LANSING, Michigan - A Sustainable Communities Leadership Academy will take place June 7-8 at Michigan State University. The event is co-hosted by MSU Citizen Planner, School of Planning, Design and Construction and MSU Extension. The Michigan Municipal League also is a supporting partner in the event. Placemaking and Sustainable Community Planning have been hot topics for cities throughout Michigan. This workshop will provide in-depth information for the practical application of these concepts for municipalities throughout Michigan. For details and to register go here.

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

A message from the League's Chief Operations Officer:

The Michigan Municipal League has received numerous inquiries about the status of the League’s proposed natural gas purchasing program. We are pleased to report that we are continuing to make progress, and are targeting a summer 2012 launch of the program. At the present time we are assembling our consulting team, and will be seeking proposals from gas suppliers in the near future. Please watch our website (mml.org) for further updates as we will be seeking to collect additional information from members that are ready to participate in the program and save money on their energy purchases.

Anthony Minghine
Associate Executive Director & COO
Ph: 734-669-6360
www.mml.org

Posted by League communications director Matt Bach on behalf of Anthony Minghine.

Please Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

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 April 19. 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.

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.

"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."

Additionally, the ULI will bring buyers and sellers together for Deal Making opportunities where municipalities, schools and nonprofits can unveil their surplus properties and market to prospective investors at Deal Making tables.

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.

League President and Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski and Bizarre Foods America Host Andrew Zimmern.

DETROIT, Michigan - If you want to be inspired by the many great things taking place in Michigan you need look no further than the Feb. 20, 2012, episode of "Bizarre Foods America: Detroit" on the Travel Channel that included Michigan Municipal League President and Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski.

Yes, the show was about host Andrew Zimmern tasting all the unique foods found in the Detroit area - from smoked pig's head in Detroit to a pljeskavica burger in Hamtramck to a break-the-fast Ramadan family feast in Dearborn. But it also shined a bright light on the Detroit area discussing the diversity and rich cultural heritage in southeast Michigan. It even included a great segment on the Detroit Mower Gang, a group of people making a difference in Detroit by mowing and maintaining parks that the city can no longer afford to maintain. The group cooks up raccoon among other things for Zimmern.

Prominently featured in the episode was Majewski. Majewski and Zimmern visit several restaurants in Hamtramck trying out a variety of foods in the highly cultural diverse Hamtramck. Majewski said she spent five hours with Zimmern and took him to Srodek's Quality Sausage, Sheeba's (Yemeni), Amar Pizza (Bangladeshi), and Palma Restaurant (Bosnian). The Palma segment is viewable only online.

"We really appreciated being included in this show that featured Detroit-area restaurants, markets, and other food venues," Majewski said. "Clearly, a whole series could be focused on the Detroit area alone. Hamtramck is well known for its variety of great food options, and the city shone in all its diversity and vibrancy. Andrew Zimmern couldn't have been more gracious, and his crew more fun to work with, during the five hours it took to shoot what ended up being a 15-minute segment. We hope he'll come back for more great food, and we hope other visitors will take the cue and eat their way around the world right here in Hamtramck."

The full show does a great job highlighting some of the "placemaking" assets the Michigan Municipal League believes make up great 21st Century Communities, including multiculturalism and diversity; cultural economic development and civic engagement.

In case you missed the show, there are several video clips of it on the Travel Channel's website. Here are some video and other links related to the show:

- Bizarre Foods America: Detroit summary
- Top 5 Moments in Detroit (includes footage of League President and Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski)
- Detroit Mower Gang Contest
- Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy
- Bosnian Food in Detroit (includes footage of League President and Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski)
- Photos of Bizarre Foods visit in Detroit
- Detroit Free Press article about the episode

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