by Carolyn T. Comitta

This is the last in a series of articles revolving around the 14th Annual Leadership Summit entitled, ?Leading Local Government: The Voyage of Endurance,? that was held Sept. 21-23 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo.

I am the appreciative recipient of the scholarship to the NLC Leadership Training Institute?s (LTI) 14th Annual Leadership Summit, held Sept. 21-23 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The scholarship was provided especially for newly elected officials.

With less than a year in office as a local elected official, I was excited to learn of NLC?s Leadership Summit and especially the opportunity to apply for the scholarship. I was elected last November to the West Chester, Pa., Borough Council and took office this past January.

Those of us who are new to political office, whether mayor or council member, know how much we don?t know. I liken being a newly elected official to being a new parent. Overnight, we are thrust into a job for which few of us are trained, and which we cannot delegate to someone else. The learning curve is steep, and the demands constant.

I found the Leadership Summit to be extremely valuable. I worked with both new as well as well-seasoned elected officials. The hands-on sessions were carefully designed for participants to actively experience methods for encouraging democratic governance.

Since participating in the Leadership Summit, I now have a wonderful network of elected colleagues across the country to call on for a fresh perspective, or to share a new idea. I had the opportunity to meet and engage with local community leaders from across the country, while we experienced all four seasons of the year in just a few days in Colorado.

I am looking forward to the upcoming LTI seminars that will be offered at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in Reno, Nev., Dec. 5-9. Undoubtedly, I will see some familiar faces, meet some new ones and learn something new.

LTI is offering scholarships for NLC members who are new, first-time LTI seminar attendees as well. Maybe you will be the next scholarship recipient. I can assure you that attending Leadership Summits and LTI seminars will be time well spent. I hope to see you there.

Details: The annual Leadership Summit is NLC?s premiere leadership development program for local officials. Designed as a leadership retreat, the summit provides personal leadership development that is focused on community perspectives. For more information, call (202) 626-3170 or visit www.nlc.org.

Carolyn Comitta was recently elected as the 5th Ward council member in the Borough of West Chester, Pa.