Press Release – October 29, 2020
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TO NEWS/CITY DESK EDITOR
CONTACT: Debbie Bitting, Pennsylvania Municipal League, 717-236-9469, ext. *223, dbitting@pml.org
Municipal Officials from Pennsylvania Municipal League and Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners Attend First Ever Municipal Leadership Virtual Summit
Harrisburg, PA (October 29, 2020) – League President Altoona Mayor Matthew Pacifico and PSATC President Butler Township Commissioner Dave Zarnick are presiding over the Municipal Leadership Virtual Summit, the first joint conference of the Pennsylvania Municipal League (The League) and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners (PSATC), taking place today through Saturday.
“I am thrilled for this year’s virtual summit! Due to the convenient nature of the virtual format, we were able to get many great speakers this year,” said League President Altoona Mayor Matthew Pacifico. “I want to welcome our friends from PSATC for this joint event, and I would like to say thank you to everyone who is joining us this year, and to all of our sponsors and members of the Business Leaders Network.”
“The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners is looking forward to bolstering the learning opportunities afforded to our combined memberships. This summit will increase the education to help our elected officials better their communities,” said PSATC President Butler Township Commissioner Dave Zarnick. “We appreciate the quality and dedication that the Pennsylvania Municipal League puts forth to make sure this event is a huge success.”
Officials taking part in the Municipal Leadership Summit will share resources and innovative ideas, discuss issues of mutual concern, and participate in a wide-array of educational and professional development sessions all in a virtual platform designed to address the ways and means of meeting the pressing challenges of municipal management and good governance.
“The Pennsylvania Municipal League and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners are pleased to be hosting our first ever joint and of course virtual Municipal Leadership Summit,” said League Executive Director Richard J. Schuettler. “This is an historic event as our respective municipal groups come together and provide unprecedented professional development opportunities.”
The Summit kicked off this morning with a special session on 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage, followed by the Opening Ceremony where we were pleased to have Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House Kerry Benninghoff, and Lt. Governor John Fetterman address delegates. In addition to networking opportunities, sessions today also include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Pandemic, Protests and Recession: Labor and Employment Issues; Managing through an Economic Crisis: City of Easton Case Study; and Blight Success Stories.
At Friday’s Opening Session, we are honored to have U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Bryan Cutler, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, DCED Secretary Dennis Davin, and National League of Cities President Joe Buscaino join us.
Also on Friday’s agenda is The League’s Resolutions Committee Meeting as well as additional sessions including a discussion on Supreme Court happenings from Lisa Soronen, State and Local Legal Center; Making Sense of the Markets; Fireworks Panel Discussion; Stormwater Management Options; and Economics. Members of The League’s Business Leaders Network will present Unemployment in Review Now and for the Future; Energy Solutions for Your Community; Construction, Procurement and Privatization – What are the Problems and the Opportunities?; How to Make Sure Governments Aren’t Leaving Money on the Table; Pennsylvania’s Aging Water Infrastructure – Challenges and Solutions for Municipalities, Utilities, and Homeowners; and Enhancing Opportunities for Public Safety: Updates from FirstNet, Built by AT&T.
The League’s Annual Business Meeting, where legislative priorities will be established for the coming year and officers will be elected to serve on the League Board of Directors, will wrap up Friday.
At Saturday morning’s Opening Session, we are pleased to have DCED Deputy Secretary of Community Affairs and Development Richard Vilello address delegates, followed by a legislative update. We will also be recognizing spring graduates Megan E. Gouldy, Trinity High School, Camp Hill; Jamie M. Santiago, Scranton High School; and Jonah S. Zolnak, Altoona Area High School, for their winning essays in The League’s John A. Garner, Jr. Civic Engagement Essay Scholarship Contest.
Craig Fugate, former FEMA Administrator will be our featured Keynote Speaker on Saturday, followed by three additional sessions: Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act – A Review and a Primer; When to Involve the Solicitor: 5 Volunteer Fire Company Issues; and a Distributed Antenna System Discussion.
PSATC’s Executive Committee Meeting and Annual Business Meeting will wrap up the Summit on Saturday.
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About The Pennsylvania Municipal League
The mission of the Pennsylvania Municipal League is to strengthen, empower and advocate for effective local government. The League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, The League represents Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, townships, home rule communities and towns that all share their municipal policy interests. The Board of Directors oversees the administration of a wide array of municipal services including legislative advocacy, publications, education/training, consulting-based programs, and group insurance trusts. For more information, please visit PML.org. Join the conversation at twitter.com/PAMunicipalLeag and facebook.com/PaMunicipalLeague – #MunicipalLeadershipSummit20.
About The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners
The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners (PSATC) represents Pennsylvania’s first class townships and their elected governing officials before the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Commonwealth’s various agencies. PSATC was founded in 1925 to distinguish itself from the second class townships which are much larger in number. First class townships are generally regarded as the “urban ring” around Pennsylvania’s cities. Many of our first class townships face issues similar to those of our Commonwealth’s cities and urban boroughs, thereby making the association’s affiliation with the Pennsylvania Municipal League a natural fit. The League has been providing advocacy services to the PSATC for over 30 years. For more information, please visit PML.org/psatc.
The Virtual Municipal Leadership Summit program book can be accessed in the Resources section at www.pml.org/municipal-leadership-summit.