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July
2004
Welcome to the
July 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.
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| In
This Issue |
- 2004
All-America City Award
- MetLife
Principals Ambassadors in Education Award
- Student
Voices
- New
Politics Program
- Model
City Charter Available Now
- Contact
Information
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2004
All-America City Award |
 National
Civic League Announces Recipients
Of 2004 All-America City Award
30
Communities Complete Competition for Civic Award
ATLANTA
- The National Civic League crowned the 2004
winners of the coveted All-America City Award
- 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
winning communities for 2004 are (in alphabetical
order by state):
·
Stockton, CA
· Pembroke Pines, FL
· Evansville, IN
· Montevideo, MN
· Concord, NC
· Springfield, OH
· Cottage Grove, OR
· Hidalgo, TX
· Spokane, WA
· Philippi, WV
The
other Finalist communities that competed for the
2004 All-America City title include (listed in
alphabetical order by state):
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·
Stamford, CT
· Clearwater, FL
· Deerfield Beach, FL
· Lauderhill, FL
· Palm Bay, FL
· Pompano Beach, FL
· Olathe, KS
· St. Martinville, LA
· Grand Rapids, MI
· Taylor, MI
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·
Morris, MN
· Red Wing, MN
· Hattiesburg, MS
· Farmville, NC
· Clinton, NC
· Sparks, NV
· Lakeview, OR
· Fort Mill, SC
· Orangeburg County, SC
· Cedar City, UT
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"All
of these finalist 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 participated in a final round of
the All-America City competition in Atlanta, Georgia,
June 10-12. A delegation from each Finalist community
presented their innovative programs and local
solutions to a nine-person jury. Their presentations
addressed a wide range of social and community
issues, including crime, education, poverty, housing,
and race relations.
George
H. Gallup, one of the award's founders, described
the program as "…a Nobel prize for constructive
citizenship." As such, communities that have
won the All-America City Award have realized numerous
benefits, including national recognition and enhanced
community pride. Many All-America City Award winners
also have realized significant economic impacts,
including new grants, improved bond ratings, increased
tourism, and greater economic activity.
"Since
winning the award in 1990, 71 companies have relocated
here, bringing in 3,900 new jobs as of 2003. These
new jobs are generating an annual payroll of more
than $100 million," said Paul Anderson, Chair
of Jobs Plus, in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. "The
Award gave us the credibility and pride to encourage
these companies to relocate."
The
National Civic League (NCL) is one of the leading
proponents of citizen democracy in the United
States. Founded in 1894 by Theodore Roosevelt
and other government reformers, it is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization dedicated to building
community and promoting political reform at the
local level. NCL accomplishes its mission through
facilitating community processes and conducting
and publishing research on political reform and
community building. Through its All-America City
Award program, NCL also celebrates community engagement
efforts across the nation. For more information,
visit www.ncl.org.
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For more information,
please contact the National Civic League
at
303-571-4343, or write to aleksh@ncl.org. |
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MetLife |
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Fifteen Principals Earn Honors for Building Outstanding
Communities
Winning Schools Earn $5,000 For Community Projects
Fifteen
principals from 15 U.S. cities will end the 2003-2004 school
year with a special reward for positive community works thanks
to the MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award.
The award
recognizes public school principals in the middle grades and
higher who are making extraordinary efforts to strengthen
their schools and communities. Each winning principal will
receive a $5,000 grant for his or her school to continue community
work and relationship-building projects.
"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 students, teachers and staff."
A national
selection committee reviewed the nominations from each of
15 participating cities and picked the following winners:
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Atlanta
Mr. Nash Alexander, III
Ben S. Carson Honors Preparatory
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Boston
Mr. Albert Hollard
Health Careers Academy
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Chicago
Mr. Kenneth L. Hunter
Prosser Career Academy
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Denver
Ms. Nicole Veltze
Cole Middle School
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Des Moines
Mr. Michael Zelenovich
May Goodrell Middle School
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Detroit
Ms. Cheryl White
Detroit Lions Academy
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Greenville
Mr. Richard K. McClure
Mauldin High School
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Los
Angeles
Dr. Gregory Vallone
James Monroe Senior High School
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New York
Mr. Howard A. Friedman
Manhattan Comprehensive
Night & Day High School
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Philadelphia
Mr. Alan Liebowitz
George Washington High School
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San
Antonio
Mr. Everett Fuller
Wheatley Middle School
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St.
Louis
Mr. Thomas Cason
Soldan International Studies High School
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Tampa
Mr. Kevin McCarthy
Robinson High School
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Tulsa
Ms. Kris Serna
Cleveland Middle School
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Washington, D.C.
Ms. Maria Tukeva
Bell Multicultural High School
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For more
information about the Ambassadors in Education Awards, visit
www.ncl.org/cs/metlife.
The award
is sponsored by MetLife Foundation, which was founded in 1976
by MetLife and supports programs that increase opportunities
for young people to succeed, give students and teachers a
voice in improving education, develop partnerships between
schools and communities and strengthen relationships among
parents, teachers and students. The National Civic League,
a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to community
building and citizen democracy, conducts the award program.
In 2003, the program honored public school teachers who made
an impact on their students' communities.
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Student
Voices |
On Monday,
June 7, at 7:00 p.m., KBDI, Channel 12, aired a one-hour program
entitled, "Denver Student Voices Presents: A Town Hall
Meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper." The Denver PBS
affiliate filmed the Mayoral Town Hall Meeting, which originally
occurred on April 5, 2004. The event, held at South High School,
brought the mayor face-to-face with over 500 students from
10 Denver Public High Schools. Student representatives from
each high school posed a question to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
The KBDI, Channel 12, program televised the debate that took
place between the mayor and his city's youth over such issues
as homelessness, gang violence, teen curfew, and police-community
relations. The program is expected to be aired again in the
Fall of 2004.
For more
information about Denver Student Voices, please contact Kelly
Bovio, Project Manager, at kbovio@ncl.org
or by phone at 303-571-4343.
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| New
Politics Program |
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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.
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| 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.
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| Contact
Information |
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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
Join
NCL Today
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Copyright © 2004, National Civic League. All rights
reserved.
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