For immediate release: February 12, 2008
For further information, Contact –
Leon A. Gaumond Jr., Town Administrator at 508-835-3490
WEST BOYLSTON OFFICIALS GATHER AT ANNUAL MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE
West Boylston officials joined more than 1,000 local officials from across the state at the Massachusetts Municipal Association's 2008 Annual Meeting and Trade Show, held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and the Hynes Convention Center. Those attending from West Boylston included Selectmen Kevin McCormick, Allen Phillips, Christopher Rucho and Town Administrator Leon A. Gaumond Jr.
The West Boylston delegation joined selectmen, mayors, managers, councillors and finance committee members during the two-day meeting where participants attended special sessions and workshops on important local concerns. The workshops were designed to provide the latest information on issues such as collective bargaining strategies for health insurance, ethics, human resources and a variety of other major topics of interest to municipalities.
The MMA program included remarks by Gov. Deval Patrick, Senator John Kerry, and Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston.
"This year's Annual Meeting theme, ‘Standing Up For Strong Communities,’ was chosen because cities and towns are vitally important to our prosperity and economic future," said Geoffrey C. Beckwith, MMA executive director. "By participating in this important event, local officials have shown their commitment to effective public service. We applaud their dedication and hope the conference will help them as they provide leadership in communities across Massachusetts," Beckwith concluded.
The meeting also featured over 220 exhibitors at its trade show, offering the latest, state-of-the-art products and services to municipalities. The MMA Annual Meeting is the single largest statewide gathering of local officials each year. It provides city and town leaders with an opportunity to meet with colleagues from different areas of the commonwealth to share innovations and insights in managing municipalities, and to set a common agenda for the year which strengthens local government in Massachusetts.
“I know that the Selectmen and I benefited greatly from the interaction with our collegues from other cities and towns in the Commonwealth,” said Town Administrator Leon Gaumond. “I hope to implement many of the strategies that were discussed at the seminars and to bring some new ideas to West Boylston.”
The MMA is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of cities and towns that provides its member communities with a broad range of services, including lobbying and advocacy, training and education, publications, policy research, insurance programs and management assistance.
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