by Bill Barnes

Readers can experience moments in the life of NLC President James Hunt, councilmember, Clarksburg, W.Va., as he travels to cities to promote the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities ? an initiative to motivate cities to build inclusive communities ? thanks to his personal blog.

?I think this entry into the world of blogs will be an interesting experience,? Hunt said during his opening blog. ?? I realize that keeping up with a blog is really the important part of this venture. ?The travel throughout America is something that I believe will have a pivotal role in the remainder of my life.?

Thus far, Hunt has logged entries of the thousands of miles he?s traveled to in the U.S. this year, writing about city issues and promoting inclusive communities.

For example, the blog recounts his visit to the South Lawn of the White House to witness the signing of the Voting Rights Act renewal. Hunt calls it ?the experience of a lifetime.? He said the guests at the ceremony were ?a virtual who?s who of the civil rights community and I felt honored to be in their presence.?

Hunt also described a ?whirlwind week? in June, which included speeches in Arkansas; Vancouver, British Columbia; Pennsylvania and Colorado. A ?very big highlight? of the week was that Hunt and his wife Pam met ?our favorite Pittsburgh Steeler? in the Denver airport.

He has also logged his enthusiasm for the inclusive communities partnership and his appreciation of being the NLC president.

?I believe that the building a nation of inclusive communities program will have a profound effect on America?s cities,? he said in a blog entry. ?I have the best job in the world. Never a dull day on the NLC trail.?

Details: The blog can be accessed at http://inclusivecommunities.blogspot.com or by going to www.nlc.org, clicking on ?Inclusive Communities Partnership? and clicking on ?Jim Hunt?s Blog Building Inclusive Communities.?

On the NLC website, the partnership?s tool kit, access to media coverage of the initiative and the list of the cities that have joined are also available.