On April 27, officers and members of NLC's constituency groups, Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials (APAMO), under the leadership of President Gilbert Wong, vice mayor, Cupertino, Calif., and Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO), under the leadership of President Sergio Rodriguez, alderman, New Haven, Conn., arrived in Washington, D.C., to participate in the second annual "Leadership on the Hill" event to lobby Congress on job creation and immigration reform. 

"I am really happy that HELO and APAMO are working together on the issues that we share in common," said President Wong. "It does not matter what ethnicity you are, it does not matter if you are from the North, the South, the East or the West. We are better working together in large numbers than individually. Working as a team will really show our strength."

The APAMO and HELO delegations also included Ed Balico, vice mayor, Hercules, Calif., an APAMO Board member, and T. Oscar Trevino, mayor, North Richland Hills, Texas, treasurer of HELO.  

The local officials traveled with NLC staff to Capitol Hill for meetings with their respective members of Congress, including Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas); Michael Burgess (R-Texas); and Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and staff from the offices of Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).

The lobby day also featured a joint meeting with Gloria Chan, executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Timing of the "Leadership on the Hill" lobby day could not have been better, as Congress continues to deliberate over issues of critical importance to cities and towns.  On the agenda for each of these meetings were two key messages: support efforts to save and create public sector jobs by providing fiscal assistance directly to local governments - such as the Local Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4812) - and, in light of recent developments in Arizona, support efforts to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Both of these issues reflect the continued financial and political strains facing America's cities and towns, as well as the need for federal intervention to ensure that municipalities have the resources they need to thrive and prosper.

"It is important for city officials to maintain a positive working relationship with our representatives in Washington and to help them in determining the impact proposed laws will have on our communities," Mayor Tevino said.

While members of both constituency groups were in the nation's capital, their constituents and cities remained close to their hearts. "We are here to be the voice of the community and the voice of those who can't be here today," President Rodriguez said. "I am here to represent my ward and those folks in my community who are struggling at this particular point in time to make ends meet.  I am here to improve quality of life for those individuals."

President Wong considered his participation in this year's APAMO/HELO lobby day a priority because he personally wants to give his city a voice on Capitol Hill, and he encourages members of NLC's constituency groups to take advantage of opportunities to lobby for their cities.   

"It's really important to have local elected officials in Washington, D.C., because it shows that we really care about our communities," said Wong. "When we make the time and effort to come out and give our own testimonies and our own personal stories of what's happening within our jurisdictions, [federal representatives] will get a better understanding of what's going on back home in their districts or their states. For me, flying all the way from California to Washington, D.C., shows the commitment that I have to my city."
  
President Rodriguez appreciated the opportunity to validate members of Congress that are supportive of APAMO's and HELO's joint legislative priorities, and saw this year's lobby day as an opportunity to "provide additional information for those who are not quite there yet so they can make better decisions that would help support our communities back home."

In addition to lobbying Congress, participants had the opportunity to hear about NLC's Immigrant Integration Program, the NLC new Government Employees Marketplace (GEM) Program, and learn strategies about how to best craft their messages to the media by NLC's Media Relations office. In addition, guest speaker Ann Morse, program director of the immigrant policy project at the National Council of State Legislators, spoke about the importance of comprehensive immigration reform issues.