Nation's Cities - April 4, 2011

6 NATION’S CITIES WEEKLY
April 4, 2011

Local and Federal Officials Release National Cohesive
Wildland Fire Management Strategy

by Stephanie Spirer
On March 28, the United States
Departments of Agriculture and the
Interior, in partnership with state, tribal
and local stakeholders including NLC,
released two documents to address
wildland fire management efforts —
A National Cohesive Wildland Fire
Management Strategy and The Federal
Land Assistance, Management and
Enhancement Act of 2009 Report to
Congress.

Awards, from page 1
in Municipal Government
(WIMG).
At the award ceremo-
ny, NBC-LEO President
Michael Johnson, council-
member, Phoenix, and NBC-
LEO Diversity Award Chair
and President-Elect Deborah
Denard Delgado, council-
member, Hattiesburg, Miss.,
presented the awards to the
representatives of each winning
city. Each city received a trophy
from NBC-LEO acknowledg-
ing the success of its program’s
unique and diverse goals.
After the Celebrate Diversity
Breakfast, NBC-LEO Diversity
Award Chairwoman Delgado
said, “It has been heartening,
even exhilarating, to witness the
programs that America’s cities
and towns are offering to enrich
the lives of their citizens.
“These entries sparkle. They
challenge and invigorate us, but
even more, shine as examples of
the many possibilities available
to us when it comes to celebrat-
ing our differences,” she said.
Johnson added, “The
Diversity Award Program was a
wonderful opportunity to share
some of the outstanding accom-
plishments cities through-
out the United States have
achieved. It was truly inspiring
to witness how cities are able to
utilize their individual tools and
resources to make outstanding
differences in their respective
communities.“
Award recipients expressed
their appreciation for the honor.
“This award from the
National League of Cities truly
honors the efforts we have made
in the City of Hollywood to rec-
ognize and celebrate our diver-
sity,” said Cameron Benson,
city manager of Hollywood.
“For our employees who have
embraced diversity training,
sharing their cultures and back-
grounds and appreciating the

Fargo, N.D., represented by Willard Yellow Bird Jr., the city’s safety commissioner, center, and others, was named a
winner of the City Cultural Diversity Award during the Congressional City Conference./ Photo by Steve Schneider

experiences of their colleagues,
this award proves they are set-
ting a national standard. When
a city earns an award from the
National League of Cities, it
draws attention from across the
country and becomes a place
other communities seek to
emulate.”
Mayor Ardell F. Brede of
Rochester observed that “over
37,000 individuals became
educated regarding their own
beliefs as a result of our pro-
gram. But equally important
was the lesson learned from
what we as a community can
do when over 50 organizations
partner for the greater benefit
of our community. It became
a very tangible way to demon-
strate our commitment for how
‘We are Building an Inclusive
Community.’”
Willard Yellow Bird Jr.,
and his colleagues represent-
ing the City of Fargo Native
American Commission were
also very pleased to be recog-
nized. He expressed that “the
Native American Commission
has become a cornerstone,
striving to better the education,
quality of life and futures of
the Native American people.”
Yellow Bird Jr. believes “the
Native American Commission
has created and will continue to
create a greater level of respect
and representation in their
community and they are chal-
lenged, together, to continue
the good work for their Native
American people.”
The judges for this year’s
awards included NBC-LEO
members Audwin Samuel,
councilmember, Beaumont,
Texas and Lavonta K. Williams,
councilmember, Wichita, Kan.;
APAMO members Gilbert
Wong, mayor, Cupertino,
Calif., and Helen Kawagoe, city
clerk, Carson, Calif.; GLBTLO
member Greg Pettis, council-
member, Cathedral City, Calif.;
HELO member Gilbert Lopez,
vice-mayor, Coolidge, Ariz.;
and WIMG members Mary
Dorothy “Dot” LaMarche,
vice-mayor, Farragut, Tenn.
and Joyce Sheperd, council-
member, Atlanta, Ga.

The Diversity Network in
Hollywood was designed to be
the catalyst for developing inno-
vative approaches to capitalize
on and celebrate the unique
diversity of the city’s workforce
and the community. Through
this network, city departments
develop annual strategies aimed
at creating an awareness, under-
standing and appreciation of
the city’s many differences. The
network has previously hosted
activities including a Taste of
Ethnic Sampling, Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month,
Hispanic Heritage Month and
various celebrations of Black
History Month. For more infor-
mation, contact Kee Eng, net-
work chair, at (954) 967-4526
or yjackson@hollywoodfl.org.
In 2010, Rochester host-
ed the RACE: Are We So
Different? Exhibit, which
examined race and racism by
showcasing scientific, histori-
cal and cultural perspectives
on race. Through a collabora-
tion of more than 53 organi-
zations, businesses and school
systems, including the Mayo
Clinic’s Allied Health Diversity
Committee, more than 37,000
people visited the exhibit, which
created a community dialogue
on issues of race in the com-
munity. For more information,
contact Gretl Kruse, operations
manager, at (507) 538-6356 or
kruse.gretl@mayo.edu.
Details: The City Cultural
Diversity Award was established
in 1995 to promote cultural
diversity in community gover-
nance through citizen and com-
munity participation.
For more information
about next year’s City Cultural
Diversity Awards program,
please contact Rikka Batulan at
Batulan@nlc.org.
To learn more about mem-
bership opportunities in NBC-
LEO, please contact Marsena
Mitchell at Mitchell@nlc.org.