Michael Moore speaks at MLGMA Summer Workshop. View more photos on flickr.

Watch the video on Vimeo.

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan - Municipal leaders from throughout Michigan attended the annual Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) summer workshop in Traverse City recently.

The four-day workshop included education sessions on the economics of placemaking by Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin, a discussion on the value of farm markets and agribusiness, a presentation by Academy Award winner Michael Moore and numerous other topics.

Moore talked about his work in Traverse City in revitalizing the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City and starting up the Traverse City Film Festival.

Moore’s talk was centered around the importance of having vibrant downtowns, which is a philosophy shared by the Michigan Municipal League (economicsofplace.com and mml.org/placemaking). The League believes that placemaking is crucial to the Michigan’s economic turnaround.

The annual MLGMA summer conference is an opportunity to city managers, county executives, village managers and other municipal leaders to gather, network, share ideas and learn about the latest legislation, policies and techniques related to Michigan communities.

The group also took a tour of Traverse City including stops at the restored Traverse City Opera House, State Theatre and the Grand Traverse Commons multi-use development. Other sessions included a presentation about the League’s natural gas purchasing program; revitalization and brownfields; and a legislative update from the League’s Lansing staff.

For more about the Michigan Municipal League and what we do go to mml.org. For more about MLGMA go to http://www.mlgma.org/. View more photos from the MLGMA workshop on flickr.

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

SAGINAW, Michigan - The Michigan Municipal League has formed a new partnership with Saginaw Valley State University that will expand the educational opportunities for League members.

The partnership is between the League and the University's Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development's Michigan Certified Public Manager Program. The partnership is intended to provide League members with educational access to the national Certified Public Manager program. This is a nationally accredited program offered only through Saginaw Valley State. The primary goal of the Michigan Certified Public Manager program is to foster and encourage the highest possible levels of performance and ethical practice of public and non-profit sector leaders in order to effectively provide services and continuously improve the performance of state, local and federal government of the non-profit sector. Click here to read the press release.
For details about the program, contact Tanya at (989) 964-2030 and continuing-ed@svsu.edu or go to www.svsu.edu/cpm.

The Michigan Municipal League today (June 6, 2012) launched three new blogs about city operations, digital innovations and the importance of private and public investment in communities. These blogs are part of the League’s key mission to serve as the one clear voice for Michigan communities.

Read a news release about the blogs here. The League’s Anthony Minghine, associate executive director and chief operations officer; will write a regular blog called “City Ops” about the practical things that cities deal with on a daily basis. The League’s Rob Ferrari, director of digital strategies, will write the blog “inKNOWvate” about how messaging and technology can generate stronger community engagement, identity and support. The blog “Communities Count” by the League’s Arnold Weinfeld, director of strategic initiatives and federal affairs, will focus on why it’s vital to invest in Michigan’s communities.

While these three blogs are new, the League has been blogging for years, including a legislative blog called Inside 208, and a blog about the eight assets to creating vibrant communities, called 21c3 (Center for 21st Century Communities.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. Reach him at 734-669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan - Michigan Municipal League CEO & Executive Director Dan Gilmartin will give the keynote address during the 3rd Annual Public/Private/Partnership (P3) Conference in Grand Rapids May 31. The event, taking place at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids, is jointly sponsored by the Urban Land Institute of Michigan and the Michigan Municipal League. (Please note this event was originally scheduled to take place in April but has been rescheduled for May 31).

To register go here. This half-day event will begin at 8 a.m. with a breakfast and keynote address, and will continue through the morning with discussion panels, a case study, and the Metro Marketplace, where exhibitors from non-profit, development organizations, communities, and local governments can market their property listings, development plans, incentives, and services to developers and financiers, and the private sector can showcase their services to the public sector community.

The past two conferences in Rochester and Lansing have been overwhelming successes and attracted more than 450 of the state's leading real estate developers, investors, public officials, academics and professional service provider. Gilmartin will give the keynote address and discuss how to balance community wants with market realities. View the full agenda here.

"It's more important now than ever before that seemingly disparate groups find common ground to build communities that attract our young leaders to live, work, shop and play in Michigan."

Non-members of ULI can save $100 off membership when they register for this event at michigan.uli.org. For registration and sponsorship information, please contact ULI Coordinator, Shannon Sclafani at ssclafani@uli.org or (248) 807-1600. Click here for more details on registering for the event.

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