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Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers Elected as First Vice President of the National League of Cities
During the NLC Congress of Cities and Exposition in Phoenix on November 12, Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers of Avondale was elected as First Vice President. Among other
Arizona delegates were Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh of Mesa who was re-elected to the NLC Board for a new two-year term and Councilman Mark Mitchell of Tempe who
remains on the Board with one year remaining on his term.
Marie Lopez Rogers, Mayor, Avondale, Ariz., was elected first vice president of the National League of Cities (NLC) on Nov. 12, 2011 at the organization's Annual
Business Meeting during the Congress of Cities & Exposition held last week in Phoenix, Ariz. Mayor Rogers will work with the organization's President and Second
Vice President in shaping NLC's priorities and directing the organization's advocacy, research and membership activities for the coming year.
The organization elected Ted Ellis, Mayor, Bluffton, Ind., as President, and Chris Coleman, Mayor, St. Paul, MN. as Second Vice-President.
Rogers was elected as NLC's Second Vice President last year in Denver, Colo., marking the beginning of an intensive year as an officer for the nation's oldest and
largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000
cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.
"Working for cities and towns on behalf of NLC is such a huge and humbling honor for me," said Mayor Rogers. "In my first year as an NLC Officer, I have learned
that Washington looks to NLC as the voice for cities and towns as we work to influence federal policies. I have been in many significant policy discussions at a
national level that include Transportation Reauthorization, CDBG funding, block grants and debt ceiling - all of which are based on one key element -
funding."
She continued: "I have learned that it really does not matter if you come from a big city or a small city or if you are in the North, South, East coast or West -
local governments are all facing some very difficult times right now and frankly most of our issues are the same. That is why it is so important for elected
officials to become engaged with NLC, in order to strengthen our knowledge and ability to lead our cities and towns through our current economic challenges."
Marie Lopez Rogers began her term on the Avondale City Council in 1996, was elected Vice-Mayor in 2003, appointed Mayor in 2006 and elected Mayor in 2007. She is
an Executive Committee Member of the League of Arizona Cities & Towns. She is also a former member of the NLC Board of Directors and Advisory Council and is Past
President of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials and Women in Municipal Government, both NLC constituency groups.
Her personal story of growing up in the Goodyear Farms labor camps, where she worked alongside her parents in the farm fields upon which Avondale City Hall was
built, so inspired President Barack Obama that he specifically acknowledged her dedication and accomplishments in a national speech at a conference of Hispanic
leaders this year.
Each year at the NLC Congress of Cities, local officials make connections and learn about resources to help move their communities forward. Delegates meet with
thousands of peers and colleagues from around the country to discover cost-saving programs, products and services; replicate effective programs and create
innovative solutions to their community's most pressing challenges. Next year's Congress of Cities conference will be held in Boston, which will draw thousands of
elected officials from across the country. |
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League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org
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