Local & State Headlines

Community focus of mayors' meeting

• Several of Georgia's mayors visit Albany for the annual Georgia State Conference of Black Mayors.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — The Georgia Conference of Black Mayors heard from several speakers on how to improve its communities during the conference’s first day in Albany Friday.

The mayors heard presentations on topics from strengthening family initiatives to building consensus, in the process learning how to, as one mayor put it, “help communities grow and (bridge) gaps.”

“The expansion of information is really what this is about,” said Kingsland Mayor Kenneth Smith.

Smith said “one of the key components” of the meetings were to provide mayors with information they could bring back to their cities and pass on to members of the community.

He pointed out one session on the housing market, presented by a Department of Urban Housing representative, that provided mayors with resources for housing assistance.

“Basically, so far today ... we’re dealing with the downturn of homes and the mortgage issue,” he said. “If (homeowners) don’t know where to go (for help), they can lose their homes.

“We can let them know where they can go for help. That’s valuable information we can take back to our constituents and communities.

About 20 people were on hand for a luncheon Friday during which State Rep. Winfred Dukes, D-Albany, presented information on the pros and cons of different construction project management systems.

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