Virginia Municipal League 2010 Annual Conference

Even though local government budgets are tight, the 2010 VML Annual Conference to be held Oct. 3-5 in Hampton is a must-attend event. Local government officials will find the two-and-a-half days of workshops, general sessions and roundtables invaluable as they chart courses for their communities in the wake of one of the worst recessions in history. This is the first time VML has held its conference in Hampton since the opening of the new Hampton Roads Convention Center, which is ideally suited to a group the size of VML. The facilities are excellent.

Participants will hear from a number of relevant speakers, learn about new services available to local governments, find out about innovative programs that save money and deliver better services, and have the opportunity to network with officials from across the state.

Two excellent keynote speakers are already confirmed. James E. Mitchell Jr. is first vice president of the National League of Cities (NLC), the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing municipal government. He will deliver a keynote address at the opening session on Oct. 4. Mitchell serves as a member of the Charlotte, N.C. City Council. He was first elected in 1999 and is now serving his fifth term. He chairs the city council’s Restructuring Government Committee and is vice chair of the Economic Development and Planning Committee and the Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee. In 2008, Mitchell chaired the NLC’s National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO). He also has been active in NLC’s Leadership Training Council, NLC’s Institute of Youth, Education, and Family, City Futures Panel on Democratic Governance, and the Advisory Council. He is past president of the North Carolina Black Elected Municipal Officials (NCBEMO) and served on the board of the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM). Mitchell is the director of operations and sales for Cinda Corp.

David Brunori will give the keynote address on Oct. 5. Brunori is a journalist, author, educator and lawyer who specializes in tax and government issues. He is a frequent speaker at conferences around the United States on the subject of state and local tax policy. Brunori is contributing editor of State Tax Notes magazine and the author of The Politics of State Taxation, a weekly column focusing on state tax and budget politics. Brunori serves as a research professor of public policy at The George Washington University, where he also teaches state and local tax law at the law school. His latest work, Local Tax Policy: A Federalist Perspective has recently been published by the Urban Institute Press. Prior to joining State Tax Notes, he served as an appellate trial attorney with the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice and practiced with a Washington D.C., law firm.

A variety of workshops and the always-popular local government roundtables will complete the educational sessions offered at the conference. In addition, the exhibit hall will offer the latest on products and services available to local governments.

The conference will include the league’s annual business meeting, election of officers and adoption of the 2010 legislative program. The annual banquet will include remarks by the incoming president, presentation of the 2010 Achievement Awards and the Go Green Virginia awards, as well as entertainment.

A Mayors Institute will be held Oct. 2-3 at the Embassy Suites as well.

About the VML Annual Conference

Each fall about 1,000 local government officials, speakers and exhibitors attend the VML Annual Conference. The conference includes:

• General sessions featuring political leaders, nationally-known speakers and local government experts.
• Workshop sessions on a variety of local government issues.
• Business meeting focusing on the adoption of the annual VML legislative program and the election of officers for the upcoming year.
• The presentation of the annual achievement awards recognizing excellence in local government programs.
• The opportunity for networking with colleagues from across the state.
• Exhibit hall featuring the latest in products and services for local governments.