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.

Chris Kolb, President of the Michigan Environmental Council, will speak at the Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference March 21, 2012 in Lansing.

LANSING, Michigan - Since taking office in January of 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder has made sweeping changes designed to revitalize and re-energize Michigan’s economy. But how is Lansing doing on that vast landscape of legislation involving energy and the environment? Join the conversation with some of the state’s top experts, including Michigan Environmental Council President Chris Kolb and Valerie Brader, Senior Policy Advisor for the Executive Office of Rick Snyder.

The session, called "Eye on the Environment: How Green is Our Government?" will take place Wednesday morning (March 21, 2012) during the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Capital Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing. Also on the panel will be Jamie Clover Adams, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Department of Environmental Quality and session moderator will be Midland utilities director Noel Bush. Go here for details on other speakers planned for Capital Conference, go here to view the full agenda and go here to register.

Read additional posts about the 2012 Capital Conference here:
- Peter Anastor to Talk Brownfield Tax Credits at Michigan Municipal League Conference
- Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to Discuss Personal Property Tax at Capital Conference
- Michigan Municipal League Launches Mobile App for Capital Conference
- Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett to Discuss Placemaking at Capital Conference
- Energy, Environment, Transportation Policy: What's Ahead? Find out at Capital Conference
- Capital Conference General Session To Have Transportation Focus

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

Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to speak at Michigan Municipal League Capital Conference March 20 in Lansing.

LANSING, Michigan - Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley has taken the lead on the effort to reform the Michigan's personal property tax (PPT) and soon he'll be stating his case to municipal leaders whose communities could lose a lot if the PPT is cut without a guaranteed replacement.

Calley is the kick-off, keynote speaker for the Michigan Municipal League's 2012 Capital Conference taking place March 20-21 in Lansing. Calley is scheduled to speak 2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20. The Michigan Municipal League and its members have maintained that repealing the personal property tax without replacing the revenues through a constitutional guarantee would be financially devastating to local governments across the state.

About Brian Calley: Before being elected to this position, Calley served two terms in the Michigan Legislature as a state representative. In that role, Calley served as minority vice chair of the House Tax Policy Committee where he worked with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Calley is committed to continuing this spirit of bipartisanship to bring an end to the bitter fighting and divisiveness that has held Michigan back for so long. Prior to his time as a state lawmaker, Calley worked 10 years as a community banker and small business lender. He was also elected to the Ionia County Board of Commissioners, serving from 2003 to 2006 as the vice chairman for all four years of his tenure there. Calley graduated from Michigan State University in 1998 with a B.A. in business administration and received his MBA from Grand Valley State University in 2000.

Read additional posts about the 2012 Capital Conference here:
- Michigan Municipal League Launches Mobile App for Capital Conference
- Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett to Discuss Placemaking at Capital Conference
- Energy, Environment, Transportation Policy: What's Ahead? Find out at Capital Conference
- Capital Conference General Session To Have Transportation Focus

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

The Michigan Municipal League's Capital Conference is going mobile. Starting now, League members and others can get all Capital Conference related information from their smart phones and tablets for their Android and Apple devices. To get the Capital Conference app for your device, simply go to the Android Marketplace or Apple App Store and search for "Michigan Municipal League".

The apps are free and contain everything you'll need to know about the 2012 Capital Conference taking place March 20-21 in Lansing. By using this app for Capital Conference, you can view the full agenda of sessions, photos from the event, blogs written by League staff about the Conference, a map of the Lansing Center where the conference is occurring, a list of vendors participating in the annual expo, and much more. The apps even have a map of the expo hall showing where particular vendors will be set up.

The mobile apps for Capital Conference are part of a larger mobile application initiative by the League. We've also launched in the Android marketplace apps for "The One Clear Voice", "Economics of Place" and "Let's Save Michigan". These apps push our blogs and social networking feeds directly to users' mobile devices.

Through its Center for 21st Century Communities, the League has identified eight assets for making vibrant communities and restoring Michigan to prosperity. One of those assets is messaging and technology and this endeavor into mobile applications feeds into that asset, said Rob Ferrari, director of digital strategies for the League.

"The League has put an emphasis on creating technology solutions that will deliver up-to-date information to our members anytime, anywhere," Ferrari said. "We realize that smartphones and tablets are becoming more prevalent with our members and the public, and these platforms provide the League another opportunity to deliver information to our members where and when they want it."

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

Oklahoma City has a canal through a part of the city to promote placemaking. Hear Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett speak during the League's annual Capital Conference March 21, 2012, in Lansing, Michigan.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has been at the forefront of the Oklahoma City renaissance. This revitalization has centered around "placemaking," which is a concept thoroughly advocated by the Michigan Municipal League. Cornett will be a guest speaker March 21 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."

For details about his talk during the League's Capital Conference go here. To register go here (early bird rate ends Feb. 23). View additional speakers here. To get a glimpse of what Cornett will say during the League's Capital Conference listen here to a recent National Public Radio with Cornett about the placemaking effort in Oklahoma City.

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