DEARBORN, Mich. - The two candidates for Michigan governor spoke at the 2010 Michigan Municipal League Convention in Dearborn Sept. 21-24. Democratic candidate and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero spoke to more than 400 Michigan Municipal Leaders during a Sept. 23 luncheon. Bernero’s running mate, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence also spoke during a breakfast session Friday,Sept. 24.

Lawrence was followed by Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder.

The League had considerable media coverage for the candidates’ speeches. Read the Detroit Free Press coverage of Bernero’s talk; and Snyder’s talk here and here. Read the Detroit News coverage of Bernero’s talk; and Snyder’s talk here.

For more information about the Michigan Municipal League and what we do go to mml.org. For all our blog posts from the Convention go here. View WLNS TV 6’s coverage of Bernero’s talk here.

I should note that the Michigan Municipal League is a non-partisan, non-profit organization and we do not endorse candidates. We invited both candidates to the League Convention to inform our members of their stances on issues that concern them. 

View more photos of the candidates talking to Michigan Municipal League members here: flickr.com/michcommunities 

Matt Bach is director of communciations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and 734-669-6317.

DEARBORN, Michigan - "Should my community have a Facebook page?" "Should I, as a city council person, be on Facebook or Twitter? "But if I do go on Facebook won't that blur the lines between my personal and professional life?"

These were just a small sampling of the questions and issues addressed during three social media-related sessions and workshops at the Michigan Municipal League's 2010 Annual Convention in Dearborn, Michigan. The Convention concludes Friday, Sept. 24. The answers to those questions from all the social media practitioners at the Convention were "yes," Yes," and "YES." Those speaking included Peter Kageyama, founder and co-producer of the Creative Cities Summit, Sean Mann, project coordinator for the Let's Save Michigan campaign; Cliff Lampe, associate professor in the College of Communications at Michigan State University; Eric DeLong, deputy city manager for Grand Rapids; Rob Ferrari, director of information and technology for the Michigan Municipal League: Matt Bach, director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League.

The experts all agreed that social media is not a fad and is here to stay and Michigan communities need to allocate time to be involved in social media by creating Facebook and Twitter pages for their communities. The experts explained that Facebook and Twitter do blur the lines between what is personal and public, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lampe said having Facebook friends get a glimpse into the personal life of their city manager, village board member and other public officials will help them relate better to the official, which in turn is good for the public leader.

For details about the Michigan Municipal League and what we do go to www.mml.org. For more on our Convention and other blog posts from Convention go here. View the League's Facebook page at facebook.com/mmleague and its twitter page at twitter.com/mmleague. View the League's legislative blog here.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 734-669-6317 and mbach@mml.org. 

DEARBORN, Michigan - Starting up an urban garden on a vacant lot in your community won't solve all the economic challenges of the community, but can be a key piece to the puzzle.

That was the key message Wednesday during a seminar on green initiatives during the Michigan Municipal League's 2010 Annual Convention in Dearborn. The session panelists were Erin Caudell of the Ruth Mott Foundation and Jacky and Dora King of Harvesting Earth Farm near Flint, Michigan. View a clip from a Michigan State University documentary about the Kings.

The Kings started an urban garden in 2006 by turning an abandoned trash-ridden lot into what's now a vibrant urban garden that is selling its produce to the local community. The Kings, both karate instructors, also tie in the gardening program to their karate school - King's Karate. Karate students work the urban garden to learn life lessons and the importance of healthy eating.

Caudell gave a how-to lesson during the work shop and explained how help is available for people interested in starting an urban garden. For details about the League and what we do go to mml.org. For more information about our 112th Annual Convention running Sept. 21-24 in Dearborn go to convention.mml.org.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 734-669-6317 or mbach@mml.org.