by Cherie Duvall

NLC President James Hunt, councilmember, Clarksburg, W.Va., had a mission during his inauguration speech last December: to inspire city officials to ?build a nation of inclusive communities.? Little did he know that his heartfelt words would not only inspire city officials, but would also spark a state league to pursue the development of a state that?s all-embracing.

?The thing that struck me personally was the simplicity of the idea coupled with Jim?s passion,? recalled Sam Mamet, executive director of the Colorado Municipal League (CML), on listening to Hunt?s speech at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in Charlotte, N.C. ?Hearing Jim?s passion and eloquence, I thought to myself, ?This is too simple of an idea not to jump on.? I want to help our cities embrace inclusiveness.?

In a state with diverse demographics and an increasing number of cities already honoring diversity with different programs, joining NLC?s Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities ? a program to encourage local efforts to promote equal opportunity and fairness as well as citizen participation ? doesn?t seem so far fetched according to Mamet. In turn, he and the rest of CML have made it their mission to encourage cities to join.

?It?s something that we as leaders should embrace,? he said. ?And the [program?s tool kit], that NLC put out, is extremely helpful.?

Spreading the Word
With the right tools in hand, CML has forged full steam ahead in promoting inclusive communities in the state. And who better to tell Colorado leaders about the program than Hunt himself? That?s why the NLC president was invited to speak about the program at an elected officials lunch on June 23 at the 84th Annual CML Conference in Breckenridge, Colo.

Continuing the efforts, next month CML and the Colorado Trust, a grant-making foundation working with local communities to promote immigrant integration, will be sponsoring a workshop to provide state, city and town leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to work within the changing demographics of Colorado. At the ?Changing Face of Colorado? workshop, which takes place on July 21, attendees will learn best practices and about the technical assistance available to municipal leaders.

A CML-Colorado Trust book on immigrants and the changing face of Colorado will also be released at the workshop. Susan Thornton, Denver Post columnist, former mayor in Littleton, Colo., and past CML president, will present the publication and will facilitate a dialogue on community inclusiveness.

CML also features articles in its bimonthly magazine, Colorado Municipalities, to provide city and state leaders with up-to-date information on the partnership.

?I think it?s important to our organization that we should embrace the goal of all people feeling welcome in communities,? Mamet stated. ?Our efforts so far may be small, but I think that they?ll add up to positive results.?

Three Colorado Cities Join
?Diverse? is a word that describes Lakewood, Brighton and Lafayette, the three Colorado cities that have joined the inclusive communities partnership thus far. The initiative has given officials like Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder, CML president, the fortitude to take an ?audit of the city to see how inclusive we really are.?

To find out how well Lakewood is promoting equal opportunity, fairness, citizen participation and engagement, the city has established the Commission on Cultural Diversity and Human Relations.

One project that the commission is currently working on is making its growing Hispanic population feel appreciated and encouraging them to speak up on any issues or concerns that they have in the community.

Brighton is also focusing on creating and continuing programs to strengthen neighbor support. With a growing Hispanic and Japanese population, John Bramble, city manager in Brighton, knows that the inclusive communities partnership will give the city the opportunity to ?make concerted efforts to make programs to get out to the community and let people know they?re included.?

The youth in the city are also a major community that Brighton is focusing on. The city has created a program to help them get college scholarships or get funding toward the training that?s needed for a future in the law enforcement field. 

On the other side of the spectrum, Lafayette?s city council has teamed up with its Boulder County officials to build ?elder-friendly communities,? a project that?s in the works and will require new homes to be built with senior citizens? needs in mind. These homes would include increased door sizes for wheelchair access, foundation properties for handrail installation in showers and a limited amount of steps. It?s the county?s goal for all of its cities to implement the housing plan. 

Jay Ruggeri, city manager in Lafayette, said that the city also plans on ?removing the barriers? that keep individuals who are disabled, minorities and youth from feeling included in the community. Assisting in the development of these programs, he has found that the act of building an inclusive community doesn?t have to be complicated, it simply requires addressing people?s basic needs.

?Inclusion is so fundamental,? said Ruggeri. ?When you show people that they?re included, you?re really building on people?s dreams when doing that.?

Details: For more information on the partnership or to download the program?s tool kit, go to www.nlc.org.

More Cities Join Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities

NLC has received resolutions from 50 cities joining the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities. NLC President James Hunt is urging all cities to join the partnership and work toward having a more inclusive community.

For more information on joining the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities, go to www.nlc.org, where you can also download a tool kit.

The following cities have joined the partnership since May 12:

Arkadelphia, Ark.                
Brea, Calif.
Duarte, Calif.                     
Lafayette, Colo.                  
Margate, Fla.
Perry, Fla.
Abilene, Kan.
Brewer, Maine
College Park, Md. 
Greenbelt, Md.     
York, Pa.                   
Rock Hill, S.C.
Cedar Hill, Texas
Burien, Wash.             
Mesa, Wash.