58 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW

News of the League February

All-America Cities 1982-1 983: The 34th Competition Opens

The All-America Cities Citizen Participa- tion Award Program, the aim of which is to provide a vehicle for citizens to help assess the progress of community improvement ac- tivities and to recognize padicularly signili- cant efforts, will open on March 15 for 1982- 1983. It is the 34th annual competition.

Individual announcements will not be mailed to League members. Therefore, the rules for eligibility are listed here and entry forms may be obtained by writing to the All-Amenca Cit- ies Program, at the National Municipal League. Completed entries must be post- marked by June 1.

Rules for Eligibility:

1. A community must show major civic achievement of benefit to it as a whole.

2. I t must give evidence that these achievements resulted from effectively rep- resentative "citizen action''-that is, the initi- ative and effort of a substantial number of citizens acting to improve the community.

3. The specific actions, whenever started, should be at least approaching successful conclusion this year. I f it is a continuous pro- gram in an area such as human or race re- lations, evidence of constructive results this year must be shown.

4. Any size community may enter. While the competition has in the past applied to cities, the term community can also apply to a large neighborhood in a big city, an urban county or an officially recognized region composed of two or more communities. Pop- ulation and resources are taken into account fully in the judging.

5. A city need not be a model community to win. Successful action, not perfection, is the criterion. However, the All-America City title is a symbol of effective citizenship, and a city may be disqualified because of sxist- ing critical problems unless progress is being made toward their solution. Such residual in- adequacies might exist in local government, municipal setvices, race relations, housing, schools, recreation, etc. 6. For a aty to qualify, an official entry must

be filed by one of its citizens, citizen groups or public officials.

Areas of Action

No two communities are alike in historical background, size, resources, geographic lo- cation or demographic makeup. To allow for these variables, the rules are not confined to set categories. They require only that partic- ipation be as representative as possible of all groups affected and that achievements be of major scope and significance, and of ben- efit to the whole community.

Winners are chosen from a group of final- ists selected by a screening committee. Fi- nalists' representatives present their stories to a jury composed of leaders of major busi- nesses, labor, civic and philanthropic orga- nizations, which makes the final selection of winners. The jury meets during the League's National Conference on Government.

The Conference will be held August 14- 17 at the Westin Hotel, Seattle.

After field verification of reported accom- plishments, the official announcement of winners will be made in January.

Carl H. Pforzheimer, Jr., opened the National Conference on Government special forum on reform of the federal system. Chairman Alan Campbell; speakers William Hudnut, Richard Williamson and David Durenberger; and respondents Charles Lieberth, Richard Caliguiri and Robert Edgar, spoke to a capacity crowd which spent the afternoon discussing the issues in small groups. Below, Williamson, Durenberger, Hudnut.

Neal Peirce summarized and analyzed the conclusions of the Saturday forum, followed by Daniel Elazar and James L. Hetland, Jr., who outlined what they see as the keys to reform. The opening session on issues of federalism was chaired by Robert Merriam and addressed by Arthur Naftalin, Tom Moody, William Colman and Donna E. Shalala. League Regional Vice President Richard Peake presided at the luncheon. which was addressed by political consultant !? Clifton White (left) and ICMA President Walter Scheiber.

George Gallup presented nominations for officers to the annual meeting of the members and council of the League at the National Conference on Government. Below, officers and Council chart NML course for 1982.

A special set of sessions was held on reapportionmentiredistricting at the Conference. A panel discussion on "criteria" was chaired by Richard Lehne (Rutgers), with Marcy Stephens (Common Cause), Howard Neighbor (U. Texas, El Paso), David Wells (ILGWU, New York), and Harry Basehart (Salisbury State College, Maryland) This was followed by a "how to" workshop-how to district a county in Illinois in this case-conducted by Kirnball Brace (Election Data Services). Doing the job here: (left) NML Counsel Frank Grad, Regional Vice President Jeanne Richrnan, Howard Neighbor and Staff Associate Page Bigelow; (right) 1981 Pforzheimer Intern Ronald Sann. and Ginny Montes from Southern Regional Council; (left) NML Council Member David Wells and calculator; (right) Harry Basehart and Phyllis Wells. Regrettably, since he was standing while everyone else sat, we could not "fit" Kim into this space. We hope he will understand.