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Release Date: November 12, 2009 City of San Antonio Communications and Public Affairs Department: 207-7234 San Antonio welcomes 2009 National League of Cities Exposition As many as 3,500 delegates, including elected officials and other city leaders from across the country, are in the Alamo City this week - Nov. 10-14 - for the 86th Annual National League of Cities (NLC) Congress of Cities and Exposition.During the five-day conference, participants will have the opportunity to experience San Antonio through a series of Mobile Workshop tours. These informative workshops will highlight projects that will transform the future landscape of San Antonio, providing delegates with an up-close view of how collaboration between public and private partners has helped redefine San Antonio communities. Mayor Julián Castro served as moderator of the Green Jobs: Preparing for the New Economy workshop held at today's session. "Many times the best ideas and the greatest innovations in government policy bubble up from America's cities," Castro said. "We are honored to host the NLC and to participate in this vibrant exchange of ideas." Keynote speakers for this year's convention include Ed Begley Jr., actor, author, and long-time environmental activist; and influential political author and historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Begley will address attendees on sustainability and Kearns Goodwin will address the delegates on the subject of leadership in times of crisis during the closing general session. On Friday, Nov. 13, more than 150 volunteers from the City, NLC and KaBoom! will take part in a playground build at West End Park-Frank Garrett Center. Following the playground project, Mayor Castro will be joined by the City Council and NLC and KaBoom! officials for the park playground dedication The NLC is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments. NLC is a resource and advocate for 18,000 U.S. cities, towns and villages, which collectively serve 225 million people. The exposition serves as NLC's annual convention and offers a broad range of learning opportunities combined with organizational business. "This is the third time that San Antonio has hosted our Congress of Cities and we are so pleased to be back here once again. We truly appreciate the welcoming hospitality the city has offered - San Antonio is one of America's great cities," said Kathleen Novak, NLC president and mayor of North Glenn, Colo. "This conference allows city officials from across the nation to meet and interact with each other and find new solutions and opportunities to build upon the experiences of other municipalities. The collaboration between cities and regions this conference brings is a key component for our cities to build a foundation." |