MMA Annual Meeting

This past weekend, I attended the Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA). The MMA is a nonpartisan association that provides advocacy, training, publications, research and other services to Massachusetts’s cities and towns. It serves as the voice for the Town of Winchester and other communities on public policy matters that impact our town government and community.

The meeting, held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Friday and Saturday, provided a great opportunity for all municipal officials (Mayors, Selectmen, Managers, Councilors and others) to focus on issues facing their local governments, network with each other and with state officials, and to learn about new products and services in the municipal marketplace. The highlight of this year’s Meeting was an address by our new Governor, Deval Patrick. The MMA Annual Meeting served as the first major address of our new Governor.

Governor Patrick actually commented on the Town of Winchester when he criticized the impact of years of disinvestment in local government by the Commonwealth. He cited the private Promise Fund that finances essential public education services as an example of this disinvestment. Governor Patrick has committed to restoring the state/local partnership through mutual respect, communication and joint problem solving.

For me, the MMA Annual Meeting provides a great opportunity for learning and to connect with colleagues.