CHAIR’s Message

By Terrence S. Welch

Terrence S. Welch is Chair of the Section and practices law with the Richardson, Texas office of Brown & Hofmeister, LLP.

Intense planning is underway for the Section’s Spring Meeting in Alaska from June 2 to June 5, 2005, at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage. (See pages 6–7.) Mark your calendars to attend—it will be both fun and educational!

Why are we meeting in Alaska and why should I attend, you ask? There are several good answers to these questions. First, quite honestly, most of us probably have never been to Alaska, but have always wanted to go. This is your opportunity—and for me and many others of you, it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit our forty-ninth state. Second, ABA statistics have shown that meetings held in Alaska routinely have high turnouts because Alaska is such an incredible travel destination. Even though I love Dallas, it is difficult to find a glacier anywhere around here in June! Third, we have streamlined our meeting schedule with the always popular “hot topics” presentations and business meetings on Thursday, June 2, an incredible array of CLE on Friday, June 3, a (hopefully) short Section Council meeting on Saturday morning, June 4, and an exciting half-day glacier cruise from Whittier, Alaska, also on Saturday, June 4. It is our desire to allow you time to explore Anchorage and we intentionally did not schedule any Sunday meetings since many people will either be returning home on early flights or pressing on to new destinations in Alaska to take full advantage of their time in those northern climes. Regardless of your reasons for coming to Alaska, I will guarantee that you will have an unforgettable time in Anchorage with some of the nicest people you could ever meet!

One of the principal advantages to Section membership is your ability to learn from leading professionals in this very unique area of the law. We strive to keep you up to date on cutting edge issues in local government law and I hope you will avail yourself of these resources: State & Local Law News, the Section’s quarterly newsletter that provides you with articles of current interest; The Urban Lawyer, one of the most-cited law journals in the nation and a font of scholarly work on local government legal issues; and the most recent addition to Section undertakings, Government Law News, “a 60-second update on what’s happening” in local government law around the nation that is sent to your e-mail inbox once a month. If you have not yet gotten on the list for Government Law News, please contact the Section’s office in Chicago to sign up—it is a great way to be updated on current local government law topics in 60 seconds. And I’m not kidding about the 60 second part of that statement, either!

While the Spring Meeting in Anchorage may seem like a long way off, your Section officers meet and discuss business items frequently, most often through e-mail conferences and teleconferences. In addition, the Section Council will meet at the ABA’s Midyear Meeting in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 12, 2005. If you have any questions or concerns that you would like the Executive Committee or the Council to consider, please contact me to discuss. I will be happy to assist you in any way I can.

Thanks for being a part of the Section and come to the Spring Meeting in Anchorage in June. You will be glad you did. Mary Claire, Ben, and I wish you and your families a very happy holiday season as I look forward to my beloved Texas Longhorns moving up the college football rankings even further! Hook ‘em!