Toledo Reporter

Toledo City Council visits Washington, DC for the 2024 National League of Cities Congressional City Conference

A delegation from Toledo City Council attended the 2024 National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington, DC this week to advocate for federal grants, learn from subject matter experts, and return with ideas and best practices from peer city leaders.

The delegation, represented by Council President Carrie Hartman, Council Member Nick Komives, Councilman George Sarantou, and Chief of Staff Lucille Frank, met with leaders such as U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, and their teams to share the successes won by Toledo through ARPA and other funding.

“Part of our Council scope is to represent our residents in every level of government, including on Capitol Hill,” said Council President Carrie Hartman. “I am grateful for the opportunity to meet leaders from around the country and share advice and ideas.”

The National League of Cities (NLC) is an organization comprised of city, town and village leaders that are focused on improving the quality of life for their current and future constituents.

The top issues for Toledo City Council this week – passenger rail, streamlining grant programs directly to cities, water quality and Lake Erie protections, and how best to finish our ARPA funding programming and projects before the deadline.

“Attending the NLC conference allows us to be in front of Federal Lawmakers and employees of the different agencies where we can advocate for grant dollars and policy reform that help our City, and it’s working,” said Council Member Nick Komives. “While here we learned of the $28.5 million DOT award and what we can access for our future.”

The delegation looks forward to returning and sharing the lessons, ideas, and policy opportunities learned with the rest of Council.

“The information that we learned at the Congressional City Conference is invaluable,” said Councilman George Sarantou. “Many cities, of all sizes, are facing the same challenges as we do in Toledo including challenges with public safety, housing, transportation, and fiscal decisions. Clearly the NLC is leading and coordinating in key research and the advisement of our Federal leaders about our critical needs.”

Original source can be found here.