College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn was selected Saturday to serve a two-year term on the National League of Cities’ Board of Directors.
The National League of Cities is a nonprofit organization composed of city leaders from 49 state municipal leagues, which are organizations often representing multiple cities across a state, according to the NLC website.
The group provides resources for the betterment of more than 19,000 cities, towns and villages, according to the website. College Park and surrounding areas such as Greenbelt, Rockville and Gaithersburg are among the benefiting cities, Wojahn said.
The organization also “advocates for the interest of cities on the federal level and in Congress,” Wojahn said.
After attending a conference in Pittsburgh from Nov. 16 to Nov. 19, Wojahn was chosen from more than 30 applicants for one of the 15 positions on the organization’s board.
“[The conferences are] a great opportunity to learn from what other cities have tried out,” Wojahn said. “They also provide opportunities for networking and to learn best practices from other municipalities.”
Wojahn said he formerly served a year as the organization’s Transportation Infrastructure Services Committee chair starting in November 2015.
This committee tracks federal policies regarding transportation and infrastructure and helps determine the NLC’s agenda for transportation and infrastructure, Wojahn said.
Wojahn’s new title with the NLC remains as at-large board member, as he will most likely be appointed to a legislative committee, he said.
This organization provides many opportunities College Park can take advantage of, Wojahn said. For example, the NLC has a cooperative purchasing program where cities can receive discounted services from different vendors, he said.
This city also participates in the organization’s prescription drug program, Wojahn said, which provides discounts on prescription drugs from local pharmacies.
