Maryland Municipal League to Host 2016 Convention

Ocean City, Md. (May 2, 2016) — Municipal leaders from cities and towns throughout the state of Maryland will gather at the Ocean City Convention Center between June 26 and June 29 for the 2016 Maryland Municipal League Convention, an annual event that attracts more than 1,000 attendees, including mayors and other elected officials, municipal government leaders, statewide leaders, and business representatives.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with key state officials at the Governor’s Cabinet Secretaries Roundtable and visit commercial and state agency displays in MML’s exhibit hall, which includes more than 200 exhibits. Exhibitors display a wide array of products and services including wireless technology, engineers, GIS systems, financial services, insurance, lighting, ordinance codification, recreation and parks equipment, water and wastewater supplies and consultants, and public works equipment and vehicles.

“The annual MML Convention is a highlight each year for city and town leaders from all around our great state of Maryland and this year’s theme Rise, based on MML President Spencer Schlosnagle’s announced year-long theme of “Rise to the Challenge,” will be no exception,” said Scott Hancock, executive director of MML. “In addition to a phenomenal expo, we’ll have an array of noteworthy speakers and educational workshops on a wide range of topics that are of critical importance to today’s municipal leaders. The convention provides a unique opportunity for these local leaders to build alliances with and learn from colleagues who know what it means to walk in their shoes, as servants of their communities.”

Highlights of this year’s convention will include:

· Keynote presenter Jason Roberts, Arts Activist and Organizer of “Better Block Project”

Jason Roberts is the organizer of the highly successful “Better Block Project,” a community-driven temporary takeover of blighted blocks. The one-time phenomenon in Southern Dallas has since grown into an international movement. In 2010, Jason organized a series of “Better Block” projects, taking depressed blocks with vacant properties and converting them into temporary walkable districts with pop-up businesses, bike lanes, café seating and landscaping. The project was featured in the New York Times, Dwell Magazine, and on National Public Radio (NPR).

· MML Convention Dinner

The Maryland-themed dinner ceremony will include the presentation of a variety of MML awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Municipal Officials Hall of Fame induction. Governor Larry Hogan is invited to address convention attendees at the annual dinner.

· Dozens of classes and workshops including:

o Cybersecurity

o Strategies for Downtown Revitalization

o Intergovernmental Collaboration

o Multiple sessions specifically designed for Maryland’s small towns

o The Next Big Things in Municipal Government

The annual gathering is made possible, in part, thanks to the support of MML’s Convention Sponsors: Local Government Insurance Trust; BGE; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD); Chesapeake Employers Insurance; CivicPlus; Nissan North America; Potomac Edison; FirstEnergy;

City of Frederick; Council Baradel; and Washington Gas

For more information, including a complete agenda, registration details and convention sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.mdmunicipal.org.

About The Maryland Municipal League:

Located at the Phipps Municipal Center in the state capital of Annapolis, The Maryland Municipal League (MML) was founded in 1936 and represents more than 157 municipal governments and two special taxing districts throughout the state of Maryland. A voluntary, non-profit, nonpartisan association controlled and maintained by city and town governments, MML works to strengthen and support municipal government through advocacy and the development of effective leadership. Through its membership in the National League of Cities MML offers legislative representation in Washington, urban research programs, and a national municipal government information exchange. MML is the only statewide organization in Maryland composed solely of municipal officials and devoted to the promotion of all branches of municipal administration.