Is Jim holding his conference in his home town? NO. Is he holding it in Harrison County? NO. Where's he holding it? Southern Lewis County!!
President Jim's theme for the year is "Inclusive Communities". Hey! How about "INCLUDING" your home County and City? Jim, have you ever heard of the Greater Clarksburg Convention and Visitor's Bureau? Use them! Why haven't they set this whole package up? Should we guess that you think it is not a good idea to show off the town that you have helped govern for over 20 years?
But here's Jim's clever idea. Flood the city streets with city equipment for an hour and half on Friday night. Bus the attendees into Clarksburg to look at equipment and then drive them back out to Stonewall Jackson.
Do you think they'll notice that we are all white people? What about the inclusiveness piece that Jim thinks will make him famous? Oops! The minority community of Harrison County is only about 2%. They are easy to include if you can find them. It is unclear if any will be bussed in Friday to serve as a backdrop to Jim's international self-made claim to fame.
posted by Gundovald at 7/16/2006 11:16:00 PM
6 Comments:
Well, Jim Hunt's not alone. I got word today that an out-of-state entrepreneur was inquiring about some of the buildings in downtown Clarksburg for a new venture. The guy said that Kathy Wagner was steering him to Charles Pointe and talking trash on Clarksburg. Chamber of Commerce? I am hoping that this is not true.
If this is true about Kathy Wagner sending someone to Charles Pointe maybe someone should call the City Mananger to let him know, to make sure this is not common parctice by our Chamber of Commerce.
Mr.Hunt, shame on you!!!!!!!!!!
From Jim Hunt,
I would certainly like to say that I applaud the technology that allows us to interact in a way that is both open and hopefully factual. I wanted to comment on some items that the author may not have been aware of when they posted the comment. I have been honored to have the opportunity to serve as President of the National League of Cities for 2006 and as I have stated on dozens of occasions, it is a tribute to the Citizens of Clarksburg and the State of West Virginia to serve in this position. I am in this position, not because of any personal attribute, but because of the hard work of hundreds of elected and appointed city officials from throughout West Virginia. As President of the National League of Cities, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the country to speak about our city, our county and our state. As many know, one of the challenges that West Virginia faces, is that many people don't even know we exist. I have been proud to carry the message of what a wonderful state we live in.
Far from being ashamed, I have hosted several meetings on a national level in Clarksburg and have insisted that they be held in Clarksburg. In the fall of 2004, we hosted the National League of Cities, "Fall Futures Forum" at the Clarksburg City Hall. This was the first time in the history of the National League of Cities that the meeting was ever held outside of Washington, DC. I also hosted the United States Army Reserve Ambassador's first annual planning conference at the Clarksburg City Hall. These meetings were smaller groups than the Board of Directors meeting and were held at our city building.
When I knew we would have an opportunity to host the Summer Board meeting of the National League of Cities in West Virginia, I made the first call to our own Greater Clarksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. Kathie Titus, the executive director, has been working tirelessly on this meeting for over a year. As most residents of our area know, we do not have a hotel in the downtown and the motels along I-79 do not have the size room and audio/visual capability to host a meeting the size of the NLC event. Fortunately, the Stonewall Resort was able to book this meeting and as the closest facility to Clarksburg, it was chosen over a year ago.
In working with our City Manager and staff, I had asked if we could display the work of the many talented staff and equipment that makes our city great. Due to a great deal of planning and coordination, our staff stepped up and planned what will be one of the nicest displays of "how a city works" that will be on display for our citizens and our guests from throughout the country. I would like to take credit for this wonderful event, but it is really the fine work of countless people who have made this a memorable event. In addition, we are going to have a dinner at the Harrison County Senior Citizens Center on Friday evening catered by Minard's. I think this will give our guests at taste of what we enjoy throughout the year. The best Italian Food in the country.
I also wanted to comment on the statement about the Inclusive Community Program that had it's start in Clarksburg. Contrary to the comment, "we are all white people". Although West Virginia is the most non-diverse state in the United States, we have a rich diversity that has made our community a vibrant place. I would invite anyone to visit the NLC website at www.nlc.org to see the components of the Inclusive Community Program. Inclusiveness is something that is not limited to race. Inclusiveness is reaching out to those less fortunate, less able and less tolerated in a community. Not too long ago, a deed for many houses in our city contained language that precluded many from owning a home in certain neighborhoods. I am pleased that we have moved beyond this overt form of racism, but I have learned from many in the minority community that intolerance has not ended. I have also attempted to move forward the idea of inclusiveness to include a broader definition, one that provides for equal access for the disabled and others who do not have a equal footing in our country.
Once again, I appreciate the opportunity to provide some factual clarification to the comments that were posted. As an elected official, you can never expect that everything that is said about you will be positive, but I respect the right to say it. I also enjoy the give and take of public comment. I have had a listed phone number my entire life and have maintained a website and blog to allow better access for our citizens. I guess Harry Truman had it right when he said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
I would invite Gundovald and all citizens of Clarksburg to participate in the events in Clarksburg on Thursday(the National Guard Band will be on the Plaza)and on Friday night (Downtown exhibit of City equipment) and Friday and Saturday in Glen Elk for the 1st Wine and Cheese Festival. Let's enjoy ourselves and show our visitors the "Jewel of the Hills" that we call home.
Maybe he should do this in his home town, drive downtown show them the boarded up buildings and take a trip and have a picnic along the beautiful shores of the West Fork River at River Bend Park
Thanks Jim for your reply. Hope your meeting is a success. As I've been known to take an occassional sip of wine, I accept your invitation. ...G
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