I went to the Virginia Municipal League (VML) conference a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never been to a VML conference before but I have been to others conferences and the quality varies wildly. I am happy to say that the VML conference was very well run and I learned a lot. Of particular note was a session on blight abatement and another on economic development.
However, most interesting to me was watching, listening and talking to other local electeds. We share the same problems as many other localities. Our challenges have a unique flavor to them but the themes share many common threads with others. After listening to where other localities are and what they are doing I think Manassas is in good shape.
Compared to many localities, Manassas has had an effective, visionary government for years and the fruits of those years of labor and investment are now providing the raw materials for the next phase of our redevelopment and sharpening focus for our City. The economy isn’t cooperating just now but when things do come around, we should be well positioned to move forward aggressively.