|
NLC Elects 2009 Officers, Board of Directors
by Cyndy Liedtke Hogan
 Kathleen Novak, mayor of Northglenn, Colo., was elected NLC President during the Annual Business Meeting during the Congress of Cities in Orlando, Fla.
Ronald O. Loveridge, mayor of Riverside, Calif., was elected First Vice President and James Mitchell Jr., council member, Charlotte, N.C., was elected Second Vice President.
Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting also chose 14 elected officials and four state municipal league directors to serve on the NLC Board of Directors for the coming year, in addition to those serving out the remainder of their two-year term.
Novak pledged that her year as president will be a time to build bridges — literally and figuratively.
“We know that we face huge challenges in rebuilding the infrastructure of our communities; our roads, our sewers, our buildings, our housing and our communications systems. And we need to rebuild in a way that protects our environment and uses our energy resources efficiently,” Novak said. “But it’s also time for NLC to be building bridges. In the coming year, we will build on the momentum of this election year and reach out to the new administration and Congress to reconstruct a true intergovernmental partnership that values the ingenuity and commitment to the public good that every one of us offers everyday.”
Loveridge and Mitchell also spoke about working together and building partnerships to meet the needs of cities and towns and the nation.
“NLC has a specific role in these difficult fiscal times,” Loveridge said. “In 2009, let’s make a difference at the national level.”
Mitchell said, “To reach our goals it is imperative that we all work together.”
Novak said she hopes to build bridges not only with the federal government this year but with other groups as well, such as sister organizations, academia, citizen groups, to help provide NLC members with resources to move their communities forward.
Members of the 2009 NLC Board of Directors are as follows: John S. Brenner, mayor, York, Pa.; Carl Brewer, mayor, Wichita, Kan.; William G. “Bill” Brooks, mayor, Belle Isle, Fla.; Jim Byard Jr., mayor, Prattville, Ala.; Malcom Chapman, alderman, Rapid City, S.D.; Miguel M. Chavez, councilor/mayor pro tem, Santa Fe, N.M.; Brad Cole, mayor, Carbondale, Ill.; Mildred C. Crump, councilwoman at-large, Newark, N.J.; Joseph A. Curtatone, mayor, Somerville, Mass.; Joe Davis Sr., alderman, Milwaukee, Wiss.; Past President John DeStefano Jr., mayor, New Haven, Conn.; Gretchen Driskell, mayor, Saline, Mich.; Doug Echols, mayor, Rock Hill, S.C.; James J. Finlay Jr., executive director and CEO, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities; Larry G. Frang, executive director, Illinois Municipal League; J. David Fraser, executive director, Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities; Miriam Hair, executive director, Municipal Association of South Carolina; Rap Hankins, council member, Trotwood, Ohio; Deborah A. Hill, councilwoman, Warrensville Heights, Ohio; Immediate Past President James C. Hunt, councilmember, Clarksburg, W.Va.; Edna Branch Jackson, mayor pro-tem and alderman-at-large, Savannah, Ga.; Bobby G. Kilgore, mayor, Monroe, N.C.; George Lewis, executive director, Mississippi Municipal League; Myron Lowery, council member, Memphis, Tenn.; Sylvia L. Lovely, executive director and CEO, Kentucky League of Cities Inc.; Robin Lowe, council member, Hemet, Calif.; Sam Mamet, executive director, Colorado Municipal League; James F. Miller, executive director, League of Minnesota Cities; Mark Mitchell, council member, Tempe, Ariz.; Garret L. Nancolas, mayor, Caldwell, Idaho; Past President Brian J. O'Neill, councilman, Philadelphia; Frank C. Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Tzeitel Paras-Caracci, council member, Duarte, Calif.; Elizabeth Paterson, mayor, Mansfield, Conn.; Randall W.B. Purvis, council member, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Debbie W. Quinn, councilmember, Fairhope, Ala.; Sonja Reece, mayor pro tem, Normal, Ill.; Ed P. Reyes, councilmember, Los Angeles; Sergio Rodriguez, alderman, New Haven, Conn.; Steve Salazar, councilmember, Dallas; Audwin Samuel, mayor pro tem, Beaumont, Texas; Sharyn T. Tallman, councilor, Parkersburg, W.Va.; and James Taylor, councilman, Littleton, Colo.
|