A former Frederick Mayor will receive a lifetime achievement award.
Annapolis, Md (KM). Representatives from 131 of the 157 municipalities in Maryland will be gathering in Ocean City next week for the Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference. “And we have the highest attendance of membership and non-member attendance at our conference ever in the history of the Maryland Municipal League, which dates back to 1936,” says MML Executive Director Scott Hancock. “We have nearly 3,000 who will be in Ocean City.”
The MML Summer Conference gets underway on Sunday, June 25th, and continues through Wednesday, June 28th. It will take place at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, 4001 Coastal Highway, in Ocean City.
One of the topics to be covered in one of 31 workshops is combating the Opioid and Heroin Crisis which will be held on Sunday, June 25th at 4:15 PM. “Unfortunately, Maryland ranks very high in the crisis. We have some experts talking to our members and what they can do to combat the crisis,” Hancock says. “The Opioid/Heroin Crisis is a crisis across every city and town in Maryland. Not just big cities such as Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Frederick. But cities like Burkittsville in Frederick County, and Walkersville.. They all have issues that they’re dealing with on this topic.”
Other workshop topics include Community Policing Challenges; Healthy Eating and Active Living Policies Promoting Senior Health; Innovative Approaches to Infrastructure; Municipal IT: Balancing Transparency , Efficiency and Data Security; Partnering to End Homelessness; and The Economy’s Direction.
Governor Larry Hogan will also speak to the MML on Tuesday night.
There will also be an opportunity for elected officials to speak one-on-one with representatives of Governor Hogan’s cabinet. “This year, we have 24 members of the Governor’s cabinet who will be in Ocean City talking to city and town leaders about the issues that are important in their particular domain,” says Hancock.
The conference has a number of opportunities for members to connect with each other. “Cities and towns are dealing with the same issues wherever they may be located in Maryland,” Hancock says. “The opportunity to learn how another municipality has dealt with a particular issue can save a municipal leader a great deal of time in how they deal with that issue in their community.”
On a local note, the MML will award former Frederick Mayor and current State Senator Ron Young with a Lifetime Achievement award. Young was President of MML in 1977. In addition, the new President of the MML will be Jake Romanell, a New Market Town Councilman.
By Kevin McManus