Craig’s Corner July 2021

It was great to see many of you a couple of weeks ago at Virginia Beach for our summer conference!  I don’t know about you, but the time we spent together at the Hilton was the first time I had been in a large group of people since before the pandemic, and it felt wonderful to be able to share in camaraderie and fellowship again.  For those who joined virtually, I hope you felt connected to the conference as well – thank you again to Jim Taylor and Morgan Quicke for co-chairing a fabulous conference, in challenging times!

As I have thought about a “theme” for my term as President for the upcoming year, I keep returning to the theme we used for the summer conference – “Reconnect, Refresh, and Recharge.”  After this past year, I want to encourage us to reconnect, through the opportunities that are offered through VLGMA for training, and through any social connections at other meetings or conferences.  I also want to see us refresh our desire to serve VLGMA – this organization is your organization, and I ask that you please seek out new opportunities to be of service to your fellow members in the new year.  Lastly, let’s all focus on recharging VLGMA, to help continue to strengthen it to be the premier state association for local government leadership.

I want to express my gratitude to Cindy Mester for her leadership over the last year as our President.  I can’t imagine a year that was more fraught with challenges and adversity than the past year.  Throughout it all, Cindy kept us focused and moving forward.  Thank you, Cindy – VLGMA salutes you and your leadership!

I look forward to joining you here each month – please reach out and let me know if you have any column suggestions or comments.  I hope you and your family have a blessed 4th of July holiday!

All the best,
Craig