1,100 local officials attend MMA Annual Meeting

Nearly 1,100 local officials gathered for learning, networking and lively discussions about local priorities during the MMA’s 35th Annual Meeting & Trade Show in Boston on Jan. 24 and 25, setting new attendance records.

“Congratulations to our members, Board of Directors, and staff on an exciting and record-breaking annual meeting,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “We had more local officials and exhibitors than ever before, and everyone contributed to making this our best conference yet. We’ve started 2014 off on a powerful wave of momentum.”

The event kicked off Friday morning with House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who assured local officials that “the House will do better” on various local aid budget accounts, particularly Unrestricted General Government Aid, than the budget plan released by the governor two days earlier, which would level-fund most key local aid accounts.

Gov. Deval Patrick, meanwhile, addressed a packed room of local officials during a “State and Local Economic and Budget Outlook” workshop, where he thanked them for their partnership over the past seven years and urged them to push for reform of “other post-employment benefits” – primarily retiree health insurance and commonly known as OPEB – this legislative session.

Local officials also heard from historian, commentator and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Jon Meacham, Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley, and Liz Walker, a minister and former news anchor.

During the closing session on Jan. 25, WBZ Radio and TV political analyst Jon Keller moderated a special forum featuring all eight confirmed candidates for governor in 2014.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey also addressed MMA members, and new Boston Mayor Martin Walsh welcomed local officials to his city.

During the Friday dinner, State Auditor Suzanne Bump and Secretary of State William Galvin briefly addressed officials about the importance of partnership between state and local government.

Galvin, who hasn’t missed an MMA Annual Meeting since taking office in 1995, stressed the importance of local government and noted that it’s best when residents are actively engaged.

Bump discussed the priority of openness and accountability from her office and how it should be emphasized in all levels of government.

Personnel and economic development issues were the focus of many of the 21 Annual Meeting workshops. Other topics ranged from green infrastructure and flood insurance changes to veteran services and hoarding.

Attendees also participated in interactive discussions during three Emerging Issues Forums again this year. The timely topics included fiscal sustainability, healthy communities and technology.

This Annual Meeting was green for the fourth straight year. Constellation Energy supplied green energy-certified renewable energy certificates from wind energy facilities located throughout the country and matched 100 percent of all the electricity used during the conference.

The Trade Show featured 225 exhibitors, including an athletic facility design company, a public safety software company, educational institutions, and various green-energy and engineering companies.

New this year was the State 9-1-1 Department’s mobile public safety answering point truck. The 41-foot truck serves as a mobile call center if a local public safety answering point becomes disabled by a storm or other event.

Local and state officials at the Friday dinner also honored Joe Maselli of Wilmington, the winner of the MMA’s eighth annual sixth-grade student essay contest.

The Second City, a Chicago-based ensemble, entertained attendees at the Saturday evening banquet with their sketch and improvised comedy.

The MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show, the largest annual gathering of municipal officials in the state, also featured the business meetings of MMA member groups for mayors, selectmen, councillors and managers.

This year’s theme was “Building Our Communities, Building Our Future.”

Next year’s MMA Annual Meeting will be held Jan. 23-24, 2015, also at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel.