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State & Local News Vol. 23, No. 4, Summer 2000 Chair’s Message
By Sholem Friedman It seems as if I just wrote my first "Chair's Message" yesterday, but here I am working on my final column for the year, and what a busy and exciting year it has been. In keeping with Section tradition, at our recently completed Spring Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, we were able to combine strong substantive programs and activities with good old-fashioned fun. I was particularly pleased that Bob and Sandy Stein, the ABA's Executive Director and his wife, were able to join us. Not only did we have the opportunity to enjoy their company, but Bob actively participated in our Council Meeting and CLE programs. Bob offered many helpful suggestions and told us that he came away from the meeting with a better understanding of the issues that are important to the Section. I was also delighted that our minority outreach efforts to Hispanic attorneys resulted in our having the pleasure of Steven Gonzalez's company and insightful comments throughout the meeting. Steven is the immediate past chair of the State Bar of Arizona's Standing Committee on Minorities and Women, chair of the Section on Dispute Resolution's Diversity Committee and, I am pleased to report, the newest member of the Section of State and Local Government Law. We are continuing our aggressive campaign to increase even further participation by minority attorneys in our Section. Speaking of diversity, in the "President's Message" in the April issue of the ABA Journal, Bill Paul discussed the importance of recruiting more lawyers in government service to the ranks of the ABA. We vigorously support President Paul's efforts in this area and are gratified that the larger ABA recognizes the critical need to increase participation by public sector attorneys. As to the trio of high profile issues I have been writing about over the past year-"pay-to-play," smart growth, and our Takings Retreat Report-here is the latest. Now that the House of Delegates has passed the "pay-to-play" resolution supported by our Section, we seem to be experiencing a brief lull before the next storm-but rest assured there will be much more activity in this area over the next few years. We had an excellent CLE program on "smart growth" at our Spring Meeting and we have equally outstanding programs planned for both New York and London. The Takings Retreat Report, prepared by Council Member and Land Use Committee Chair Peter Buchsbaum following a "retreat" co-sponsored by our Section last June on the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, continued to be the subject of much discussion at our Spring Meeting. The Council did not take any position on the report but decided to try to include the report, along with responses to the report and other material on takings, in a Section publication entitled Perspectives on Takings. Tom Roberts is spearheading this effort with the able assistance of Peter Buchsbaum, Mary Massaron Ross, Patricia Salkin, and Larry Smith. These individuals are just a few of the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of working with. Thanks to all of you. A special thanks to our outstanding Section Director, Jackie Baker, who as every past Chair can attest, is really the glue that holds this Section together. While I still have the floor, I once again urge all of our members who have yet to actively participate in our Section's activities to make every effort to do so, either by joining one of our committees or attending one of our upcoming meetings or both. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact Lisa Allen at 312-988-5649, e-mail allenLI@staff.abanet.org, webpage www.abanet.org/statelocal/home.html. Well, it has been a great year and I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting in New York and London. Sholem Friedman is Chair of the Section and Chief, Real Estate and Environmental Law Division of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in New York, New York.
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