Black mayors stress teamwork for success

ALBANY, Ga. — The Georgia Conference of Black Mayors held their spring conference at the Hilton Garden Inn this weekend to discuss a teamwork approach toward their cities and the state.

Beginning with an overview Friday afternoon, black mayors from around the state convened for workshops speeches and education sessions. According to Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard the over-riding theme was cooperation for the sake of progress.

“This group is about working together,” Hubbard said. “It’s about sharing information, working together and sharing information that will allow us to work together. It’s about bringing everybody in and having everybody work together.”

Hubbard said the conference is also a great economic impact for city.

“All the hotel rooms have been taken for the weekend, and that is always wonderful,” Hubbard said.

The conference was highlighted Saturday with a speech by Shirley Sherrod, former Georgia state director of rural development, which carried the togetherness theme.

“Let me talk about geese,” Sherrod said. “When the lead goose gets too tired to lead, he drops back and lets another one take his place. Geese honk to encourage one another to keep up their speed. When a goose is wounded, two other geese follow him to the ground to watch over him.”

Sherrod also held a signing session of her book, “The Courage to Hope.”

General sessions planned for the conference included: Overview on the Affordable Care Act and a roundtable discussion on urban and rural cities.

Planned workshops included: Programs and Funding Sources for Rural and Urban Cities; Sustainable Solutions: How “Going Green” Can Save Your City Money, Time and Resources; Immigration & E-Verify and Law Enforcement Discussion. The black mayors conference is set to end today.