2023 Congressional Cities Conference
This March I had the opportunity to join thousands of city officials from across the country in our nation’s capital for the National League of Cities’ Congressional Cities Conference. The Congressional Cities Conference is an annual convening hosted by the National League of Cities for local officials to learn about federal issues impacting towns, cities, and villages nationwide and collectively advocate to our federal legislators.
During this year’s conference, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from White House leaders such as Shalanda Young, Director of the White House Office of Budget & Management, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, among others.
Some of the topics discussed most relevant to our work here in Kinston included: how cities could connect to state-administered broadband grants; federal clean energy funding opportunities; and federal-local partnerships for workforce development.
Other speakers at the conference included: Gene Sperling, American Rescue Plan Coordinator and Senior Advisor at the White House; Jacob Leibenluft, Chief Recovery Officer at the Department of the Treasury; and Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.
In addition to the scheduled conference workshops and general sessions, my schedule including a networking reception with other young people working in municipal government; a convening hosted by the North Carolina League of Municipalities with other elected officials from North Carolina who attended the conference; a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with various legislators; and a meeting with the American Flood Coalition. The American Flood Coalition, based in D.C., has been a partner in the City of Kinston’s flood mitigation efforts such as the Emma Webb Park Master Plan and the Adkin Branch engineering project.
I am grateful that the City of Kinston is a member of the National League of Cities and I look forward to our community continuing to benefit from this great resource. As a member of the National League of Cities, the City of Kinston’s staff and elected officials are all welcome and invited to participate in the League’s conferences, trainings, and other events.
The conference took place from March 24 through March 28, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
