In Day of Action, More Than 35 State Municipal League Executive Directors and Officers Join NLC to Advocate for City Priorities on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a day of action on Capitol Hill, more than 35 executive directors and local leaders from more than 20 state municipal leagues have come to Capitol Hill to advocate for critical city priorities. In 42 meetings today with federal officials, city representatives will work to build local-federal partnerships and tell Congress why city priorities – including infrastructure and protecting municipal bonds – will help to move America forward. The fly in was coordinated by the National League of Cities (NLC), the nation's largest and most representative organization for cities and their leaders. 

"With so many new faces on Capitol Hill, it's important that city leaders build relationships with federal officials and tell them why city priorities are critical to the success of our nation," said NLC President Matt Zone, a councilmember from Cleveland. "We're proud that our state league partners have come to Washington with a unified voice and a simple message: that the federal government needs to partner with cities to keep our economy growing and to build a national infrastructure that is the envy of the world."

The day of action included a briefing on Capitol Hill for senators, Members of Congress and their staffs. Rep. Drew Ferguson (GA-3), a former mayor of West Point, Georgia, spoke at the briefing about the need for stronger federal-local partnerships.

"This day of action shows our federal partners that cities need a seat at the table when debating policies that affect cities and our communities," added NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony. "We're excited to build on this momentum leading up to the Congressional City Conference in March, when city officials will meet with more than 250 Senators and Members of Congress to build crucial federal partnerships and make them champions for cities."

In partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC represents more than 19,000 cities across America. More than 2,000 city leaders are coming to Washington March 11-15 for NLC's annual legislative conference, the Congressional City Conference. 

The following state league leaders are in Washington today for the fly-in:

Arkansas

• Mayor Harry Brown, Stephens, Ark., and president, Arkansas Municipal League
• Ken Wasson, director of operations, Arkansas Municipal League

Colorado

• Sam Mamet, executive director, Colorado Municipal League

Delaware

• Mayor Jermaine Hatton, Dover, Del., and president, Delaware League of Local Governments
• Carl Luft, executive director, Delaware League of Local Governments

Florida

• Jeannie Garner, deputy executive director, Florida League of Cities
• Commissioner Gil Ziffer, Tallahassee, Fla., and first vice president, Florida League of Cities

Georgia

• Mayor Boyd Austin, Dallas, Ga., and president, Georgia Municipal Association
• Lamar Norton, executive director, Georgia Municipal Association
• Becky Taylor, director, Federal Relations & Research, Georgia Municipal Association

Illinois

• Brad Cole, executive director, Illinois Municipal League

Iowa

• Councilmember Kris Gulick, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and past president, Iowa League of Cities

Maryland

• Mayor Tracy Gant, Edmonston, Md., and president, Maryland Municipal League
• Scott Hancock, executive director, Maryland Municipal League

Massachusetts

• Geoff Beckwith, executive director & CEO, Massachusetts Municipal Association
• Town Administrator Mel Kleckner, Brookline, Mass., and president, Massachusetts Municipal Association

Minnesota

• Kevin Frazell, director of Member Services, League of Minnesota Cities
• Mayor Rhonda Pownell, Northfield, Minn., and president, League of Minnesota Cities

Mississippi

• Mayor Jimmy Clyde, Magee, Miss., and president, Mississippi Municipal League
• Shari Veazey, executive director, Mississippi Municipal League

New Hampshire

• Selectman Brent Lemire, Litchfield, N.H., and chair, New Hampshire Municipal Association

New York

• Peter Baynes, executive director, New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials
• Mayor Tom Roach, White Plains, N.Y., and president, New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials

North Carolina

• Mayor Bob Matheny, Zebulon, N.C., and president, North Carolina League of Municipalities
• Paul Meyer, executive director, North Carolina League of Municipalities

Oregon

• Mayor Denny Doyle, Beaverton, Ore., and president, League of Oregon Cities

Pennsylvania

• Mayor C. Kim Bracey, York, Pa., and first vice president, Pennsylvania Municipal League
• Rick Schuettler, executive director, Pennsylvania Municipal League

Tennessee

• Margaret Mahery, executive director, Tennessee Municipal League
• Charles "Bones" Seivers, president & CEO, Tennessee Municipal League Bond Fund

Virginia

• Mayor Robert Coiner, Gordonsville, Va., and president, Virginia Municipal League
• Kimberly Winn, executive director, Virginia Municipal League

Washington

• Peter King, CEO, Association of Washington Cities

Wisconsin

• Jerry Deschane, executive director, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
• Village Board President George Peterson, Rothschild, Wis., and president, League of Wisconsin Municipalities

About the National League of Cities
The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. www.nlc.org

SOURCE National League of Cities