CHAIR'S MESSAGE

By Daniel J. Curtin, Jr.

At our Fall Section Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, in mid-October 2001, Section members attended a seminar discussion on the subject of "Gated Communities: Good or Bad?" The purpose of this program was to focus on the implications, issues, and challenges that face attorneys, planners, and local officials resulting from the gated community concept. A tour was conducted of the various gated communities in the area surrounding Savannah, Georgia. This seminar resulted in some very heated and excellent discussions on the pros and cons of such communities. Also, during the Fall Section Meeting, there was a roundtable discussion conducted by law professors who teach local government law at schools located in our state capitals. This was an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss what is happening at the law schools, and explore partnerships and possible joint programs or projects. Many excellent ideas were presented during this roundtable discussion.

We are now preparing for the Section's Spring Meeting, which will be held in the San Jose del Cabo/Cabo San Lucas area in Baja California, Mexico, at the Melia Cabo Real Resort on April 26-28, 2002. (See pages 4-5.) In addition to the annual discussion by the Land Use Committee on Hot Topics, there will be a full program on the subject of brownfields and environmental justice. This all-morning program is being jointly sponsored by the Land Use Committee, Environmental Law Committee, and the Public Finance Committee of the Section and it will also be co-sponsored by the Planning & Law Division of the American Planning Association. The recent spat of brownfields redevelopment has created a host of legal and ethical questions for real estate, environmental, transactional, and local government lawyers. This will be a great opportunity for attorneys to catch up on the latest on this important subject. In addition, there will be other topics that will be of interest to those who practice in state and local government law.

Also, keep on your calendar the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association to be held in Washington, D.C. The Section will meet at the Omni Shoreham on August 8 through August 11.

I am also pleased to announce that Iris Jones, city attorney of Prairie View, Texas, former city attorney of Austin, and the immediate past chair of the International Municipal Lawyers Association, has graciously accepted the position of co-chair of the Government Operations, Liability and Transportation Committee. She will assist fellow co-chair Bob Brown in the work of the Committee. Doris Lum, who is an attorney with the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, had been co-chair but wanted to take a sabbatical from Section activities for a period of time. The Section certainly appreciates Doris Lum's contributions to the work of the Section and looks forward to her active return in the very near future.

Again, I am looking forward to working with all of you and hearing from many of you during the upcoming year. Again, please feel free to contact any of the officers of the Section, Jackie Baker, our Section Administrator, or myself if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments.

Daniel J. Curtin, Jr., is Chair of the Section and practices law with McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enerson, LLP, in Walnut Creek, California.