Friday, June 1, 2018

What's in Store for the 2018 LMC Annual Conference

Have you packed your bags yet for Camp #MnCities? In just a couple of weeks, we invite you to escape your usual routine and join city officials from across Minnesota to celebrate cities and capture new ideas! Hope to see you in St. Cloud June 20-22, where we have lots of great things in store…

Last year, Mayor Ardell Brede welcomed Annual Conference attendees
to Rochester, and this year it's Mayor Dave Kleis's turn as we travel to St. Cloud!

Have fun while getting informed! Our intergovernmental relations (IGR) staff is back
to entertain while sharing what happened during the 2018 Legislative Session,
and this year they’ll kick off the conference Wednesday afternoon.
Last year Senior IGR Liaison Laura Ziegler discussed issues with attendees.

Right after the IGR update, we’ll move into the exhibit hall
where Camp #MnCities will be in full effect! There’ll be tasty s’mores,
samples of local St. Cloud beer, and yard games like giant Jenga and bag toss.
Dress casually and mingle with vendors to find out how they can
help Minnesota communities like yours succeed.

Lunch on Thursday will include the LMC Annual Meeting,
where new board members will be announced. Pictured here are
Northfield Mayor Rhonda Pownell (LMC Past President),
White Bear Lake Mayor Jo Emerson (LMC Current President),
and Ely Councilmember Heidi Omerza (LMC First Vice President).

Once again this year, we’ll have a variety of information-packed sessions
in tracks like Governing & Leading, Managing Your City, Civic Engagement & Leadership,
 and Building Inclusive Communities for you to sink your teeth into. On Thursday afternoon,
hear a panel discussion about how to attract the next generation to public service—a
growing challenge for many Minnesota cities! Last year members of a youth group from Northfield
attended the conference to get a taste of careers and issues in city government.

As always, there will be plenty of time to network and visit with both old friends
and new during this year’s conference! Last year conference speaker Gordon Goodwin
(from GARE—Government Alliance on Race Equity) chats with a board member during a break.

Come celebrate cities and local leaders during an all-new awards show on Thursday evening!
Applaud noteworthy projects, leadership, and GreenStep Cities during an entertaining
dinner and program. Pictured here, former Minnetonka Mayor Terry Schneider is awarded
the C.C. Ludwig Award for Elected Officials at at the 2017 Annual Conference.

Wrap up your time at the conference on an inspiring note when
Keynote Speaker Paul Schmitz will talk about how to strengthen communities
through meaningful engagement and collaboration.

We hope you're looking as forward to Camp #MnCities as we aresee you soon!