On June 11, the National Civic League recognized Richland County as one of the ten winners of the prestigious All American City award. It was a culmination of effort from a wide range of people in the Midlands and a deserving reward for a job well done.

The whole thing started deep inside Milton Pope's head. Pope is the interim county administrator and was looking for a way to advertise the wonderful things happening in Richland County. He figured more positive news about the Midlands would improve the social and economic situation here. Pope got research manager Joe Cronin involved, and the two found the All American City contest.

The National Civic League was organized in 1894 by several government reformers, including Theodore Roosevelt, Marshall Field, and Louis Brandeis. The NCL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to building community and promoting political reform at the local level.

In 1949, the League began recognizing communities of all sizes who made significant progress meeting their most important needs and achieving civic excellence. All types and shapes are eligible, from neighborhoods and small towns to large cities, counties, even regions of the country.

The All American City contest was designed to reward excellence and recognize civic abilities to solve community problems in an innovative and successful way. Past winners include Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Antonio. Smaller towns like Grand Rapids, Iowa; Edinburg, Texas; and Tupelo, Miss. have also taken home the title.

The application is intentionally demanding, requiring lots of teamwork and commitment just to complete. Nearly 600 communities downloaded the online application. Seventy of those participated in the NCL online briefings. Fifty communities committed to completing the process and 36 actually did.

Pope put together a talented taskforce from the Richland County staff, and solicited local business leaders to contribute both financially and personally. Especially instrumental in the team's success were Ike McLeese, president and CEO of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; Lee Bussell, chairman and CEO of Chernoff Newman; and Cathy Novinger of Novinger QTR.

The team assembled an impressive application, focusing on youth activities, education, poverty, affordable housing, and race relations. At the May 2 council meeting, Pope informed the council the Richland application had been successful, and the county was invited to Anaheim for the final competition, which includes a live presentation of each entry.

Pope asked the council to approve using $50,000 he had found in the budget to finance the effort. More than 30 employees and private citizens would make the trip to Anaheim. Many of the business people planned to pay their own expenses.

Mike Montgomery was the only council member to question the expense. True to his principles, Montgomery wanted to make sure the county was being responsible with the citizens' funds.

Veteran Bernice Scott summed the issue up best. The county should either commit to committing 100% or forget the whole thing. The council gave its approval and the entry was set.

Next Week: The Competition