Features

League celebrates 90th anniversary, preps for year ahead at Annual Convention

The milestone event featured dynamic speakers, timely topics and plenty of special moments for attendees.

Written By: Andrew Morgan, League Staff

Photography By: Andrew Morgan, League Staff

September 24, 2024

Magnolia Mayor and 2024-2025 League President Parnell Vann, left, presents outgoing president, Cave City Mayor Jonas Anderson a plaque in recognition of his service to the League during the New Officers and Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 14.

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Elected officials and staff from cities and towns across Arkansas gathered at the Little Rock Marriott and Statehouse Convention Center June 12-14 for the 90th Annual Convention of the Arkansas Municipal League, where they elected a new slate of officers for the year, approved an updated policies and goals statement, and adopted a collection of resolutions that will guide the League’s advocacy efforts.

During the annual business meeting on Friday, June 14, the League membership elected a new slate of officers for 2024-2025. The officers are: Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann, president; Greenwood Mayor Doug Kinslow, first vice president; Wynne Mayor Jennifer Hobbs, District 1 vice president; Wrightsville Mayor Derrick Rainey, District 2 vice president; Alma Council Member Gary Perry, District 3 vice president; and Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe, District 4 vice president.

In his acceptance speech, Vann thanked the membership for their support, and he noted the significant milestone the League has reached. “Ninety years. I wonder if our forefathers and mothers of the Arkansas Municipal League ever thought, on day one, that we’d be around 90 years later. I know that they’d be proud,” he said.

From its inception in 1934, the League has been a source of information and guidance, helping cities and towns meet their statutory duties and offering up-to-date information and best practices for local governance. That tradition continued at the 90th Convention, with general sessions covering critical issues like Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act and breakout sessions delving deeper into topics like the workforce housing shortage and mitigating cybersecurity threats. The 12 concurrent breakout sessions qualified for Level 1 credit as part of the League’s new Arkansas Civic Education Program (ACE), the updated voluntary continuing education and certification program for municipal officials and personnel. You can read more about the ACE Program here.

In addition to engaging in the many educational opportunities offered during the Convention, the membership celebrated the League’s 90th anniversary in style with an opening night Southern Soiree, dining al fresco in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden at Little Rock’s Riverfront Park. It was a great opportunity to take in the sunset on the Arkansas River while enjoying southern favorites like shrimp and grits and bananas Foster.

Aside from assisting the state’s cities and towns, the Arkansas Municipal League is surely known for one thing: improvisational comedy! As they did at January’s Winter Conference, several of the more theatrical folks among the membership took to the stage for a spirited game of “Whose Council Meeting is it Anyway?” Crossett Mayor Crystal Marshall, above left, playing the role of the mayor of “Leagueville,” deals with an intrusive and unruly citizen, liveblogging sensation Brie on the Lookout, played by the League’s own Brie Gibson. The entertaining mock city council meeting demonstrated ways that elected officials can keep meetings on task in a civil, organized fashion while still allowing discussion and public input. Dr. Lisa McNeir, top left, alliance co-chair of Braver Angels, participated in the session, offering tips on how to achieve those goals. Braver Angels is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to depolarize America. “The philosophy behind it is, if we stay engaged with each another, we’re more likely to find real solutions to real problems in our communities and in our country,” she said. “To stay engaged means we need to drop name-calling, we need to lower the temperature, and push against polarization, and try to make engagement—respectful, civil engagement—the rule of the day.”

Magnolia Mayor and League First Vice President Parnell Vann, now president, presented the package of resolutions approved by the Resolutions Committee to the full membership during the annual business meeting on the morning of Friday, June 14. The resolutions will appear in the League’s updated “Policies & Goals 2024-2025” publication, which, in addition to being available online in August, will be included as a supplement to the autumn issue of City & Town.

Navigating and complying with the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a perennial challenge for city and town leaders, and League General Counsel John Wilkerson, right, and Legal Counsel Caleb Alexander-McKinzie, left, provided an overview of the so-called sunshine law and covered common scenarios that municipalities face. It was the most well-attended session of the 90th Convention. They included in their presentation some of the on-demand videos available to members as part of the ACE Program curriculum on the subject. Arkansas’ FOIA is touted as one of the strongest in the country, and it helps guarantee that citizens have access to information about their local government, Wilkerson said. “We love transparency, so we love the FOIA, but we also need to keep privacy rights in mind.”

The Arkansas Legislature’s Joint City, County and Local Affairs Committee has traditionally met on the opening Wednesday of convention, and for the second year in a row, the League invited the committee to conduct their meeting in front of the membership, where they discussed several issues important to municipalities. Chris Colclasure, left, director of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division, provided an update on the data —population growth, population shifts, water infrastructure availability—that has changed across Arkansas since the implementation of the 2014 State Water Plan. He and League Executive Director Mark Hayes, right, also spoke to the committee about the implications for municipalities of Act 605 of 2021, Oversight of Retail Water Providers. The law requires rate studies, training for governing boards of water providers and other additional responsibilities for operators of retail water systems.

During the June 14 annual business meeting, League Executive Director Mark Hayes, above, presented his annual report to the membership on the state of the organization and its programs. The League’s benefit programs are healthy, he told the membership, and we continue to expand educational opportunities and our services, like the field representative program, to the membership. The League staff serves with dedication because we live, work and play in the very cities and towns we serve, Hayes said. “We are you, and you are us. We don’t exist without you because we are you.” Hayes provided an overview of the participation in each of the League’s optional benefit programs, training and certification program participation, as well as other key stats from the past year. Those numbers and other important information are available in the “State of the League 2023-2024” report, which is available online.

The League welcomed speaker Matt Lehrman to the stage on Wednesday afternoon, June 12, to share his keynote address, “From Conflict to Conversation,” which offered ways local officials can get beyond divisiveness. “How do we make the public feel welcome at the start of a city council meeting? Well, the ritual we have we just did here ourselves. We say the pledge of allegiance.” He honed in on “indivisible.” “That’s the key word. That’s the ritual word that’s supposed to bring us together.” It’s easier said than done, he said. Is it effective enough in a “divided society, addicted to outrage, mired in cynicism and exhaustion?” Local leaders have a unique opportunity to make people feel welcome, even when opinions differ, he said, and these goals should be among every community’s core values. As an example of positive civic engagement, he called on any members of the Rotary Club present to identify themselves. He then invited them to the stage to recite their organization’s core values, known as the “Four-Way Test.” The Rotarians did so without hesitation: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

In addition to delivering the 90th Convention’s keynote address on the afternoon of June 12, Lehrman stuck around the next day to engage with the membership throughout the day. He continued the conversation on civility during a well-attended concurrent session. He also took to the exhibition hall stage with Rogers Mayor Greg Hines, right, to discuss the city’s recovery efforts after a May 26 tornado devastated the city and killed eight people along its path in northwest Arkansas. Lehrman recorded the conversation for his podcast series, Community Catalysts. You can listen to the episode by following the podcast link on his website, www.socialprosperity.us.