'Cities helping cities': Morgantown to host WV Municipal League

Dominion Post

4 days ago

MORGANTOWN — Every three years, the opening days of August mark a municipal migration to Morgantown.
So it will be next week as the University City once again plays host to the West Virginia Municipal League Annual Conference.
This year marks the 56th yearly gathering of city leaders.
A crowd of 300 or so staff members and elected officials from more than 70 municipalities are anticipated for the four-day event to be held at Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place.
At its core, WVML Executive Director Susan Economou explained, the assembly serves as the nonprofit's business meeting.
For the participating cities, towns and villages, it's equal parts classroom, community forum and camaraderie.
'The main reason for it is to get information out to our members and to convene the people who have solutions for the problems cities are facing,' Economou said. 'We do different workshops that appeal to the different parts of a city. We'll do things that are helpful for human resources, and then we'll have a workshop on cybersecurity.'
This year, the 16 or so workshop topics range from parliamentary procedure to flood resiliency to recognizing substance abuse and addiction in the workplace to the requirements of Senate Bill 50.
Economou noted that 170 of West Virginia's 230 or so municipalities have fewer than 2,000 residents.
A central goal of the conference is not only getting those smaller towns and villages in touch with resources that can help supplement limited staffing and resources, but getting them in touch with one another.
'There is always such a strong element of cities helping cities, because, you know, you get elected in a small town and a lot of times you don't know what you don't know. But when you get together with a number of other mayors, you find a lot of cities are having the same issues – maybe on a different scale – but they come and learn what's working here or what didn't work over there. Everybody can find resources and support in that forum.'
Granville Mayor Patty Lewis, who was selected WVML's Mayor of the Year at the 2024 conference in Huntington, said she believes both the municipal league and the annual conference have been tremendous assets for Granville.
'I just think knowledge is everything. If you're running a municipality or if you're an elected official, it's your responsibility to stay on top of everything that's going on in your state that's going to affect your city and your residents,' she said. 'It's always such an advantage to have the opportunity to sit down and compare notes. It's about sharing information and gaining information.'
While the WVML largely sets the agenda, Morgantown will feature prominently as the host city – both in the formal presentations and the more recreational offerings.
For example, Morgantown GIS Analyst Marvin Davis will lead a workshop on how the city integrates geo-enabled applications into its internal and public-facing products and processes. Morgantown Mayor Danielle Trumble will help open the conference with remarks Tuesday morning. She'll also lead a tour of Hazel's House of Hope.
'That is still something we get a lot of questions about and the Municipal League gets a lot of questions about,' Trumble said. 'We'll be doing that Wednesday. We only have an hour or so, so we're going to tour Grace Shelter and we're going to see Lauren's Wish. We'll tour the dayroom and the Salvation Army's Hope Cafe and show how having these types of agencies and services available in one location benefits the community and the clients of those agencies.'
The conference will open Monday with the WVML John DeStefano Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament, followed that evening by a host event highlighting Morgantown food, brews and entertainment at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater.
West Virginia radio legend Hoppy Kercheval will provide the event's keynote address on Tuesday afternoon.
'Having everyone here in Morgantown is a real boost to the area. We get to show off Morgantown and show other communities what we're doing well and where we're struggling. Chances are, there are others who are having the same issues and maybe they can show us how they addressed some of those things,' Trumble said. 'I love bringing new people in and showing off the city.'