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CHAIR’s Message
Patricia E. Salkin is Chair of the Section and the director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School in Albany, New York.
It seems like we just completed a very successful Spring Meeting in New Orleans, so it's hard to believe that the ABA Annual Meeting is just around the corner. The Annual Meeting marks the conclusion of my term as Section Chair and serves as the transition meeting to new leadership on the Executive Committee and among Officers and members of Council. The Section is fortunate to be rich with outstanding volunteer leadership and next year promises to be spectacular under the leadership of Chair-Elect Terry Welch. In Atlanta, please join us for our business meetings and volunteer to get involved next year. Our Atlanta educational programming continues the Section tradition of sponsoring the popular "Freilich Report," in which Section member Professor Robert Freilich walks attendees through recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting state and local government practice. Ernie Abbott, chair of our Homeland Security Committee, has worked with other sections on a wonderful program to provide practical advice on current homeland security issues for practitioners, and Tom Pelham, chair of the Land Use Committee, has organized an outstanding program on transportation and metropolitan development. Another highlight of the Annual Meeting is our annual Jefferson Fordham Awards Luncheon. Please add this to your Atlanta itinerary-you will be very glad you did.
This being my last official column as Chair, I want to thank, on behalf of the entire Section, our dedicated active members who are working, often behind the scenes, tirelessly to provide the outstanding benefits of membership that we all value in this Section. So please indulge me with the next (long) paragraph of thank yous, and please consider joining these colleagues next year by volunteering to take a more active role in the Section.
First, I owe a big debt of gratitude to my colleague at the Government Law Center, Justina Cintrón Perino, who at my request assumed the Herculean task of serving as committee coordinator. This is quite frankly one of the toughest jobs in the Section, and it is also the key to the success of our meetings, our CLE programming, and many of our publications. Justina learned from the best though, because Donna Pugh set a new standard when she served in this capacity. This year Donna took charge of the Section's publications program and breathed new life into our continuing efforts to develop innovative, cutting edge, practice-oriented books. Special thanks to Vice-Chair Tom Roberts, who answered the call to step up to the leadership plate at a very unexpected time. In addition to serving on the Executive Committee, Tom helped to design The Urban Lawyer Advisory Board model that was adopted to provide critical support to our nationally acclaimed law review. Professors Julie Cheslik and Rob Verchick from UMKC School of Law did a magnificent job assuming a leadership role in the day-to-day operations of The Urban Lawyer as founding editor-in-chief Robert Freilich moved to national editor status. The entire Executive Committee including Immediate Past Chair Mary Massaron Ross and Chair-Elect Terry Welch were incredibly helpful and supportive in dealing with challenging governance issues. Communications Director Ben Griffith, Secretary Ed Sullivan, and Budget Officer Patricia Lynch, among other things, took the time to keep the Section actively represented in the Section Officers Conference and provided wonderful advice and support throughout the year. Professor Dale Rubin kept the newsletter coming out on schedule and worked to recruit new authors and columnists. Richard Opper worked hard with members of the Executive Committee to redesign the manner in which our Section develops and delivers continuing legal education. Our Section delegates, Jim Baird and Sholem Friedman, were simply the best friends any Section Chair could ask for. They were there whenever needed, they offered sage advice, and they helped to guide and foster strategic thinking and planning that will serve this Section well into the future. Council member Karen Mathis, along with her Membership Committee, developed an aggressive yet realistic membership plan that provides this Section with an achievable multi-year roadmap to success. Thank you also to past chairs Anita Miller, Carol Dinkins, Dan Curtin, and Larry Ethridge who all answered calls to help the Section this year. Of course, the wonderful support and active involvement of all of our Council members and committee leaders made this year's programming one of the strongest and most diverse to date. Last, and certainly not least, volunteers are only as good as the staff who provide critical support and implementation of ideas and vision. Thank you does not seem enough to Jackie Baker, Alice Bare, and Rick Bright for all that they continue to do.
So, as my term comes to an end, it is all of the people and positions named who, working together, made the privilege of serving as your Chair a wonderful experience. Together, this team provided exciting programming and forward thinking stewardship for this Section, charting a great course for the future. For the many Section members who have not had time to take an active role in the Section, I highly recommend the investment of time. The friendships, networking, and learning that goes on within the State and Local Government Law Section is a special experience that I know I will always cherish. Thank you all for a productive and memorable year.