A letter from the Executive Director reflects on 2020 and lists what’s in store for 2021: This time last year many were anticipating that 2020 would be a year to plan for a new decade and gain â20/20â vision or clarity on future priorities. Instead, we quickly found ourselves confronting the present, a global pandemic with severe local consequences that brought daily challenges and unprecedented levels of uncertainty.
What can we learn from the pandemic to make our communities stronger and better connected?
Through interactive discussions, polling and presentations, we heard from over thirty elected officials and executives about their top concerns related to the pandemic. Our team listened for opportunities to adjust our services and programming to better support COVID-19 response, recovery and relief.
At its October meeting, the Regional Managers Group had a virtual, focused conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in local governments.
The House voted 214-207 along party lines to pass the Democratic $2.2 trillion stimulus measure. The legislation is a slimmed-down version of the HEROES Act, the $3.4 trillion stimulus bill that passed the House in May. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the measure still too expensive to pass the Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continue negotiations. The proposal contains $436 billion in aid for states and cities.