Building Inclusive Communities

Visit the Amazing Cities Blog

2007-03-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

To all who have supported the Inclusive Communities Blog, please join me at http://amazingcities.blogspot.com. Amazing Cities is an outgrowth of my work with the Inclusive Communities Partnership at the National League of Cities. I believe that it represents a logical growth and maturing of my work in local government.

I have enjoyed the world of blogging and I believe that it has helped shape my vision for Amazing Cities.

Please visit www.amazingcities.org for a complete description of this new frontier in local governance.

Reno, the biggest little city

2006-12-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

My visit to Reno, Nevada for the National League of Cities Congress of Cities Conference was a little bittersweet as it was my last official duty as President of the National League of Cities. I can honestly say that my tenure as President was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. Going to Reno was exciting and I knew that they would do a great job in hosting our event. Mayor Bob Cashell was a great host and his enthusiasm was infectious. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The sessions were great and the closing event was one of the nicest I have ever attended. My room was great and my family really enjoyed "living" in the Presidential Suite. It was on the 38th floor and had a great view of Reno.

One of the nicest parts of the Reno trip was having my family with me. We got to spend a lot of time together and really had a great time. We even had a stretch limo to the airport.

The following is an article that I wrote for Nation's City Weekly:

A Truly Great Year — My Tenure as NLC President
by James C. Hunt“Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it — but sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”This quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes best sums up my year as President of the National League of Cities. After my travels throughout our great country and my visits with thousands of fellow city officials, I must tell you that I am so proud of the work that has taken place this year. We have fought many valiant battles and achieved many significant successes, but it is the direction in which the National League of Cities is moving that I am most proud. Cities face some of the most formidable obstacles in the history of our country and yet we move forward on behalf of our citizens with an attitude of teamwork.The renewal of the Voting Rights Act was an achievement that signaled a renewed commitment to building a country that can proudly state, “We the People.” I stood on the lawn of the White House with Mayor James Perkins Jr., of Selma, Ala., and we reflected how the mantle had passed and there is a new generation to continue the struggle of human rights. We also made significant progress with the increase in funding for the Community Development Block Grant program. Our success in lobbying our federal partners was proof of the value of a strong national organization. We joined with others in a broad coalition to reverse a seven year decline in funding and provide needed community development funds to our cities. The voice of cities was heard loud and clear from the smallest village to Washington, D.C. This effort has to be sustained if we are to have success in the future.I made a personal commitment to represent the National League of Cities in an honorable manner and to dedicate my time towards achieving our shared vision of Building a Nation of Inclusive Communities. My travels took me through more than 40 airports and I was literally “above the earth” for more than two weeks. I was received by thousands of city officials with open arms and unbelievable hospitality. My interactions with our members will be the memories that I will take with me from this year. A quiet dinner in Portland, Maine, a country concert in Hot Springs, Ark., a ballgame in Denver and hundreds of other special memories. The National League of Cities is a community of special people, who love their communities and work hard to make them better.The growth of the Inclusive Communities Program has been heart warming to me. We started with a blank sheet of paper and a vision. Through the work of countless individuals, this effort has built a foundation that will far outlive my year as President. Millions of citizens have already been touched by our program and it continues to build and develop. It has not always been easy, but I am proud of the fact that the National League of Cities took a stand. I spent hours on the phone with local reporters from cities considering joining the effort. It was sometimes controversial, but we stood our ground and made the “Power of We” a true power. We did this together. And finally, one of my last trips as President of the National League of Cities was to Marrakech, Morocco, to attend the United Cities and Local Governments meeting. I was heartened to learn that the inclusive communities movement is one that is being embraced throughout the world. We each have a role and I am proud that the National League of Cities is joining this effort to break down walls and barriers and create a world of peace and opportunity for all. We must not be an isolationist and think that we can live above the fray. As the Dali Lama said, “Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us.”On a personal note, my year as President of the National League of Cities has been one that required a tremendous sacrifice from my family and my city. My grass did not always get cut and the suitcase was rarely put away in the attic. I did learn to manage my time better and I found that sleep is a highly overrated activity. My brother continues to bravely battle his illness and he remains my inspiration. My wife and children were a great support and made the year one that I will never forget. It has been my humble honor to serve as President of our great organization and I am forever indebted to our staff and members.

West Virginia Public Radio

2006-12-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

I was interviewed this week by Beth Vorhees on West Virginia Public Radio. If you would like to hear the interview you can click on: http://www.wvpubcast.org/radio/newsroom/default.asp

2006-11-30T00:35:00.000-05:00

A few more pictures of Alaska. As you can see, the snow was falling and accumulated to about three feet. I've gotten a few e-mails from league members in Alaska and they say that it is still unusally snowy. My wife and sister-in-law, Susan had also never visited Alaska and I think we got a good taste of what most Alaskans deal with every year. We did bring the right clothes and the cold was really not a big problem. One thing that I learned was that Juneau is fairly landlocked and the only way to travel to other parts of Alaska is by plane or ferry.

You can see that snow removal takes a while on the narrow streets of Juneau. While we did eat at some great restaurants we did make a stop at the local McDonalds. We also ate at the world famous Red Dog Saloon. The ribs were great!!!

More pics from Morocco

2006-11-30T00:10:00.000-05:00

I've been having trouble getting my pictures uploaded but I think Ihave it worked out. The pictures are from the "old" city and from the Hotel Mansour. It is really like two different worlds in Marrakech. The old city is dominated by carts and mules and small shops, while the hotel was like a top flight resort in Florida. The middle picture is of my wife Pam, Mayor Clarence Anthony of South Bay, Florida and Carol Borut, the wife of Don Borut, the Executive Director of the National League of Cities. The weather was in the low 70's and the pool was a little bit cool.

I'll have some more pictures of Juneau coming soon.

Municipal Leader of the Year

2006-11-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

Link to article: http://americancityandcounty.com/

Today is a real highlight of my life. I have known for about six weeks that I was selected as the American City and County Magazine's "Municipal Leader of the Year". I am quite humbled by this unique honor. I have read the American City and County Magazine for many years and have always enjoyed it's coverage of municipal issues. Likewise, I would read with interest the stories on the past Municipal Leaders of the Year. Friends like Mayor Bob Knight of Wichita, Kansas and Mayor Don Plusquellic of Akron, Ohio have won the award in the past and I could honestly never imagine being chosen.

I was especially excited because very few councilmembers have ever been chosen for this award and very few officials from cities the size of Clarksburg have ever received the award. I think that this truly points out the power of the Inclusive Communities Program. I believe that we have created a program that far surpasses any one individual. I am so appreciative of the many people that have helped with the Inclusive Communities Program. They are the true Leaders of the Year.

One funny thing about the award was that I was receiving e-mails and calls from throughout the country congratulating me on the award and I had not seen the article. It was really hard when I spoke to people who had the magazine and I was too embarassed to admit that I didn't have a copy of the article yet. I guess when they distribute magazines, West Virginia is not on the first round of deliveries. I did get my copy today and I have to say it is really odd, looking at a magazine, with your picture on the front cover.

I am one of the most fortunate people in the world. I am so grateful to be associated with such a great organization as the National League of Cities. The members and staff of NLC are dedicated and committed public servants. I have always been proud to represent the National League of Cities.

I can't imagine a better year and one that I will never forget.

North to Alaska

2006-11-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

One of the trips that I looked forward to all year was the trip to Juneau, Alaska. I think everyone wonders what Alaska is like and what type of people live in our largest state. The flight into Juneau was one that I will never forget. We left Seattle, Washington on our way to Ketchican. The plane made three attempts to land in a blinding snowstorm and was successful on the third. The runway was covered and the snow was not letting up. We left for Juneau and after one attempt at a sideways landing, the pilot wisely headed to Anchorage. We slept in the airport and left for Juneau at 6:00AM the next morning. Juneau is normally very rainy and the snow was unusual according to the locals. The sun was barely up at around 8:00AM and the couple that we shared a cab said that it might be the last time that we saw the snow. They were right!!!

The people were very nice and really liked to talk. My good friend Kevin Ritchie acted as our guide and took us to the Mendenhall Glaicer and other sites. Kevin is the former Executive Director of the Alaska Municipal League and is a really great guy. We got to visit his home and had lunch overlooking Downtown Juneau. He has a really nice home and he is training a new Golden Retriever puppy.

Alaska is really all that everyone says it is. The beauty of the snow covered mountains is something that I will never forget. We got to see several eagles and apparently this was not unusual. The snow was about three feet deep and it really gets you in the mood for Christmas. I don't know if I could take it all winter, but it was really nice to walk down snow covered streets and just enjoy the scenary.

All in all, it was a very nice visit to Alaska.

Marrakech, Morocco

2006-11-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments(UCLG) in Marrakech, Morocco. It was a wonderful trip and one that was different than any I had ever made.

Marrakech (مراكش marrākiš), or Marrakesh known as the "Pearl of the South," is a city in southwestern Morocco in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Marrakech is a Berber word; it could mean the country of God (murt 'n akush), but this is unproven as there are many other interpretations. Marrakech is located at 31°37′60″N, 8°0′0″W Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also hosts the busiest square in the entire continent of Africa, called Djemaa el Fna.

Like many North African and Middle Eastern cities, Marrakech has two main divisions: the old city (médina) and the modern city.

Marrakech is an unbelieveable city with so much life and activity. Walking down a narrow street in the Medina(town square) gives you the feeling of going back in time. Things seem to be the same as it was centuries ago. It is the most exotic place I have ever visited and blends a modern city with the historic past. I was naturally concerned with the reception that we would receive, since Morocco is a Muslim country. It could not have been better and I think I learned, once again, not to believe everything you hear on the news. They were very welcoming and I had the opportunity to meet several public officials from Morocco. I also met the Mayor of Beirut, Lebanon and he has been working on rebuilding his city since the recent bombing from Israel. He told us that Beirut has around 400 bridges and that over half were destroyed.

There is an international movement concerning Social Inclusion and I attended a committee meeting on this issue. They were quite interested in the Inclusive Communities Program of the National League of Cities and I hope to be engaged with them in the future.

I'll post some pictures and some additional comments in the upcoming days.

Virginia and North Carolina

2006-10-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

I spent several hours driving to Virginia and then on to North Carolina on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I first went to Virginia Beach and it has really changed since my last visit. They have just competed a new Hilton Beachfront Hotel and a new Convention Center. I stayed at the Hilton, but to be honest, I really didn't get to enjoy the huge flat screen tv and the brand new room. I go in late and checked out at 7:00AM. The beach was beautiful, as usual, but the visit was so short that I didn't get to appreciate the experience. I saw several old friends and appeared on the program with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Tim is a former city council member from Richmond, Virginia and seems like a very compentent governor. Virginia is unusual in that the governor is restricted to serving only one term. This is very unusual in the United States. It really makes you focus on getting things done in a relatively short time.

I left Virginia around noon on Monday and headed for Greensboro, North Carolina for the North Carolina League Conference. I attended the Annual Banquet on Monday evening and got to see a former National League of Cities President, Ferd Harriston of Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Ferd has the distinction of being the NLC President from the smallest city. I believe that I am from the third smallest city, with Clarence Anthony from South Bay, Florida being second. Us little towns have to stick together!!! Ferd is in his eighties and is showing his age a little. He is still a pretty sharp dresser and still has a lot of friends at the North Carolina League. I was a little amazed that I knew as many people in North Carolina as I did.

One odd thing when I visit North Carolina is that people always give you a doubletake when I say my name is Jim Hunt. Jim Hunt was a popular Governor and United States Senator from North Carolina.

I stopped in Winston-Salem on my way home to participate in a ceremony for the Inclusive Communities Program. It was a really nice event, with many members of the community participating in the event. They renovated the City Hall in Winston-Salem about four years ago and it is a very impressive building. I really think that the Inclusive Communities program is going to do great things in Winston-Salem.

On the way out of town, I passed RJ Reynolds Co. Tobacco is still really big in North Carolina and you can actually smell the tobacco in the air.

After a safe drive home, I looked at my odometer and I had gone over 1000 miles in just three days.

National Public Radio

2006-10-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to be a guest commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on Tuesday of this week. It was quite an interesting experience since I only found out about it at 1:45PM on Tuesday and the show was aired later that day at 5:20PM. If you would like to listen to my commentary, please visit the following link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6284896

I recorded the segment at the studio of WFDD Public Radio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The station is located on the campus of Wake Forest University. They linked me to a studio in Washington, DC and as I read the commentary, the producer stopped me and to give me advice on how to make it sound more condusive to radio.

The program airs throughout the United States and I have received several calls and e-mails from friends who heard the show.

Visiting Lake Tahoe

2006-10-10T21:33:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate to visit Lake Tahoe this past week and it is truly one of the treasures of the United States. I arrived just as the sun was setting over the lake and it was a beautiful sight. Although my visit was fairly short, it was very memorable. I attended the Nevada Municipal League reception at the Thunderbird Lodge, which is a unique house on the lake with quite a history. It was owned by one of the developers of Lake Tahoe. The highlight of the house is a visit to the boat house. In order to get to the boat house, you walk down a tunnel that is over two hundred feet long. The boat is a wooden yacht that is over 55 feet long. It is beautiful and unlike anything I have ever seen. I found a little bit of history on the boat.

Here it is:

George Whittell had a life-long fascination with the latest technology of the day, particularly that which manifested itself in aircraft, automobiles and boats. Among the many he owned were a DC-2, outfitted for his private use, a Grumman Duck seaplane, six of the most uncommon Duesenberg motorcars, a 145' pleasure yacht and the legendary 55' speedboat, Thunderbird. The latter is certainly one of the most unique and elegant wooden vessels crafted in the Twentieth century and, like his Duesenbergs, is as much a work of art as a means of transportation.
Commissioned by Whittell specifically for Lake Tahoe while he was building his fabulous estate there, the Thunderbird was designed by famed naval architect John L. Hacker and built by Huskin Boat Works in Detroit. Enamored of the lines of his DC-2 aircraft, also named Thunderbird, the eccentric millionaire requested that the hull and cockpit of his new speedboat resemble the fuselage of his personal airplane. Fashioned of triple-planked mahogany and brushed stainless steel the new acquisition would enable Whittell to get about Lake Tahoe with unmatched speed and style. Outfitted originally with twin 550 hp Kermath engines, the vessel was capable of 60 knots. To accommodate the Thunderbird its notoriously reclusive owner ordered the construction of a 100-foot long enclosed boathouse with 600-foot tunnel that would connect it to the main residence, both blasted out of solid granite.
Completed at a cost of $87,000 (over $3.3 million in today's dollars), Whittell took delivery of the Thunderbird in 1940, and it first crossed the mountain lake's sparkling blue waters on July 14th of that year. The aging playboy used it extensively that summer and the next, retrieving friends from nearby communities and showgirls from the Cal-Neva casino for lavish parties at his estate. Following the entry of the U.S. into World War II, however, Whittell became afraid that his beloved yacht or its engines might be conscripted into military service, and he hid it away in Lodge's boathouse. Until the war's end the Thunderbird never saw the light of day and was used only occasionally at night.
As Whittell entered his seventies he became even more reclusive and was rarely seen by anyone in the Tahoe area. The yacht was also seen so infrequently that it seemed to some who caught a glimpse nothing more than an apparition.
After Whittell broke his leg late in life and refused surgery to repair the fracture, he ended up confined to a wheelchair and unable or unwilling to use the Thunderbird. Suspended by slings in the boathouse for most of the last 10 years of his life, the boat was rescued by casino magnate (and Whittell protégé) William F. Harrah, who purchased it from Whittell shortly before his death in 1969. Harrah had it transported to his Automobile Collection restoration shop in Reno where it was reverentially refurbished. His workmen added a matching, brushed stainless steel flying bridge and replaced the original Kermath engines with two V-12 Allison aircraft engines, each developing 1200 horsepower. Harrah used it as his private yacht for the entertainment of his casino high-rollers and showroom headliners, such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra and Bill Cosby, to name a few. The boat was returned to Reno every winter where the mahogany hull was meticulously sanded down to bare wood and refinished with ten coats of varnish!
Following Harrah's death in 1978, present owner Joan Gibb purchased the Thunderbird and now makes it available for charter on Lake Tahoe. The yacht is berthed in its original boathouse at the Thunderbird Lodge and can be viewed during tours of the estate.

L.L. Bean Country

2006-10-09T23:32:00.000-04:00

I flew up to Portland, Maine last week for the Maine Municipal League Annual Meeting. The trip went thru New York City and I flew over Ground Zero in early evening. It is a humbling site. It stands out among the skyscrapers in Manhattan and it is an strange feeling as the plane approaches LaGuardia Airport.

This was my first trip to Maine and it is a very nice place. The leaves were turning as we drove from Portland to Augusta. We did pass the exit for Freeport, the home of L.L. Bean. You can really tell it's the home to L.L. Bean. Almost everyone wears a fleece vest or coat.

The Maine League is a very solid league and they have an excellent Executive Director in Chris Lockwood. I have known him for several years and it is always nice to see the directors in their home territory. I visited the Maine League offices and they have a very nice building. Chris's office is much like his personality, very understated. You could tell he was proud of his work for the league.

My speech went well and I think that it was well received. I visited the exhibits and they do a good job of attracting lots of vendors. The incoming League President, Nick Malvadones drove me back and forth to Augusta. I really enjoyed getting to know him. We also had dinner with two of my good friends at NLC. Karen Geraghty and Jill Duson met us for dinner on Wednesday night in Portland. Karen is retiring from Portland's council this year and she will be missed.

I really enjoyed my first visit to Maine. I did get to have a bowl of Lobster soup and it lived up to it's reputation. They say it gets pretty cold in the Winter, but the weather was great during my visit.

I left for the airport in Portland around 5:45AM and it was not a minute too soon. The security line was wrapped around the entire building. They take a serious view of safety at the Portland Airport, since it was one that the 9-11 hijackers used.

Next up: Reno

North Dakota

2006-09-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

I really didn't know what to expect since I had never visited North Dakota before. One thing, "Think Flat". Coming from West Virginia, seeing miles of road ahead of you is really an experience. Minot, North Dakota is a fairly remote city in the middle of the state. It is just a little south of the Canadian border.

I really enjoyed getting to meet the many city officials at the North Dakota League. Shawn Kessel is the League President and he is a really great guy. Probably one of the funniest things that happened was a film in which Shawn interviewed various city officals and quizzed them on North Dakota history. It was really well done.

Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota spoke to the group on Saturday and did a very good job of describing many of the issues facing Congress today. I had never met Senator Dorgan before, but he seems to be a very insightful Senator.

I met Mike Conduff, a former City Manager from Bryan, Texas. Mike is a consultant who presents a program on the Carver model of governance. Mike is really a nice person and I enjoyed getting to spend some time with him. I sat in on his session and he did a nice job of engaging the attendees. Mike and his wife are raising their three grandchildren. I really admired the way he spoke of his grandkids and how much he enjoyed being a "parent" again.

The airport in Minot is very acessible. We stayed right across the street at the Grand Hotel. It was a pretty nice hotel.

Minot is called the "Magic City" since it grew like magic many years ago. I kept thinking that a good slogan would be "Why Not, Minot". No one seemed to think that was funny.

So much for North Dakota. Pam and I checked off the map and it looks like I have 8 more states to go until I have visited the Big Fifty.

Maine is in a week or two and Alaska will be in November. That will leave only 6.

Pittsburgh and headed to North Dakota

2006-09-20T21:50:00.000-04:00

I had a great dinner last night in Pittsburgh, as I got to meet Mr. John Price, President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. John is a very interesting person and someone who has had a great career. He was in the Nixon Administration in the 60's and had a picture in his office of a young group of presidential advisors and a letter signed by President Nixon. We had a nice conversation about our mutual interest in the former Soviet Union. John was a Rhodes Scholar and is a really intelligent person.

I also had an interesting weekend in Pittsburgh. I attended the National Speakers Association-Pittsburgh Chapter meeting and it was one of the nicest events I have attended in a while. There were a great group of professional and amatuer speakers and the program was fantastic. I intend to keep active with this group.

Well, off to North Dakota for my first visit to Minot. Should be a nice visit.

California, Here I come!!!

2006-09-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

Left on Monday evening for San Diego, CA to attend the California League of Cities Annual Conference. San Diego is a beautiful city and has some of the nicest weather in the entire country. I stayed at the Manchester Grand Hyatt which is downtown and within walking distance of the Convention Center. I spent Tuesday exploring the harbor area and toured the aircraft carrier USS Midway which is now a museum of military planes and other aircraft. You also get to see the way that sailors lived while on the aircraft carrier. At 6'4", I would never have been able to sleep in the tiny bunks on board the carrier. It is amazing how much happens on one of these big carriers. Over 3,5o0 sailors lived aboard and it is like a little city.

It was very relaxing to walk along the harbor and see the sail boats and other ships that were moored along the pier. A large cruise ship was also in town.

The conference started on Wednesday and my presentation was during the opening general session. Alex Padilla, President of the Los Angeles City Council introduced me. Alex is going to be the next State Senator from his district in California. He is unopposed in the General Election. I have known Alex for several years and he is someone to watch. I predict that he will be governor or United States Senator in the near future. Chris McKensie is the Executive Director of the California League and I have known Chris since we served on the Board of Directors of NLC. Chris was the director of the Kansas League at that time and I always admired how he seemed so capable and in charge. It was a big step to go from Kansas to California, but Chris has really adapted to being a "California Guy". The league has probably grown more in the past several years than in its entire history.

My presentation went well and I was able to premiere the new Public Service Announcements. They are so powerful and well done. Several friends were in the front row and it always makes it easier to speak when you can see a few friendly faces in the crowd. Ron Loveridge of Riverside, California was there and he is one of the leaders in the Inclusive Communities Program.

I caught the "red eye" from San Diego to Indianapolis to attend a workshop at Purdue University. I had never flown all night and then had to present a speech. It is somewhat hard to sleep on the plane and I had a layover in Atlanta which made it even harder. I felt a little out of sorts when I arrived in Indianapolis, but I don't think anyone noticed. Once I got to the hotel I felt pretty good and the session went really well. I was on a panel with a fellow West Virginian, Randy Jackson from WVU. I had never met him, but he is a very nice fellow.

Colleen Lankhammer, the President of the National Association of Counties was also in attendance and I enjoyed spending some time with her. Colleen is a great person and we have a great relationship which I think helps both of our organizations. We spent some time last year in Brussells, Belgium and it really allowed us to get to know each other. I think that she is going to really be an asset to the Inclusive Communities Program.

Got to meet the President of Purdue University and he is a very thoughtful guy. I never get over meeting these important people and realizing that they are really just regular people. I think the one thing that I find in common with these people is that they are all very goal oriented. I don't think that they are all super intelligent, just that they have a vision and a direction that they are determined to follow.

Well, so much for a quick week in California and Indiana. I am looking to do some thinking in the next few weeks to reenergize for the last few months of my presidency of NLC. I want to make the next few months very meaningful and I have been giving some thought to doing some unusual things. Stay tuned. It should be exciting.

Honorary Italian of the Year

2006-09-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

I was honored by the 28th Annual West Virginia Italian Festival as the Honorary Italian Man of the Year. I really enjoyed the festival and a lot of really great things happened. The honorees dinner was one of the nicest events that I have ever attended. My family got to attend and I know they enjoyed getting together with a lot of friends from our community.

The other honorees were State Senator Joe Minard, Professor Carolyn Adkins and Assistant State Superintendent of Schools Pamela Cain. Also, the Parade Marshall was Richard Skinner, the Inspector General for the office of Homeland Security. I used to deliver papers to Richard's parents when I was a young paperboy.

The Italian Heritage Festival is one of the largest in West Virginia and has a great history of bringing in incredible talent and honored guests. I had the opportunity to meet Judge Scalia at the festival. They do such a great job of organizing and making everyone feel welcome. I was happy to experience the festival as an honoree for it is truly an experience.

I should also mention that the queen of the festival was a beautiful young lady from Charleston, West Virginia. Her aunt is a former classmate of mine from Notre Dame High School. She was a princess at the festival when she was younger and I can't imagine the thrill it was for her family and friends to see her as Regina Maria 28th. The festival also awards several scholarships and their impact on the community is tremendous.

It's been a great year and being recognized by my hometown is one of the bigger thrills of this year.

Well, its off to California for the California League of Cities Annual meeting in San Diego. It will be a quick trip but I am sure I will enjoy it. I have never been to San Diego, but everyone tells me that it is great.

I will get to unveil the new Public Service Announcements to the California members and I hope they enjoy them as much as I had making them.

Don't order the soup

2006-08-28T21:40:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-21T08:52:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-14T20:24:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-09T20:13:00.000-04:00

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!!!!!

2006-08-04T20:23:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

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

2006-08-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

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.

Voting Rights Act

2006-07-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

It was quite a day for two small town local officials as I attended the signing of the renewal of the Voting Rights Act with Mayor James Perkins Jr. of Selma, Alabama. It was my first visit to the South Lawn of the White House and I have to say it was an experience of a lifetime. The guests at the ceremony was a virtual who's who of the Civil Rights community and I felt honored to be in their presence. Julian Bond, Jesse Jackson, the King family, Rev. Joseph Lowery were just a few of the notables.
Dozens of members of Congress also attended and included Hilary Clinton, Oren Hatch, Ted Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. It was quite inspiring when the military band started to play and they announced, "Please welcome the President of the United States".
The oddest moment had to be when I looked behind me and saw Don King, the famous boxing promoter. His hair was straight up in the air and he had a huge necklace of the American Flag around his neck.
I got to speak to Ted Kennedy and talked about West Virginia and the Kennedy legacy in our state. He was very cordial and spoke kindly of our beautiful state.
My good friend, Mayor James Perkins of Selma, Alabama was recognized by President Bush during his remarks. James is a true national leader and is someone who is making a real difference in Selma. I had the opportunity to be in Selma on Monday and Tuesday of this week and we unveiled the Inclusive Community sign at the Selma City Hall. This was especially memorable for me, as Mayor Perkins helped unveil the Inclusive Community sign in Clarksburg last week. Mayor Perkins is a very deep thinker and someone who has a true vision of reconcilitaiton for Selma. Mayor Perkins joined Don Borut, NLC's Executive Director and Bill Barnes of NLC, and myself for lunch at the City Club in DC.

Just before lunch, we had a quick meeting with some visitors to the National League of Cities from Europe. We had an interesting discussion about some common issues facing the United States and Europe.

Not a bad day in DC for a small town boy from West Virginia!!!!

Volunteer Conference

2006-07-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the West Virginia Volunteer Conference and was joined by two amazing young ladies. Kate Turner and Valerie Guido from Liberty High School drove down to Charleston with me and spoke about their work with the Civil Rights Team Project. There were about three hundred delegates at the session in the Little Theater in the Charleston Civic Center and I saw quite a few people that I have worked with over the years.

My speech focused on involving youth in the community through volunteerism. Kate and Valerie did a great job of explaining how they have embraced the concept of volunteering along with a very busy high school schedule. I think many in the audience were surprised at how many community activities they were involved in.

One touching moment came after the speech when a lady came up to the students and told them a story about a lady that worked for the Department of Education, who worked with the Civil Rights Team Project and how broken hearted she was when the program was disbanded. The lady died last year still disappointed over the actions of the State School Board. As she related the story to Kate and Valerie, she became very emotional and said that these young girls were a tribute to the memory of this lady.

I am always amazed when I have the opportunity to spend time with young people. These young adults have so much more on their minds and a broader view of the world. They are inheriting a world that is less secure and more prone to problems, yet their spirit is enlightening. They believe that they can make a difference.

There are days when you know you are on the right track and yesterday was certainly one of those days.

Ocean City

2006-06-28T20:11:00.000-04:00

Leaving Denver, we headed to Baltimore-Washington Airport. Our car met us and we headed to Ocean City, Maryland for the Maryland Municipal League meeting. It was a two hour drive and we went through much of the areas that were having the terrible rains. I had never been to Ocean City and it is quite a city. It is growing a good deal and land prices are through the roof.

Henry Marafaffa of Gaithersburg, Maryland was our host and helped us get around the city. One amazing thing that we learned was that thousands of Eastern European young people were working in Ocean City. Every store and hotel had dozens of these kids working in the summer.

I spoke to about a thousand delegates on Monday and received a good reception. Several cities have signed on to the Inclusive Communities Program and there were several more who wanted information.

I met several former West Virginians at the conference. One was Scott Nicewarner of Hagerstown, Maryland. He is the son of Phil Nicewarner, a former principal in Harrison County that I worked with years ago. Scott is a great guy and we shared some stories about Clarksburg and Harrison County. He is an IT professional in Hagerstown and seems to being doing quite well.

After a nice evening on the Boardwalk, we got to bed early for what turned out to be a day long adventure dealing with weather and flight delays. The flight from BWI to Pittsburgh was canceled and we were sent to Philadelphia for a later flight. After starting out from Ocean City at 10:00AM, we finally rolled into Clarksburg at around 3:00AM in the morning.

So much for the "friendly skies". It wasn't really that bad. We got to see three airports in one day. haha

Meeting the Bus

2006-06-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot one very big highlight of our trip to Denver. As we got to the airport, we got on the tram that goes between terminals and there was our favorite Pittsburgh Steeler, Jerome Bettis. I was a typical fan and introtuced myself to him like a 10 year old kid. He was very nice and shook hands. No bodyguards, no assistants. I was really impressed with him.

Mayor Hickenlooper

2006-06-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

John Hickenlooper is the Mayor of Denver and his story is very interesting. I've worked with John on several occasions dealing with the Telecom issue. John is one of the leaders on the Telecom issue and seems to be a very credible authority on technology in general. He became Mayor of Denver due to his work as a citizen advocate. He started a brew pub in Denver and led several successful efforts to help his neighborhood and the entire city. He also is very familiar with West Virginia, having started a brew pub in Wheeling, several years ago. He said he stayed with the effort in Wheeling for several years, but ultimately had to close the pub.

Pam and I visited the Mayor at his loft apartment just down from Coors Field. His wife's name is Helen and they have a young son, Ted. The loft was really neat. We don't get to see many loft's in West Virginia and it is a really great way to live. You really feel a part of the city and from John's loft, you can hear the crowds at Coor's Field. We had some wine and cheese and then headed to the field for the Rockies-Texans game.

Sam Mamet, the league director in Colorado hosted us for the game and the seats were great. We were right behind home plate and you could hear every sound. Sam's son Abe came with him and we really had a good time. There was a short rain delay, but it worked great because we went into the clubhouse for a snack. The Governor of Colorado was at the game and sat a few rows away from us.(I think we had the better seats!!!!)

Another thrill was when they put my name on the jumbotron at the field. Sam worked it out and I was really surprised.

All in all, we had a great visit to Colorado.

Rocky Mountain Highs and Beach Boy Blues

2006-06-28T19:34:00.000-04:00

I spoke at the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities on Thursday morning in Pittsburgh at the William Penn Hotel. My good friend, Mayor John Brenner of York, Pennsylvania is the president this year and is doing a great job. York is one of the cities that has joined the Inclusive Communities Program. Jack Garner is the Executive Director of the league and does a great job. Jack has been battling cancer for the past several years, but he always has a smile on his face and works as hard as any director in the country.

I got to see Brian O'Neill from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who is a Past President of the National League of Cities. I also was surprised to see Charlie Lyons of Arlington, Mass, who was visiting the conference. Charlie served as President of NLC in 2004. Governor Ed Rendell spoke at lunch and he is clearly running for reelection. Lynn Swann, the former Steeler is his opponent and spoke the following day.

I had to hurry to the Pittsburgh Airport to catch a flight to Denver, Colorado. My wife, Pam joined me for the trip and we were late leaving Pittsburgh and therefore got into Denver around 9:30PM. We got our rental car and headed for Breckenridge, the site of the Colorado Municipal League Annual Conference. We looked forward to a beautiful drive in the Rockies, but it was dark and all we saw was the road in front of us. The steep mountains make driving an experience. We arrived around 1:00AM and checked into the hotel and hit the sack around 2:00AM.

When we woke up on Friday and walked to breakfast, we were astounded by the beautiful scenery. It's no wonder people flock to Breckenridge to ski. We got to walk around the town and bask in the beautiful weather. The altitude is really an experience. A short walk leaves you breathless and everyone seems to have gotten the message to tell the tourists to "drink lots of water". If we heard it once, we heard it a hundred times.

The meeting was really great. The immigration issue is red hot in Colorado and I think many of the city officials were touched by the Inclusive Communities Program. Several cities have signed up and more are working on it. Several city officials spoke about what they were doing in thier cities to build a more inclusive community. Mayor Ken Fellman was really kind and told me that he believed that the program has already had a huge effect in his city.

Pam and I drove back to Denver on Saturday morning and did a real tourist thing by visiting the grave of Buffalo Bill Cody. It was pretty tacky, but the view from Lookout Mountain was spectacular. Lots of pictures that I'll try to post in the next few days.

Vancouver, British Columbia

2006-06-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

I'm attending the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia. There are over 10,000 delegates from throughout the world attending this conference. We got to hear from the Canadian Prime Minister yesterday and he spoke about how Canada was dealing with a lot of the problems that face us in the United States. The forum is being sponsored by the UN-Habitat and although it is somewhat daunting to put your arms around the vast issues that many countries face. The diversity at this conference is really interesting. Colorful Africian dresses and virtually every race and culture are represented.

I attended a session on social inclusion which is a complimentary concept to the Inclusive Communities agenda. It is funny how the issues of developing countries are so similar to local problems in the United States. One quote that came out of this session was, "between us and democracy is the Bureaucracy".

Another theme that I picked up was the concept that cities are a living organism and follows the idea of growth, decay and regrowth. This hit me as something that we so often overlook. Cities need to regenerate to adapt to changing conditions. We sometimes forget this and lament the fact that this is part of the life of cities. No city in history has ever remained the same. They grow, they shrink, they thrive and they suffer.

Vancouver is a beautiful city and is one that is very diverse. Asians make up around 35 percent of the population. The city has a large amount of housing in the downtown and Mayor Sam Sullivan said that the use of cars is declining and they are on the path to being more eco friendly. Mayor Sullivan is an interesting fellow and someone who is very inspiring. He is a parapaligic, the result of a diving accident when he was 19. He is truly someone who has excelled in spite of his disability. He is an inventor and has done some great work in helping others who are disabled, excell in sailing and other ways. I feel privlidged to know Mayor Sullivan and am inspired by his positive attitude.

I did get to walk around Stanley Park in Vancouver and it is one of the nicest public parks in the world. It is massive and has a lot of activities throughout the park for young and old.

I leave at 4:30AM tomorrow for Pittsburgh for a speech on Thursday and then on to Colorado.

Never a dull day on the NLC trail.

A whirlwind week

2006-06-20T17:34:00.000-04:00

Continuing on with my ongoing travels for the National League of Cities, I had the opportunity to attend the Arkansas Municipal League annual meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hot Springs is a very nice city of around 35,000 people. It is very historic and they have done a great job of keeping the historic downtown intact. When they say "hot" springs they really mean it. There was a spring in the park and we put our hands in it and it was like boiling water. We had lunch at the Arlington Hotel which is an old hotel that has quite a history. Apparently, Al Capone and his henchmen would stay in Hot Springs years ago.

The convention center is very large of the size of the city and it hosted the meeting very well. I saw a lot of my good friends at the conference. Tommy Baker, an alderman in Arkansas was just elected to the state assembly. I also saw Tommy Swaim and his wife Judy. The league director, Don Zimmerman, let us have his car for the afternoon and we got to see a little bit of the countryside. It is a lot like West Virginia.

I got to have dinner with Benny Petrus, the new Speaker of the House in Arkansas. He is a very nice guy and gave me an insight into some of the political issues in Arkansas. Also got to meet Governor Mike Huckebee. He is a possible presidential contender. He recently lost over a hundred pounds. He didn't give me any diet tips, but he did say I could buy his book. His speech was very positive and it appears that Arkansas is having a good budget year.

We went to a concert by country star, Blake Shelton on our last night in Hot Springs. It was a great show and we had great seats. The seats were so good that I didn't hear again for about 6 hours.

So much for Hot Springs, I have to be on my way to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Viva Las Vegas

2006-06-07T22:15:00.000-04:00

I visited Las Vegas last week to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting. I stayed at the Paris Casino and Hotel. To say this was a great visit was an understatement. Mayor Oscar Goodman of Las Vegas is a great host. It seemed like everyone in Vegas was at our meeting. I got to meet Lance Burton, the magician. His producer was sitting at my table and he brought him over to introduce him to us. We also heard from Wayne Newton. The dinner was one of the most lavish that I have ever attended.

I saw former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise at the meeting and he joined me for lunch. He is now the president of an educational group working for at risk youth. He seemed to be doing well.

The U.S. Conference has the Who's Who of American mayors in attendance. The new mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villargosa, Ray Nagin of New Orleans, Bob O'Conner of Pittsburgh, John Hickenlooper of Denver and dozens of others.

I was on the program with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. A video of my presentation is at http://usmayors.org/74thAnnualMeeting/video/videolink.asp?video=Sun_Plenary/Sun_Plenary_02_Hunt

I also attended a session on Vacant and Dilapidated Buildings. I got a lot of good information and saw some great presentations from several cities around the country. I spoke to the meeting and told them a little about the Demolition Program that I run in West Virginia. http://usmayors.org/74thAnnualMeeting/video/videolink_vacant.asp?video=Sun_VacantLots/Sun_Vacant_05_Hunt

Wrapping up the conference was a visit to the new Circqe Du Soliel presentation. It featured the Beatles music and was one of the finest shows that I have ever seen. I still can't believe how great it was.

Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Meeting

2006-06-07T22:02:00.000-04:00

What a week. I was invited to speak at a conference of the Detroit Area Regional Chamber of Commerce at Mackinac Island in upstate Michigan. This is a very nice place!!! It reminded me a lot of the Greenbriar Hotel. There were about 1700 attendees. I was introduced by Edsel Ford, Jr. I got to speak to him and he is a pretty nice guy. The audience seemed to connect with the Inclusive Community agenda.

Mackinac Island does not allow any automobiles and the transportation is by horse drawn wagons. Some of the wagons were built by the Fischer Body Company and were over 100 years old. I flew up to the island on a private plane owned by the Grand Hotel. It was a prop plane and the flight was one of the better ones of late.

I took a lot of pictures of the great lakefront houses. They were some of the largest homes that I have ever seen.

The Grand Hotel is truly a "grand" hotel. The rooms were brightly colored. The funny thing about the room was that the television was a small 12" Sony. I guess with all of the interesting things at the resort, television is the last thing you should be concerned with.

I left the island to catch my flight to Pittsburgh. I was the only one on the plane going back to Detroit. Felt like a real celebrity.

Mayor O'Conner of Pittsburgh

2006-05-18T15:51:00.001-04:00

I got to meet Mayor Bob O'Conner, the new mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this week. Bob is a really engaging person and is "all" Pittsburgh. He reminds you of a boxer who just keeps punching. I was impressed when I heard that he is traveling around Pittsburgh and when he sees a junk car or a dilapidated house, he calls the police or the public works and they go after them right then and there. He calls it his "Redd Up" campaign. Redd Up is a Pittsburgh area term, meaning to get ready for company. I also was impressed with an idea that I heard about making the 1000 foot area around neighborhood schools a "clean" zone. Not only drugs, but junk cars, buildings, etc.

The Mayor's Office is a very large room with a very large desk. On one side of the desk is a Tiffiney bowl to commerate the Steeler Super Bowl win. One member of Bob's staff pointed out that the last mayor didn't win the big one.

I was very please that Mayor O'Conner committed to join the National League of Cities and will be actively involved in the Youth and Families Institute.

Mayor O

2006-05-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

Mobile, Alabama

2006-05-10T09:44:00.000-04:00

Had a great trip to Mobile, Alabama to attend the Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Meeting. This is a very large league with over 1600 persons attending the conference. I was on the agenda with Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and enjoyed speaking with him. He is a Republican Governor and is up for reelection this year. Alabama is doing fairly well with an unemployment rate of about 3.2 percent. Mobile is a growing city and is trying to renovate the downtown. It has a lot of vacant buildings but they are working on some exciting projects to bring new jobs into the downtown district.

Got to visit Fairhope, Alabama on Sunday and had lunch with Debbie Quinn, a councilmember from Fairhope and Hal Bloom a lobbyist with the Alabama League. Debbie showed us around Fairhope and the beautiful flowers in the downtown. It is really something to see. Flower boxes, hanging baskets and lighted trees make Fairhope one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. We also drove by the Grand Hotel, a historic building that sustained some hurricane damage.

I have visited Alabama more than any other state as an officer with the National League of Cities and I really enjoy seeing a lot of old friends. Cynthia McCollum, NLC's Second Vice-President was at the meeting and we spent quite a bit of time together talking NLC business. Ted Jennings, Mayor of Brewton, Alabama and his wife Susan joined us for lunch on Sunday. Ted is a true Southern Gentleman and speaks with the deepest southern drawl that I have ever heard.

The weather in Alabama makes me glad to be a mountaineer. It was fairly hot and humid and rained a little during our visit. I don't know how people live in the hot, hot south. Air conditioning really is a necessity.

Hopefully we will have several new cities from Alabama join the Inclusive Communities Program. I spoke to dozens of members and I know that the message resonates well in Alabama. So many times we have preconcieved notions about the south, but I am encouraged by city officials who are really interested in improving our cities through an inclusive program.

So long for now.

P.S. Had great flights on Northwest and USAirways. On time and got seated in the exit row. Thats important when your legs get folded up like an ironing board.

Renew US

2006-05-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

Renew US This is a really interesting video.

Tempe, Arizona

2006-05-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Tempe, Arizona on Sunday after attending the Leadership Training Institute's Affordable Housing Conference. The meeting was great and had a lot of good information. The attendees really seemed to get a lot out of the sessions and I don't think there could have been a better line-up of nationally known speakers. Henry Cisneros was probably the best known, but all the speakers added a great deal to the meeting. Barb Carter, a councilwoman from Tempe did a nice job of hosting and we really got to see the city and a lot of the sights. The NLC staff did a great job as usual. I don't think we realize how many details are involved putting on a meeting such as this.

I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with several proclamations joining the Inclusive Communities Program. Kirkwood, MO, Tempe, AZ and Walterboro, SC all joined up. I think we will soon reach 100 communities.

Immigration is certainly an issue in Arizona. Lots of news coverage and lots of discussion.

Weather was HOT!!!! I guess that this week is going to hit the 100's. The outdoor lunches were really interesting when the silverware was so hot it was hard to pick up. I don't know how you would ever get used to it, but I guess lots of people do.

Got to see a young lady who used to work for Region VI Planning and Development Council and the City of Fairmont. Her name is Amy Arco and she is the City Planner for Maricopa, Arizona. It is a brand new town and is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Amy is from Harrison County and I have known her family for several years. She seems to be happy in Arizona and I know she is doing a great job for her city.

I had great flights both coming and going. Its not bad to travel when everything works out.

Budget housing dwindles in Tempe

2006-04-30T23:19:00.000-04:00

Budget housing dwindles in Tempe

Herald & Review Newspaper Website - Decatur, Illinois - Central Illinois Newspaper Group (CING)

2006-04-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

Herald & Review Newspaper Website - Decatur, Illinois - Central Illinois Newspaper Group (CING)

DHS | Department of Homeland Security | Remarks by Secretary Michael Chertoff at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference

2006-04-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

DHS Department of Homeland Security Remarks by Secretary Michael Chertoff at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference

Local Government Leadership Academy

2006-04-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

I was honored to be asked to be the luncheon speaker to the West Virginia Local Government Leadership Academy, held at the Radisson Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia. This program is one of the best in the country as a way for local city and county officials to learn about their respondsibilties as elected and appointed officials. I enjoyed seeing many old friends and meeting a good number of new friends from throughout West Virginia. I liked the idea of having county and city officials in the same classes, as it gives everyone an exposure to what our friends in county government have to deal with.

My speech centered on the impact of the Inclusive Communities Program in West Virginia. From the comments after my speech, I can say that there is great interest in the program and I am sure that we will see some new applicants signing up. Council Vice-President Sharyn Tallman of Parkersburg, West Virginia told me that Parkersburg is working on a new sign to highlight the Inclusive Communities Program. I think we need to look at Inclusive Communities as an economic development program that can have a dramatic effect on prospective businesses that want to locate in your community. Dr. Kevin Leyden, the Interim Director of the Leadership Academy, told me a story about a young fellow from India that left Morgantown for another opportunity, primarily because of the lack of cultrual diversity in West Virginia. We cannot continue to lose quality people because of our lack of sensitivity or percevied lack of sensitivity in West Virginia.

Lacrosse Scores: Duke 0 Character -50

2006-04-18T22:18:00.000-04:00

While it is hard to get a handle on what the true story is as it relates to the alleged rape of a young lady in Durham, North Carolina, it does place the boorish behavior of a group of privileged young men on display for the world to see. It is hard to believe that not one young man stood up and did the right thing. Even if a rape did not occur, the racial slurs and disgusting e-mails by members of the lacrosse team seem to indicate that there is a lot of work to do to instill character in the lives of these young men. Every time it seems that we have moved away from the degradation of the poor and racially different, we see how much work there is to do. I always had a lot of respect for Duke and it would seem that a young person lucky enough to attend this $45,000 tuition per year school would recognize that this placed some degree of social respondsibility for those who have received so much.

I wonder how and when racial tolerance and respect is taught as part of the education at Duke. When one of these young men graduates and takes a job as personel director at a Fortune 500 company, do we presume that they suddenly become a person who makes hiring decisions based on a fair evaluation of the applicant's qualifications.

This is a sad chapter in the lives of dozens of young men and one young woman, not to mention the family turmoil that is taking place in Durham and the elite enclaves of the lacrosse families. We'll probably hear a lot about the poor character of this young woman while disecting the pedigrees of young men who were "just boys being boys".

I wonder what the story would have been if the team was an all black basketball team and the girl was white? Just wondering. We may never hear the true story from either side, but it's a shame that we have to deal with this at all.

Lafayette, Colorado An Inclusive Community???

2006-04-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

I received a call from Jay Ruggeri, a councilmember from Lafayette, Colorado who is interested in adding his city to the list of Inclusive Communities. Jay has a special interest in disabled citizens and is working hard to make his city more inclusive for those with disabilities. The City Council will take up the Inclusive resolution next week and I hope that they follow through and join the campaign. Jay taught me a new term, "visitability". It is the concept that houses should be built so that persons with disabilities can visit. This means wider doors and a bathroom on the first floor. I think this is a great idea and I have personal experience that really drives the point home. When my brother became disabled I learned how difficult it is for a person in a wheelchair to attend family events. I wish that my house was constructed with "visitability" in mind.

What is really great about the Inclusive Community Program is the learning that takes place. This backs up something that I thought when we initially started working on this topic. I believe that most people want to do things right. When we provide needed information, I believe that we will be headed in the right direction.

Jay is on the right track and I hope the other councilmembers will support his efforts. I wrote a letter of support today and sent it to Jay.

American Hero's in Austin

2006-04-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

Had the opportunity to attend a Bronze Star Award Ceremony at the Army Reserve Ambassador Conference in Austin, Texas. A young, Army Reserve soldier received the award and his wife and family were by his side. It was a very touching ceremony as they described the battle where he distinguished himself by upmost bravery. Also got to spend some time with a Silver Star Medal recipient. He is James McEachin, a veteran of the Korean war and a well-known actor, having appeared years ago in Perry Mason. He has a long list of credits and is a published author. He is a great guy and someone who is very dedicated to the well being of our soldiers.

There were over 70 of the 85 U.S. Army Reserve Ambassadors from throughout the country in attendance at the conference. There were a lot of interesting sessions and I presented a session on Tuesday morning dealing with connecting the Army Reserve with Local Governments. The session went well and I received a lot of requests for more information on the National League of Cities and our Inclusive Communities program. We had a great cookout on Monday night and I was able to enjoy the great Texas weather. It was very warm with a slight breeze.

Unfortunately, several of the Army Reserve Ambassadors that I have known for several years are suffering from physical ailments. Lots of heart problems and other types of prolems. They are a great group of friends and I enjoy spending time with them. We have been able to travel to military bases throughout the United States and visitied with our Army Reserve troops. One of the nice things is that most of them have a great deal of military experience and very seldom do they talk about some of the very distinguished things that they have done.

Also got to speak to General Vincent Brooks, who was the spokesman for the Iraqi War operation. He was on television almost every night and is now in charge of Civil Affairs for the entire U.S. Army. He gave a very interesting briefing on the way that the Army is working to insure our country's safety and security.

All in all, a very interesting trip. Didn't get to see much of Austin, but everyone said it was a really great place. Several people visited the LBJ Library and some were going to travel to the LBJ Ranch, which is about 70 miles from Austin. One interesting thing that I heard about was a bridge in Austin where millions of bats live and fly out around 6:30PM each evening. They say that there are so many bats that it looks like smoke coming from under the bridge. One day I hope to get to see the "bats".

Flights were great but I forgot my IPod and didn't get to listen to my music. Was happy to get back and answer about 50 e-mails.

So long for now...............

Army Reserve National Ambassador Conference

2006-04-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

I am leaving today for Austin, Texas to speak to the Army Reserve Ambassador National Conference. The Ambassador Conference is an effort to connect with our Army Reserve soldiers and provide support to both the soldiers and families. I have had the honor of serving as the Army Reserve Ambassador for West Virginia for the past seven years. As an Ambassador, I have attended numerous activities throughout the United States to see the Army Reserve in the field. I have also attended mobilization ceremonies where our young soldiers were preparing to leave for the Iraq War. These ceremonies are heart wrenching and it gives a true picture of the cost of war. Young families hugging and crying as the young soldiers, both male and female, prepare to leave for what might be the final time of their life. I have attended several Welcome Home Warrior Ceremonies at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia. These ceremonies are the celebration of the completion of a successful mission.

I should seem obvious why I feel that serving as an Ambassador is an important use of my time. I hope to stress to the other Ambassadors in Austin that there is much that cities can do to assist in supporting our soldiers. I have led a few national efforts to bring attention to the needs of our soldiers. At the National League of Cities Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana our delegates signed large banners that stated, "America's Leaders salute America's Heros". These banners were sent to the war zone and were displayed in mess halls and activity centers and I have been told that many soldiers found comfort when they found the name of a mayor or councilmember from their home town or state.

I hope that the meeting in Austin will assist the many Army Reserve Ambassadors in their work of assisting soldiers and their families.

Off to Austin......................

Clarksburg City Council meeting

2006-04-06T22:23:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you feel you are really making progress and that "local government really works". Tonight was one of those nights. We covered a lot of issues and made a lot of progress. We also had some great presentations, including one by Kate Turner, the young lady who introduced First Lady Laura Bush in Washington, DC.

One item that I think can really remake our city, is the TIF program for residential housing and commercial development. I think as we move forward we can develop a program that can provide new houses, money for renovation and demolition. This will take some work but it is doable. I think a great deal of our local real estate community and I believe that they will keep pushing to rebuild our great city. Council seems to be very supportive and I think people like Lou Aragona, Executive Director of the Clarksburg Housing Authority can add a great deal to the process.

We also had some great news concerning our largest commerical area, Eastpointe and Newpointe. The lighting project is complete and construction is continuing on our first StarBucks. Also, we were able to get a lot of trash picked up and the state is going to clean the streets.

All in all, a great night for Clarksburg. City Council working together to improve our city.

Decatur, Illinois

2006-04-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

I received a nice note from Betsy Stockard of Decatur, IL concerning the inclusive communities program. Decatur is going to be holding a community meeting to discuss ideas on becoming more inclusive. They currently have signs in their community stating "Racism, Not in our Town". When we were discussing the signs, we talked about how the message should be a positive one. I spoke to a reporter in Decatur and he did a nice article about the inclusive communities program. The link is http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=110B06D0C4D3D318&p_docnum=1 Check it out. I think this is the direction that we should be going in with the inclusive communities program. Community discussions and a lot of parties at the table.

I'm excited and I look forward to working with Decatur. I promised Betsy that I would come to Decatur when they install the inclusive community sign. One more trip, but I'd like to be criss-crossing the United States as many more communities sign on for the program.

A Beautiful Day in Washington, DC

2006-04-04T23:23:00.000-04:00

Today was one of the most beautiful days that I have ever spent in Washington. The Cherry Blossoms were unbelievable. I had the pleasure of staying at the historic Willard Hotel, one of America's treasures. The reason for my visit was to participate in the Employee Recognition Luncheon for the National League of Cities. With around 102 employees, the National League of Cities has a nice mix of veteran employees and a lot of young faces. I get to work with some employees more than others, but one consistant thing that I notice is that the employees are really dedicated to NLC. The luncheon is held in the Crystal Room of the Willard Hotel and it is quite a royal setting for the event.

Some really sad news from Dyersburg, Tennessee. Several people were killed by the tornado that swept across the mid-west. Mayor Bill Revel has been very active with NLC and we tried to reach him to express our condolences. I know his community is hurting and our prayers are with them.

Natural disasters seem to be an increasing fact of life in cities. Very few of us have dodged the bullet and most everyone realizes that it is only a matter of time until something befalls our community. A sad fact of life, but one that we need to constantly prepare for.

I picked up some riders on my way back to Clarksburg. NLC's Deputy Director Chris Becker and Janice Pauline rode back to West Virginia with me. They are doing a site visit at the Stonewall Jackson Resort in Lewis County. The resort will be the site of the NLC Summer Board Meeting. I'm looking forward to hosting this meeting. I think it will be a memorable trip and a little different from many of the sites that the board has visited. Our city is excited to be hosting this event and I want to make sure that everyone gets to participate.

I forget if I mentioned in a past post, that Atlanta, GA is the latest Inclusive Community. This is great news and I look forward to posting our sign in Atlanta. This is really taking off and I get more excited each day.

So long after another great day as NLC President.

Election Season

2006-04-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

Recieved an e-mail from my good friend Joe Adams, the Mayor of University City, MO. Joe is up for re-election on Tuesday. I don't think he'll have a problem, but you never know. That is the one thing that I have learned in my years in elective office. Elections are like our report cards with the voters. It is difficult to know what the voters are thinking without spending a lot of time connecting in a variety of ways. I have noticed a distinct change in the past twenty years. E-mail, websites, blogs,television, talk radio, etc. have become a more important part of elective politics. That is why I have tried to keep ahead of the pack while also remembering that many of my constituents still keep in touch the old fashioned way, person to person. I started my website over six years ago and it has been an interesting experience. You may visit it at www.wvcity.com I try to keep it current and interesting. I've had a lot of comments and an increase in e-mail as a result of the site. I know it could be a lot better and I constantly try to improve it. I think the newest wrinkle is video and I think it will really have a positive impact on our communication. You will be able to watch a council meeting or zoning hearing on demand and should change the way we govern.

Good luck, Joe.

Abramoff Equal Justice???

2006-03-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to find something positive in the sentencing of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Why doesn't one of these guys stand up and say "I am the root of a sickness in America and I will serve my time and try to find some small way to be readmitted to the human race". He had over 300 people send letters to the judge to say what a great guy he was. I can see his twisted sense of values when it came to stealing millions of dollars but I can't believe that he doesn't see what he did to thousands of Native Americans. Not stealing their money, but the disrespect and derogatory language that he used in his dealing with them. The genocide of the Native Americans is a stain that will never wash off of the soils of America. What else did he consider before he decided to rip off the Indian casinos?

Dear Jack,

Why didn't you "write" 300 letters to Native Americans and let justice be served. The children living on reservations in substandard housing will suffer for a lifetime for your crimes, while you will be out in a few years. Hardly equal justice.

Sorry to be so bitter, but I doubt you will every truly "pay your debt to society".

Youth finding answers

2006-03-30T23:18:00.000-05:00

I was reflecting on the meeting in Washington, DC between a group of students at Liberty High School in Clarksburg, WV and Selma High School in Selma, Alabama. This came together in a few short weeks and shows what can happen if you keep moving in the right direction. I don't think I have ever been involved in something that made me feel more proud. What a great group of young people. They had fun, but probably did work that will influence them for the rest of their lives. My good friends, Mayor James Perkins, Jr. and Bennie Ruth Crenshaw deserve a lot of credit for making this project work. I wonder when things change for many young people? I can remember being a young student at West Virginia University in the late 60's and thinking that issues of race would not be an issue 30 years later. While we have moved forward, I can't believe that rarely a day goes by without some incident of intolerance, hatred or insenstivity. I have a great deal of confidence in our youth. I think our job is to support our youth and give them the tools to make a difference.

Immigration Reform Discussion

2006-03-29T16:40:00.000-05:00

Immigration Reform is a huge national debate and seems to be moving along faster than was predicted. With the mass rallies throughout America last weekend and the introduction of several pieces of legislation, I was not suprised when Mr. Dan Laidman, a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News called and wanted a comment on the immigration issue. He inquired about the Immigration Task Force that the National League of Cities formed with Los Angeles Councilman Dennis Zine as Chairman. The task force met in Washington, DC during the Congressional Cities Conference in March. Councilman Zine did a great job in leading this diverse task force towards a consensus of issues that NLC needs to address through our policy process. Dennis is a former Los Angeles Policeman and is of Lebenese decent. I've gotten to know him during several meetings and I find that he has a big heart and a great deal of compassion. He is also a no-nonsense type of guy and I don't think we could have picked a better chairman.

The interview lasted about twenty minutes and the reporter was very informed on the immigration issue. I asked the reporter what he thought was driving the debate in Los Angeles, since over 500,000 people took to the streets in LA last weekend. He said that he thought that Spanish radio and news outlets were driving the efforts. I commented that I was pleased that the efforts seem to be on raising awareness and abstaining from violence.

Earlier today, I had lunch with the high school students who were participating in "Shadow Government Day" in Clarksburg. As usual, this is a great program. The students are so enlightened and have a great respect for local government service. I enjoy giving the students some of the issues that our council faces and it is interesting how close they come to our own deliberations.

Meeting David Gergen

2006-03-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

National League of Cities Officers pictured with David Gergen, Editor of US News and World Report
As you can tell by the picture, David Gergen is a pretty big guy. I would never have guessed from seeing him on television. Being 6'4", I don't often look up to a lot of people. Gergen is a very engaging person. He was really interested in connecting with our members and he spent a good bit of time listening to our issues. He spoke without notes and really seemed to pick up on the interests of our members.

On the road with the National League of Cities

2006-03-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome, My name is Jim Hunt and I am an elected councilmember in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Clarksburg is a small town of 16,500 residents. It is a great town and has a great history. We are home to the F.B.I. Fingerprint Division with over 3000 employees. I have been on the Clarksburg City Council for over 20 years. I also work for the West Virginia Housing Development Fund. I have an exciting job and I look forward to seeing each new day.

I think this entry into the world of blogs will be an interesting experience. I have thought about this for several months. Beginning today, I realize that keeping up with a blog is really the important part of this venture. I'll try to regularly check in and make this a productive site. I am so fortunate to be serving as President of the National League of Cities. The travel throughout America is something that I believe will have a pivotal role in the remainder of my life. Living in a small town in West Virginia, I never believed that I would have the opportunity to interact with national leaders and influence the way that our Federal government interacts with cities. Our recent Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, DC gave us an excellent opportunity to meet with United States Senators, Cabinet Secretaries and Media commentators. I am proud to be a member of the National League of Cities, the most inclusive national organization in the history of the United States.