National League of Cities Elects Charlotte Council Member James E. Mitchell Jr., as President

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Dec 04, 2010, 06:41 ET

DENVER, Dec. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- James E. Mitchell Jr., Council Member, Charlotte, NC, was elected president of the National League of Cities (NLC) today at the organization's Annual Business Meeting during the Congress of Cities & Exposition. Mitchell will serve a one-year term leading the Board of Directors in shaping NLC's priorities and directing the organization's advocacy, research and membership activities.

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"We live in difficult times. People are out of work and face real difficulties. We as leaders need to imagine new possibilities for our hometowns," Mitchell said in his acceptance speech before the NLC delegation. "We need to reexamine what 'we' mean by place, and how we can get our citizens involved in examining what their communities should look like."

A copy of his acceptance speech may be found at http://nlc.staging.10floor.com/ASSETS/B2480FEB287949E4AC9FC8F2186876D8/MitchellCOC2010speech.pdf .

The organization also elected Ted Ellis, Mayor, Bluffton, Ind., as First Vice President and Marie Lopez Rogers, Mayor Avondale, Ariz., as Second Vice President.

Mitchell served on NLCs Board of Directors from 2004-2006 and is past president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, an NLC constituency group. He is also active in NLC's Leadership Training Council and the Institute for Youth, Education and Families. Mitchell has served on the board of the North Carolina League of Municipalities and is a past president of the North Carolina Black Elected Municipal Officials.

Mitchell was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 1999 and currently chairs the council's Restructuring Government Committee and is vice-chair of the Economic Development and Planning and Housing and Neighborhood Development committees. He is also the council representative to the Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mitchell earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from North Carolina Central University and is a graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Program. He is the Director of Operations and Sales for Cinda Corporation.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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SOURCE National League of Cities