Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)– Park Forest Mayor John A. Ostenburg is among approximately 2,500 elected municipal officials from across the country attending the 2009 Congressional City Conference of the National League of Cities (NLC).
The annual gathering in the nation’s capitol provides public officials at the local level with the dual opportunity to learn more about federal programs and policies affecting cities and also to lobby with federal officials regarding their concerns. The 2009 event is focusing on recent legislation to improve the nation’s fiscal climate.
Mayor Ostenburg also is one of a select group of municipal leaders from cities and towns across the U.S. to serve on the NLC’s Community & Economic Development (CED) Policy & Advocacy Committee. As such, he is participating in committee work to develop strategies for implementing the NLC’s goals for business development, job enhancement, and housing initiatives.
Conference participants will hear remarks by a number of ranking officials of the administration of President Barack Obama, including U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Housing & Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Other Obama administration officials to address the NLC gathering include White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Lisa Jackson, administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Chris Matthews, host of news programs on NBC and MSNBC, will be keynote speaker for the conference.
Workshops on a wide variety of topics also are available for conference participants. Mayor Ostenburg indicated that he will participate in workshops on topics relating to “green” initiatives that are open to municipalities, federal regulations on railway traffic, and federal funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements.
Mayor Ostenburg also will attend a breakfast meeting of Democratic municipal officials at which Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, chairperson for the Democratic National Committee, will speak.
Immediately prior to the NLC gathering, Mayor Ostenburg and Park Forest Police Chief Tom Fleming were part of a south suburban Chicago coalition that met with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, U.S. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., and officials from the Obama administration to discuss funding needs for the south suburban region. Also participating in those meetings were Olympia Fields Mayor Linzey Jones, Richton Park Mayor Rick Reinbold, Matteson Trustee Sam Brown, and Ron Bono, director of the Southcom Combined Dispatch Center.
