National League of Cities roadshow stops in Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — One organization is touring coast-to-coast to showcase assets that make different cities unique.

The City of Jackson was an official stop on the National League of Cities Centennial Roadshow: 100 Years, 100 Cities.

Organized by NLC, the roadshow includes stops at 100 cities in every region of the country.

So far, Jackson makes the 79th stop for the league.

Senior Executive of Operations and Administrations, Antwanett Samuel, said that this allows the NLC to spotlight the diversity and transformation of America’s local communities.

“We provide best practices and resources for cities as they provide services and resources to their community,” Samuel said. “We’re there to support the elected official, whether it’s in development, whether it’s in sharing best practices, whether it’s in helping them with their advocacy efforts. But we are really there to serve the elected official and by that, we’re also serving the city itself.”

Samuel presented Mayor Scott Conger with a commission mural. There were also fun photo opportunities with Miss Volunteer America, Madison County Mayor A.J. Massey, as well as other NLC participants.

Each participant, including the mayor, were seen getting on the Jackson Transit Authority trolley bus.

Their first stop was The Lift Wellness Center, where workers guided them through the different departments like the therapy and aquatics area.

“We believe in cities, towns and villages,” Samuel said. “We believe in the energy and the economic development that they provide to our nation. And so our 100th anniversary celebration is in recognition of that.”

Participants also stopped by the new site of the senior activity center and the Kellanova plant.

Samuel, who’s originally from Baltimore, Maryland, said that she has learned so much from participating in the roadshow.

“One of the benefits of this roadshow project is that it does get the staff that are in Washington D.C. out to interact with our members, engage with our members and actually touch and feel the cities that we serve, so that has been very rewarding,” Samuel said. “I told the Mayor, ‘You have a beautiful city.’ We were driving in and we were looking. It’s so clean.”

The NLC will host its annual city summit conference this November in Tampa, Florida.

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