By Ed Somers
December 7, 2009

Thousands of city officials gathered in San Antonio November 10–14 for the National League of Cities' Annual Congress of Cities. The meeting was hosted by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, and saw Riverside (CA) Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge elected as the new NLC President.

During his acceptance speech on November 14, Loveridge said, "It is in the cities of America where economic development takes place and quality of life is experienced. Cities are the wealth of nations. As cities go, so goes the country. There cannot be a healthy national economy without healthy local economies. Without strong cities and towns, we cannot have a strong America."

"There are opportunities and resources in Washington. The biggest issues of our time are on the national agenda: the economy, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, health care, climate change and energy independence, transportation and infrastructure, housing, and immigration reform," Loveridge added.

The mayor said, "To move our best interests from the outer rings to the center ring of national legislation and policy, we must also be an effective partner with the Big Seven state and local government associations. In particular, we should work closely with U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties."

Loveridge then focused on the economy saying, "As cities, we must demonstrate leadership in getting our residents back to work and look for ways for our city and region to compete in the global market place. It is the economy stupid … and jobs!"