On September 15, 2009, four ICMA members and staff held a 45-minute telephonic media session from the Palais des congres (Montreal convention center) to discuss how local governments are navigating the current fiscal crisis. The event attracted the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Capital News Service, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Central Pennsylvania Business, Salina Journal, American City and County Magazine, and the National Association of Credit Management.

Participants included Ron Carlee, county manager, Arlington County, Virginia, and newly-appointed executive in residence/director of Strategic Initiatives at ICMA; Scott Hancock, executive director, Maryland Municipal League, Annapolis, Maryland; Peggy Merriss, city manager, Decatur, Georgia and former ICMA president; and Elizabeth Kellar, deputy executive director, ICMA.  

Click on http://icma.org/documents/ICMA091509.mp3 to listen to the presentation.

During the media session, participants also referenced a new ICMA report, How It Plays in Peoria: The Impact of the Fiscal Crisis on Local Governments, which is based on preliminary information from ICMA's 2009 State of the Profession Survey and interviews with five jurisdictions.