Thanks to everyone who joined us for our online Annual Conference. While we couldn’t be together in person, we found meaningful ways to connect and learn together. Here are 10 takeaways from this year’s Annual Conference:
10. General James Mattis shares his wisdom as a lifelong leader
Gen. Mattis made an outstanding appearance at this year’s online conference. He is a native of Washington state and joined us in a rare public appearance to share his years of wisdom in leadership with cities across the state. Among his many pointers, Gen. Mattis said that a good leader needs to stay humble, keep learning from others, and study history. He believes that curiosity is an underappreciated
trait of good leaders. He said even the questions you need to be asking when a crisis hits can be informed through prior research. Because ultimately, you’ve got to make decisions without all the information at hand. If you missed it, register for the conference to watch the session through July 22.
9. Conference sponsors light the way for city leaders
AWC’s sponsors know how to show up for city leaders whether the conference is online or in person. The Exhibit Hall is still open for those registered for conference.
8. AWC membership adopts a Statement of Policy amendment at the Business Meeting
The AWC membership adopted our six-year 2020 Statement of Policy last year. It includes six core principles that help guide AWC’s advocacy work, including one that addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion in cities. In the time since the Statement of Policy was adopted, many city leaders have researched and reflected on policies and practices in their cities through a racial equity lens. In light of that, the original Statement of Policy Committee decided that we need to do more to directly address diversity, equity, and inclusion in our communities. The newly adopted Statement of Policy amendment reflects our proactive commitment to promote racial inclusion in all communities.
7. NLC says “It will be an infrastructure summer”
Leaders from the National League of Cities (NLC) joined our closing session at an opportune time—just hours after the White House announced a $1.2 trillion bipartisan deal to provide federal investments in nationwide transportation infrastructure. NLC said that this summer will be filled with infrastructure discussions, policies, and votes, and they’ll keep you informed along the way. Anything can change in these early stages of conversations, but in the meantime, check out the initial bipartisan infrastructure framework released by the Biden Administration. It includes expected spending, infrastructure categories, and proposed financing sources.
6. AWC Government Relations team shares advocacy strategies
During the closing session of Annual Conference, our AWC lobbyists addressed the crowd with ever-popular tips and tricks to advocate for cities all year long. We’re in the summer phase of our advocacy planning, which means we’ve wrapped up the 2021 legislative session and are turning our focus to planning for 2022 legislative priorities. This is a good time of year to reach out to your legislators to thank them and connect on local issues addressed in 2021 and upcoming priorities for 2022. Be sure to reach out and share your ideas with us. We’re gathering input to share with our AWC Legislative Priorities Committee, which is working regularly to pinpoint city issues for 2022. If you missed this informative advocacy session, register to watch the recording!
5. Greg Bell teaches us to water our bamboo
Our opening keynote speaker taught us that watering our bamboo consistently, year-after-year, will ultimately yield positive results. He uses the Chinese bamboo tree as an example. Once a bamboo tree is planted, it needs to be watered regularly for four years—even while it doesn’t grow out of the ground at all. But in the fourth year, if watered correctly, it will sprout out of the ground and grow up to 90 feet in 60 days. What it’s doing underground and behind the scenes all those years is establishing deep roots. Bell encourages cities to establish deep roots because we are all connected. Water those roots, work on relationships, plan, and growth will come.
4. Everybody can engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion work
Big budgets and large populations are not required to do the work on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in cities. There are also many options for small and medium-sized cities with limited resources. Strategies to employ equitable practices and engage all community members can start small. Check out the conference DEI session to explore new programs, projects, and approaches like inclusive hiring practices that foster diverse workplaces, analyzing current practices through a lens of diversity, and creating official statements in support of inclusion.
3. AWC CQC scholarship donors raised over $3,000
Six outstanding students won $1,500 AWC Center for Quality Communities (CQC) scholarships this year thanks to the generosity of people like you. And thanks to your conference donations this year, we have now raised over $3,000 to fund two out of six scholarships for the next generation of civic leaders. That leaves four scholarships left to fund. Help us reach our goal. Donate what you can—and encourage your colleagues to donate, too!
2. Climate adaptation planning is a must
Dr. Amy Snover and the UW Climate Impacts Group (CIG) outlined what a changing climate will mean for us in the PNW: more heat and fires, more and heavier rain, less snow and rising sea levels, among other changes. However, Washington’s cities and towns are planning and preparing. Cities like Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey have started planning together and rural areas like the Methow Valley, Twisp, and Winthrop show us how we can approach this challenge successfully—even with limited resources. Want to know more? Spend about an hour watching the on-demand session and learn what resources are out there to help your community do this work. And be sure to check out AWC’s new Climate Resilience Handbook: Preparing for a changing environment, which
is full of information, guidance, and resources for cities looking to plan for and adapt to climate change.
1. We missed seeing you in person and look forward to next year!
Our members are technically savvy but miss the networking and connecting in person. We look forward to hosting and seeing everyone in Vancouver in 2022.
Missed out on Annual Conference this year? It’s not too late! You can still register to watch or listen to all the sessions online and earn your 10 CML credits through September 22, 2021. Check out the lineup and register for the conference to watch recorded sessions at your convenience.