Spotted: Happy Campers Ready for Camp #MnCities

Pictured L to R: Baudette City Clerk-Treasurer Tina Rennemo, Alexandria Mayor Sara Carlson,
White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson, and Granite Falls Mayor Dave Smiglewski
dream of summer camp after a recent LMC Board Meeting.

Roasting s’mores over a campfire. Paddling away the afternoon on a sun-drenched lake. Stopping by the canteen for snacks. These might be familiar (and hopefully fond!) memories for those of us who went away to summer camp as kids. Too bad there’s no such thing for adults, right? Think again!

The League is bringing back some of that same nostalgia at Camp #MnCities—the 2018 LMC Annual Conference in St. Cloud—this June 20-22. We’ve got a whole variety of activities planned and hope you join us to:

• Enjoy fun and games at the camp kick-off in the exhibit hall 
• Meet up with old friends (and new!) during longer networking breaks 
• Find ideas and tools that will help you navigate challenging issues 
• Celebrate cities and local leaders at an all-new awards show dinner 

Most of all, we want you to escape your routine and get re-energized for the important work you do in Minnesota cities every day. Learn more and register here—hope to see you next month!

Municipal Clerks Week Is Better Than Shark Week. And Here's 5 Reasons Why ...

This quill is much cooler than a shark fin.
Image courtesy International Institute of Municipal Clerks

Clerks, we love Municipal Clerks Week because it's a great time to sing your praises. We enjoy it so much, we even like it better than Shark Week, that pop culture phenomenon that gets all the "splash." Yeah, that's right. So to back up that bold statement, we've compiled the top five reasons why Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week—you can add your own reasons to the list in the comments!

LMC's top five reasons why Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week:

1. Clerks are vital to our elections, i.e. democracy. Sharks are definitely not.
2. Clerks keep our local governments operating on the right side of data practices and open meeting law to ensure legal compliance. Sharks don't seem to care about legal compliance.
3. Clerks take care of a wide range of business ranging from management of city finances to human resources-related decisions. Sharks mostly swim and eat things, which is cool, but not as cool.
4. Clerks are patient and knowledgeable when helping the public. Sharks lack the necessary customer service skills.
5. While you have to wait 70+ more days for Shark Week, Municipal Clerks Week is happening now.

For all these reasons and more, we think that Municipal Clerks Week is better than Shark Week, because city clerks are the backbone of Minnesota's local government community and frankly, we'd be lost without you. So if there's a clerk in your professional city gov life, be sure to show them some appreciation today (and every day!). Sharks, we'll see you in July, but probably won't write a blog post. 

Thank you, clerks, for all that you do!