LANSING, Michigan - Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett told Michigan Municipal League members Wednesday how placemaking has helped his city reinvent itself. Cornett spoke at the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Capital Conference in Lansing.

With Mayor Cornett leading the way, Oklahoma City became a major league city with the arrival of the National Basketball Association. During his tenure, Oklahoma City’s economy has been one of the strongest in the nation. Standing for efficient government and responsible leadership, Mayor Cornett has worked to promote an inclusive and optimistic vision of Oklahoma City, fueled by bold ideas. Cornett's humble nature, intense work ethic and optimistic attitude have become emblematic of a city that, as Cornett says, "works hard and dreams big."

Cornett received applause from League members at several points in his highly-enthusiastic presentation. He explained how his city used a penny on the dollar sales tax approved by voters to make numerous improvements to the city, including redeveloping a river front, refurbishing and building new schools and tackling the obesity problem of the city's citizens.

To stay up to date on the latest news from Capital Conference, read the Capital Conference blog or go to the League’s website at mml.org. Want to be sure you know what's happening as it happens? Follow the Capital Conference Twitter feed by searching the hashtag #mmlconf. View photos from Capital Conference here on the League's flickr page. View press releases from the conference here. Read more about placemaking at mml.org and the blog by League CEO Ddan Gilmartin at economicsofplace.com.

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

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett speaks at 2012 Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference.

The Michigan Municipal League's Race for the Cup is under way! 

Seven Michigan communities have been selected as regional finalists and will now compete for the statewide Community Excellence Award in October.

During regional meetings at the Michigan Municipal League's Capital Conference Tuesday, March 20, more than 20 communities presented nominations of outstanding community projects and seven finalists were selected - Utica's riverwalk project from Region 1; Grandville's clean water plant from Region 3; Port Huron's parks and recreation collaborative system from Region 5; Bessemer's water distribution improvement partnership from Region 7; Baroda's gateway to wine country campaign from Region 2; Durand's streetscape and railroad image preservation project from Region 4 and Alpena's arts and culture partnership effort from Region 6.

Other regional nominees (aside from regions 3 and 7, which had one nominee each) Tuesday were:

Region 1: Eastpointe’s new “app” for smart phones to connect residents with important services, events and information; Brighton’s economic gardening initiative to grow the city’s downtown as a dining destination; Fenton’s place-making and branding campaign, “Fenton Be Closer”; Lathrup Village’s plan to increase walkability and a sense of place with its Complete Streets Master Plan, Non-Motorized Transportation Improvements Program and Complete Streets ordinance; and Grand Blanc’s “Tour de Grand Blanc” bike-able and walk-able downtown renovation projec

Region 2: The village of Jonesville’s “America in Bloom” public and private partnership between the village and C. Raker and Sons, Inc.; the city of Allegan’s Safe Routes to School program in collaboration with the Hillside Development Center to improve walkability in the community; and the city of Battle Creek’s downtown transformation initiative to recreate downtown as a business and entertainment center.

Region 4: Saginaw's annual performance management plan and “CityStat” program to use real-time data to solve problems and align activities and resources; and Ithaca’s county-wide wind energy initiative.

Region 5: Village of Lexington’s community volunteerism project.

Region 6: Rogers City’s Facebook page that was developed to communicate with the public and showcase the city at no cost; and Manistee’s “Ham It Up,” a campaign intended to promote healthy all-season activity through the reuse of a former industrial site for non-motorized recreation.

The winner of the statewide 2012 Community Excellence Award will be selected during the League's 2012 Convention, which is Oct. 3-5 on Mackinac Island. The Race for the Cup was started by the League in 2007 to recognize innovative solutions taking place in Michigan’s cities, villages and urban townships. Coming soon: view press releases from each CEA regional winner here. View photos of the CEA winners and other activities from Capital Conference here on the League's flickr page.

You can also read the press releases on the winners in the League Newsroom.

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

The seven 2012 regional CEA finalists.

LANSING, Michigan – Michigan Municipal League President Karen Majewski discussed League success stories and ongoing issues being faced by Michigan communities in her welcoming session presentation Tuesday during the League’s 2012 Capital Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing.

Majewski, mayor of Hamtramck, explained 2011 saw the successful passage of long-awaited reforms to Public Act 312 involving police and fire arbitration and changes to the Urban Cooperation Act and Municipal Partnership Act to ensure more efficient and effective process in sharing services.

“But storm clouds remain as we have a number of issues we continue to keep an close eye on, such as state transportation funding concerns and the new Economic Vitality Incentive Program (EVIP), formerly known as our statutory revenue sharing,” Majewski told the crowd of more than 400 municipal leaders from throughout the state. “Our most pressing issue currently revolves around the effort to reform the personal property tax.”

Majewski explained how the League is leading a coalition of organizations in a campaign called “Replace Don’t Erase”. The group is working to get guaranteed funding replacement should the personal property tax be eliminated. Cutting the tax without a guaranteed replacement would negatively impact the essential services Michigan citizens expects from their local governments, such as police and fire protection, road repair and snow removal.

Following Majewski on the stage was Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who also talked about the personal property tax issue. Calley was joined by Michigan Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, and the moderator of the session, League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin. The lawmakers explained the latest news on the issue.

Up next on Wednesday - the second of two days - in the conference are sessions about “Eye on the Environment: How Green is our Government”; “Bridging the Coverage Gap in the Media Landscape”; ”Legislative Ins and Outs”; “Media Officials Talk Politics” with Tim Skubick and “Transportation: Taking the Inside Track” featuring Sen. Tom Casperson.

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

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley at the 2012 Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference in Lansing.

LANSING, Michigan - The Michigan Municipal League's Capital Conference starts tomorrow (Tuesday, March 20) and our hundreds of attendees are in for a couple action-packed days.

To stay up to date on the latest news from Capital Conference, read the Capital Conference blog. Want to be sure you know what's happening as it happens? Follow the Capital Conference Twitter feed by searching the hashtag #mmlconf. Want to see photos from the event? We'll be posting them throughout the event on the League's flickr page.

Go here for the full agenda that covers everything from parks and recreation authories to green government to Lt. Gov. Brian Calley discussing the personal property tax issue.

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

Clare officials celebrate after winning the 2011 Community Excellence Award. This could be you in 2012!

Does your community have an innovative local success story, program, or project? Did this project have a positive impact on your community? Could another community adapt this project to meet a similar challenge? If you answered yes these questions then a statewide competition sponsored by the Michigan Municipal League is for you.

The Michigan Municipal League recognizes innovative solutions through the peer-nominated Community Excellence Award, a spirited competition we affectionately call “The Race for the Cup”. The race officially begins next week during the League's 2012 Capital Conference in Lansing. Last year we transitioned to a less formal five-minute "elevator pitch" style presentation for initial entries at the regional level. This makes the competition more accessible and easier for everyone to participate without a lot of time, expense, and expertise required.

The seven region finalists will go on to the final round at the League's Annual Convention Oct. 5-7 on Mackinac Island. That's where they’ll get to pull out all the stops for the kind of high-quality, entertaining production that's become such a highlight of the Annual Convention.

Remember, giving a five minute, “elevator pitch” style presentation at your Regional Roundtable event at Capital Conference on TUESDAY, March 20, 2012, is the ONLY way to enter! Go here to learn how the CEAs work. While you don't have to register to submit a CEA, we do prefer that you register in advance here.

Looking for inspiration? Click here to see slideshows and videos from past CEA presentations.

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