Joseph Maestas has been elected to head the National League of Cities (NLC) Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) constituency group for 2006. Maestas is a councilman from Española , New Mexico, and will serve a one-year term as president of HELO. In addition, Maestas was elected as the next president of the New Mexico Municipal League and recently served on the NLC Board of Directors from 2003-2005. Councilman Maestas will also represent HELO as its president on the National Association of Latino Elected Officials’ Board of Directors. Elected HELO first vice president is Carol Alvarado, mayor pro tem of Houston, Tx. “It is an honor for me to represent Hispanic and Latino interests for the National League of Cities and help shape national municipal policy as it relates to the Latino community across the country, ” said Maestas. “Across the U.S., there are growing numbers of Hispanics being elected to municipal government. HELO is a place for them to seek support and training, as well as outstanding opportunities to network with other Hispanic officials. ” See photos from this event. The HELO constituency group was established by NLC in 1976 to serve as a forum for communication and information exchange among Hispanic local government elected officials and NLC colleagues. In addition to providing training and information services to its members, HELO also provides guidance to the NLC Board and to its policy committees on major public policy issues affecting the Hispanic and Latino communities. Maestas is HELO’s representative to NLC’s Immigration Task Force, which is expected to examine the range of issues that might be considered in any immigration reform initiative this year. HELO was instrumental in the creation of this important task force on immigration reform. Also on HELO’s agenda is continued support for the Community Development Block Grant program, educational and financial support for Hispanic youth and families and voting rights issues. HELO will be convening its annual HELO Summit this summer in Santa Fe, NM. The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 18,000 U.S. cities, towns and villages, which collectively serve 225 million people.appel@nlc.org, or Latricia Good at 202-626-3051 or lgood@nlc.org. For more news and information about NLC and local government issues, visit www.nlc.org. For more information, contact Sherry Conway Appel, 202-626-3003. Source: http://www.nlc.org/Newsroom/Press_Room/7931.cfm |
