The
National League of Cities announced recently that Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams has been elected to head that organization for 2005. Williams took the helm of the organization during the business session at the close of the 81st Congress of Cities in Indianapolis. Councilman James Hunt, Clarksburg, W.V., advanced to the position of 1st vice president, and Indianapolis, Ind., Mayor Bart Peterson was elected 2nd vice president by the membership.
Williams announced plans to create a National City Network through NLC as part of his presidential agenda. "It will be a one-stop shop combining the power of the Internet with the NLC weekly newspaper, Nation's Cities Weekly, our Grassroots Action Center and our redesigned Web site," said Williams. The Network will bring together elected officials using live Webcasts, chat rooms on issues like affordable housing or environmental pollution, and connections to virtual tours of cities and towns so that citizens and municipal leaders can share information and learn from each other."
Williams added, "Right now there is probably more information online about how to cook the perfect meatloaf than about how to create the perfect schools for our children. The Network will begin to change that dynamic."
Williams also said he will be a strong advocate on Capitol Hill for the concerns of cities and towns as well as for voting rights for the District of Columbia. "As Americans, we hold ourselves up as the greatest symbol of democracy in the history of the world. Now, it is time to bring democracy home to our nation's capital." Williams added, "This is an historic time for us, as local officials and members of NLC. After decades of decay and depopulation, our cities are undergoing a second Renaissance. People are moving back. They are feeling safer in our streets, more confident in our leaders."
