CIVIC ACTION

April 2004

Welcome to the April issue of the National Civic League's email newsletter. This monthly communication provides information on the activities and accomplishments of NCL and links to information on a variety of topics.

In This Issue

2004 All-America City Award
MetLife Principals Ambassadors in Education Award
Student Voices
New Politics Program
NCL Staff Changes
Model City Charter Available Now
Contact Information

2004 All-America City Award

National Civic League Announces Finalists For
2004 All-America City Award

30 Communities Up For Nation's Most Prestigious Civic Award

DENVER - The National Civic League announced today the 30 Finalist communities for the 2004 All-America City Award competition, the nation's longest running and most prestigious civic recognition program.

The All-America City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence, honoring the communities in which citizens, government, businesses and nonprofit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues. Since 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 have been designated "All-America Cities."

The Finalist communities that will compete for the 2004 All-America City title include (listed in alphabetical order by state):

· Stockton, CA
· Stamford, CT
· Clearwater, FL
· Deerfield Beach, FL
· Lauderhill, FL
· Palm Bay, FL
· Pembroke Pines, FL
· Pompano Beach, FL
· Evansville, IN
· Olathe, KS
· St. Martinville, LA
· Grand Rapids, MI
· Taylor, MI
· Montevideo, MN
· Morris, MN

· Red Wing, MN
· Hattiesburg, MS
· Farmville, NC
· Clinton, NC
· Concord, NC
· Sparks, NV
· Springfield, OH
· Lakeview, OR
· Cottage Grove, OR
· Fort Mill, SC
· Orangeburg County, SC
· Hidalgo, TX
· Cedar City, UT
· Spokane, WA
· Philippi, WV

"These communities serve as models for the rest of the country," said Christopher T. Gates, president of the National Civic League. "They are tackling challenges that seem insurmountable and are producing positive and tangible results with ingenuity and collaboration."

The 30 Finalists will participate in a final round of the All-America City competition in Atlanta, Georgia, June 10-12. A delegation from each Finalist community will present their innovative programs and local solutions to a 10-person jury. Their presentations will address a wide range of social and community issues, including crime, education, poverty, housing, and race relations. The 10 All-America Cities for 2004 will be announced Saturday, June 12, during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis.

Observers are welcome. Registration information is available at www.ncl.org/aac/. For more information,
please contact the National Civic League at
303-571-4343, or write to aleksh@ncl.org.

MetLife

Award Recognizes School Principals for Community Involvement
Schools Will Earn $5,000 for Community Projects

The MetLife Foundation and the National Civic League are pleased to announce the spring semester of the MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award. The program has been expanded to include more cities and more schools, and now community members have the chance to help a school in their town earn an extra $5,000 for community projects.

The award recognizes public school principals at the middle, junior high and high school levels who are making extraordinary efforts to strengthen their schools and communities. Students, teachers, parents and community members are encouraged to nominate a principal who is working for the betterment of the entire community.

The goal of the award program is to provide positive recognition to encourage these educators to continue their efforts, while encouraging others to follow their examples. The program has been introduced in the following 15 cities:

· Atlanta, GA
· Boston, MA
· Chicago, IL
· Denver, CO
· Des Moines, IA

· Detroit, MI
· Greenville, SC
· Los Angeles, CA
· New York, NY
· Philadelphia, PA

· San Antonio, TX
· St. Louis, MO
· Tampa, FL
· Tulsa, OK
· Washington, D.C.

"Principals are key to establishing a culture of caring and community involvement in their schools," said Sibyl Jacobson, MetLife Foundation president and CEO. "Their leadership in reaching out to their students' neighborhoods sets an important example for the students and for school faculty and staff."

To qualify, school principals in participating districts must be nominated by a combination of teachers, students and citizens. The winning principal from each participating school district will earn a $5,000 grant for his or her school from MetLife Foundation. The money can be used to support activities and projects that will help strengthen the relationships between the school and its surrounding community.

For more information about the Ambassadors In Education Award and the participating school districts visit www.ncl.org/cs/metlife. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2004. Winners will be announced May 15, 2004.

Student Voices

On April 15, 2004, Denver Student Voices held a Town Hall Meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper at South High School. The meeting brought the mayor face-to-face with more than 500 Denver public high school students who are participating in Student Voices. The students asked the mayor to address issues they view as the most important facing the city of Denver, including homelessness, gangs, gentrification, gun control, CSAP testing, and police-community relations.

The mayor also was asked his opinion on whether or not the city’s teen curfew, a law enacted following the 1993 Summer of Violence, should be continued. “You’re not going to like my answer,” he told students. “But, yes. The curfew has cut down on violence against and among young people. We want you to make it through your teens, and live a long life.”

Student Voices, a civic education initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, aims to engage young people in local government and politics. By placing high school students in touch with city officials, like the mayor, Student Voices attempts to bridge the gap between young people and politics. Student Voices, in its second year in Denver, involves more than 1000 students and 15 teachers at nine different high schools.

For more information about Denver Student Voices, please contact Kelly Bovio, Project Manager, at kbovio@ncl.org or by phone at 303-571-4343.

New Politics Program

Our database for local campaign finance reform efforts around the country was recently updated for the second time in six months. In addition, a contact list of over 150 practitioners in the field of political reform has been updated. To access this information, contact Derek Okubo. For additional information about the New Politics Program click here.

NCL Staff Changes

National Civic League
Our Denver office welcomes Gail Hoagland as Co-Director of Community Services and Linda Inabinet as our new Webmaster and Program Assistant.

NCL DC Federal Community Partnership welcomes two new associates. Tyler Overstreet joins our team as the Project Assistant. Jeffrey Shavelson, Ph.D., will serve as the Senior Project Associate, providing Training and Technical Assistance coordination for Safe Start projects.

Model City Charter Available

Update your city charter with the new Model, which provides the key information you need to keep up with the latest perspectives and practices on good governance. It will help you manage the new challenges facing municipalities, including: Performance Measurement, Regional Cooperation, Citizen Participation, Campaign Finance, Election Law, and New Technologies.

“As it has for the past 88 years, the 8th Edition of the National Civic League’s Model City Charter again endorses the council-manager form as the preferred structure of local government. This definitive guide recognizes the importance of appointing a city manager who is qualified solely on the basis of education and experience in the accepted competencies and practices of local public management."
Bob O’Neill, Executive Director,
International City/County Management Association.

TO ORDER YOUR COPY CALL 303-571-4343, or order online.

Contact Information

The National Civic League (NCL), founded in 1894, is America's original advocate for community democracy. It is a nonprofit, non-partisan, membership organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL fosters innovative community building and political reform, assists local governments, and recognizes collaborative community achievement. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Awards, America's original and most prestigious community recognition program.

National Headquarters
National Civic League / 1445 Market St. / Suite 300 / Denver, CO 80202
303-571-4343 (phone) / 303-571-4404 (fax)
ncl@ncl.org

Washington D.C. Office
National Civic League / 1319 F Street, NW / Suite 204 / Washington, DC 20004
202-783-2961 (phone) / 202-347-2161 (fax)
ncldc@ncldc.org

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