As I write this, my heart is heavy for our brothers and sisters in the cities and towns who are conducting cleanup and recovery operations after being hit by devastating tornadoes over the weekend of April 1. Little Rock, North Little Rock, Wynne and a number of other places we all know and love have suffered unspeakable tragedy. We know that property damage is extensive, injuries are numerous and yes, unfortunately loss of life occurred in some cases. It is miraculous that many, many more residents were not harmed or killed during all of this. We have family in west Little Rock who suffered extensive damage to their home, but we are thankful that they were unharmed. I have been in contact with a number of our affected mayors and others, and of course the incredible League staff has jumped into action to help. We must also remember that some of our own League staff members have suffered damages, or have close friends and family who have, and are now juggling their professional response while also trying to help themselves and those closest to them.

We are now seeing the best of humanity take charge, as strangers become friends, friends become like family, and everyone pulls together. I think there are two primary things we can do at this time. We should continue to pray for those affected. Then, we should follow up our faith with actionable support and good works toward our fellow citizens. That may mean loading up and delivering supplies, raising funds to donate, or simply picking up the phone for a few hours and making calls to check in on and encourage those who need it. Thank you for all that you are already doing on this front. I know that those affected feel the prayers and are grateful for the outpouring of physical and financial support they are receiving. “All in this together” should be more than a nice phrase. It should be a continual mindset of how we live and interact with one another.

One final thing. During the last days of March, I was honored to attend the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., with a great group of fellow mayors, council members and other team members from our cites and our League. It was incredible! We heard from expert speakers, networked with peers from across the nation and told the stories of our places to a wide audience. It was very clear that our League is held in high regard among the others in the United States, and it was privilege to help represent us during the week. Be sure to check out photos from the trip in this issue. My takeaway: Even at this nationally attended event, I didn’t see a bunch of partisan debate or distraction. What I saw was a gathering of diehard city advocates, doing their best to make a real impact for the places and people they represent. It left me energized and refreshed as I returned to my favorite small town, in my favorite state!

Don’t forget to get you and your crew signed up for the 89th Convention in Little Rock in June. As always, it will be an incredible time for us to come together for the betterment of our cities and towns. Plus, it’s just a lot of fun to see everyone and I cannot wait for that! Remember that the deadline to submit resolutions for consideration is May 12. Also, be sure you’re following the League social media accounts for updates on that and other things. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Come find us there!

For greater communities and a greater state,