Building Citizenship in the Community: Back to Basics |
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October 15, 2008
Dear Municipal Official:
I am very humbled to serve as your President this year. The Florida League of Cities is very near and dear to my heart. The League’s motto states, “Local Self Government: Keystone of American Democracy” and I believe city government is the closest government to the people of Florida and I believe in Home Rule. I want to stand side-by-side with you to protect the Home Rule power of Florida’s cities.
It is true that we are facing extremely tough economic times and I believe education of our citizens, and future citizens (students), is of the utmost importance – now more than ever before. Educating our citizens on the fundamentals of city services and what it takes to effectively run a city is going to be essential as we continue to be forced to “tighten our municipal belts,” do more with less, and still maintain the level of service demanded by our citizenry.
Through my presidential priority “Building Citizenship in the Community: Back to Basics,” the League will design, launch and manage a campaign to increase civic awareness and participation. We will provide education for our constituents to increase their awareness of municipal issues and help them become smarter municipal services consumers.
I encourage each municipality to stand with me in support of this initiative. I have attached a resolution for your council’s or commission’s consideration. There are 411 active municipalities in the Sunshine State – it would be wonderful to have 100-percent participation! I appreciate your consideration of this request.
Further, I would appreciate hearing about what you are doing in your municipality. I’d like to hear about your successes in citizen education and about things that didn’t work as well. What do they think about city government? How can we strengthen the relationship between elected officials and the average citizen in Florida’s cities, towns and villages? I hope you will share your stories with the League.
I appreciate your continued dedication to the Florida League of Cities. Together, we can make a difference…we already have…we will continue to do so!
Sincerely,
Carmine Priore
President, Florida League of Cities
Vice Mayor, Wellington
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