WashingtonDC

Youth Council 2006 Congressional Cities Conference Trip

Early in 2006, the decision was made to send the members of the Youth Council's Executive Committee to the Spring conference sponsored by the National League of Cities. This annual meeting is one of the most important advocacy-oriented conferences in the country for municipal officials. It is a unique opportunity for Youth Council members to see first hand how local officials from across the country work together in a bi-partisan environment for common issues. This webpage will keep a record of this trip from March 11 through 15, 2006.

Update: March 14, 2006:  Today we attended the opening session and heard from Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. Mr. Chertoff expressed his plan of prevention, protection, and recovery from both natural disasters and terrorism. We also heard from First Lady Laura Bush. She gave a speech on education in America and the importance of reading initiatives in America. A Youth Council member from Clarksburg, West Virginia introduced her, although we all stated that we felt we were more qualified to give the introduction.

We then went to meet Senator Herb Kohl. He was extremely open and willing to listen to us about why the CDBG program should be preserved. We were given the VIP tour of the Capitol building from a particularly bubbly young woman (thanks, Nicole!). She rushed us in past the ridiculously long lines. There is a very interesting story about the semi-nude statue of Hawaii's King Kamehameha in the Capitol's Hall of Statues. We may or may not let you in on it when we get back.

The best museum in D.C., in my opinion, is the National Gallery of Art. Bronze statues stretch on beyond sight. Andrew and I were scolded by one of the many weapon-bearing men in black for walking around in our socks. In our defense, we had done a lot of walking by this point, and our feet hurt. A lot. We also visited the Folger Shakespeare Library, which was surprisingly interesting; I highly recommend it.

See you guys soon! -- President Arlee Vang

TOMORROW -- Lobby Day and the Journey Home

March 13, 2006: The wee hours of the morning – about 10:30 – found the Youth Council members sharing a room with 2400 other delegates from around the nation for the opening session of the conference. Though initially a bit skeptical as to the sincerity of the NLC's leaders, the Youth Council members were thoroughly astonished with the pure passion of NLC President Jim Hunt's speech. Former House Representative John Kasich followed Hunt with an equally fiery and moving speech that gave the Milwaukee youth a sense of mission in a city riddled with distraction.  Immediately following the opening session, at the youth luncheon, every one of Milwaukee's youth delegates seized a leadership role by presenting to the entire group on the contents of their tables' discussions. The members of the City of Milwaukee Youth Council left the luncheon with more than a little bit of pride and a sense of accomplishment. They realized the uniqueness of their organization, particularly due to its affiliation with the Common Council and its dedication to real issues. Despite the fact that every other youth council seemed to pride itself on the construction of a skate park, the Milwaukee members vowed today to generally avoid extreme sports. The rest of the day was spent roaming the Smithsonian and the mall, and despite what rumors may circulate, Andrew Ellis did not get the number of the Sala Thai waitress, Michelle Jenkins exclusively studies THEATER, and President Vang did not leave the Smithsonian with the Hope Diamond in her possession. – Member Maxwell Loos

March 12, 2006: For those who might not be aware, the Congressional City Conference is one of two conferences scheduled each year by the National League of Cities (NLC). This event is oriented towards the pursuit of the League's legislative agenda which explains why it ends with a trip by all delegates up to Capitol Hill. Even so, the League has regular business to conduct at these sessions and so much of Sunday was taken up with committee meetings relating to a range of policy issues.

Milwaukee's own Ald. Joe Davis, Sr., is the vice chair of the Community and Economic Development Committee so the Youth Council delegation spent much of Sunday morning in that committee's session. Recognized by the chair for their participation, members learned a great deal about the current threat to Community Development Block Grant funding – notably the proposed $1 billion cut to funding in the Fiscal Year 2006 budget – as well as proposals for rewriting the block grant formula to avoid competition between communities with different sets of economic circumstances. All participants in the meeting, the Youth Council delegation included, were encouraged to go to Capitol Hill and carry the message of the conference to their congressional delegations.

Sunday also included the first networking lunch held for Youth Council attendees. It became quickly clear that Milwaukee's own council is a new kid on this particular block. Some communities have had Youth Councils for over a decade and more than one community sent double-digit delegations. Others have veteran members serving on the Youth Council governance council established by the League. Still, Milwaukee seemed to be the largest community represented – a couple had populations less than one-tenth Milwaukee's, and the commitments and challenges are the same: finding meaningful and engaging ways for young people to participate in their government.