on NPR.

This has been a great couple of weeks for the Inclusive Communities Program. Over 68 cities have joined the program and millions of people have been introduced to the program by outstanding national media coverage.

If you would like to hear the interview, here is a link:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5633328 and click Listen

John DeStefano wins race in Connecticut

My good friend and Past President of the National League of Cities, Mayor John DeStefano of New Haven, Connecticut was successful in winning the Democratic nomination for Governor in Connecticut. John is a great guy and someone who has done a great job as Mayor of New Haven and made a big difference during his term as President of NLC. John focused on advocacy during his tenure as President of NLC and I think some of the success that we are having this year can be directly tied to John's leadership.

This will not be an easy race for John, but I think he has the passion and endurance to make it. He is a thoughtful person and someone who focuses on the issues. It takes a while to get to know John and appreciate his sense of humor, but once you know him he is a true friend. John's wife, Kathy is a school teacher and someone that is really special. I know a lot of people say things like this, but John and Kathy are everyday people who love public service and have a passion to help his citizens.

I wish John the best of luck. He is one of the good guys!!!!

The Windy City and More

I attended the National Association of Counties Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL this past weekend. It was really the first time that I have spent much time in the windy city. It is really all that everyone has ever said. We stayed at the Chicago Hilton and it is a wonderfully restored hotel. Located on Michigan Avenue, we could see the wonderful parks and gardens that Mayor Dailey has beautifully decorated in the heart of the city.

The NACO meeting is a well run conference and they had a great lineup of speakers and workshops. The officers of NACO have become good friends and I was happy to see that Bill Hansell completed a successful year and was gratefully turning over the leadership reins to Colleen Lankhammer. Colleen is a great lady and someone that I have a great deal of respect for. I spent a couple weeks last year with Colleen in Brussels, Belgium and we are working on rural issues through RUPRI, a rural policy group. I look for some great things from Colleen next year.

I was happy to meet Dr. Don Bartlette who is an inspirational speaker and a really great person. He is an American Indian and did not speak for his first several years of life. He was abused and beaten as a young boy and overcame a lot of obstacles. I hope that I can get Don to speak to an NLC event in the future. An interesting footnote: Don read the article on Inclusive Communities in USA Today and cut it out and sent it to his father-in-law. He said that he really enjoyed the article and was surprised to meet me at the conference. I was thrilled.

My good friends, Ron and Janie Watson were sitting in the front row during my speech to the NACO members. It really makes you feel good when you can see your friends at these meetings. As I was walking through the exhibit hall, I saw a display from the FBI and I stopped by and asked if they knew where the Fingerprint Division of the FBI was located. They laughed and said "Clarksburg, West Virginia, of course". I then found out that they were from Buckhannon and Grafton. What a surprise.

On a travel note: The American Airline flight out of OHare Airport was about to depart when a panel above some of the seats fell out. Talk about a scary moment. They had to work on it about an hour and then put us back on the plane. At least it was something on the inside of the plane. All in all, it was a great trip. Lots of fun and a lot of great experiences.

An Inclusive Day!!!!!

As I picked up my USA Today, I had no idea that this is a day that could change a person's life. A front page article, highlighting the Inclusive Communities Program and quoting several of my good friends from throughout the country. Then I opened the paper and saw the article on Bluffton, Indiana with a picture of Mayor Ted Ellis. I don't think the article could have been better written. Haya El Nasser was the reporter and she seems to have a great perspective and really looked deeply into the issue. The discussion of "Sundown Towns" was really insightful and gave this issue some needed exposure.

At 10:00AM, I appeared via telephone on the Chip Franklin talk show in Baltimore, Maryland. Chip is a conservative and really tries to dig at his guests. My segment was about fifteen minutes and I think it went really well. One thing that many people fail to realize is that Inclusive Communities is not a liberal or conservative issue. It is one that resonates across party lines and one that can have a healing effect in virtually any community.

I also spoke to Mayor Ted Ellis and he was getting quite a few calls from throughout the morning concerning his "starring" role in USA Today. It wasn't the cover of the Rolling Stone, but it was close. Ted is really a great guy and I couldn't think of a person more deserving to appear on behalf of his town.

I also received the final scripts for the Public Service Announcements that will be filmed in Chicago on Monday. It should be an interesting experience.

Just think, in just a few days millions of people have been exposed to the Inclusive Communities Program and I am sure that many new cities will be signing on to the program. In addition, our welcome signs are touching over 5.75 million citizens. Thats the number of citizens in the 68 cities that have already signed on.

One little idea, one little sign leading to millions of people learning that a community is all of us. The power of "we". We can make a difference. We will make a difference.

I wouldn't bet against us having over 200 members of the coalition at the end of the year.

USA Today Article

Tomorrow, Friday, August 4, 2006, USA Today will be running a front page article highlighting the Inclusive Communities Program. This is a great day. This will expose mainstream America to a program that has the potential to change communities. I could not be happier with this development. Our communication expert at the National League of Cities, Sherry Appel, deserves a great deal of credit for this accomplishment.

One person who is looking down on us will be the late Pastor David Kates. Pastor Kates dreamed of a day when inclusive communities would be held up as an example of what is good in the world. I don't know if there is a USA Today box in Heaven, but I am sure Pastor Kates will see a copy.

I can only imagine the good things that will come from this article.

A Weekend in Huntington

I attended the West Virginia Association of Counties Annual Meeting in Huntington, WV this past weekend. I must say that the new Pullman Square development in downtown Huntington is quite an impressive project. Lots of nightlife and it really seems to have been done in a first class way.
My good friend, Bill Hansell and his wife Margaret from Oregon were there. Bill is the President of the National Association of Counties and is on the road as much as I am. Bill is finishing his term as President and will give up the throne in Chicago this coming weekend.
I spoke to the group about the Inclusive Communities Program and they were very receptive. Of course, it seemed like an old friends club since I work with many of the County Commissioners. One of the board members of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund was there. She is Julia Elbon and she is a commissioner from Randolph County.
I really enjoy having the opportunity to speak in West Virginia. No airports and always a beautiful drive.