The 83rd Annual Conference of the Illinois Municipal League is now a memory. Hopefully it is a positive memory for the many of you who attended this year. In many ways this conference was the biggest and best ever. We had more attendees, more exhibitors and more programs for municipal officials than ever before.

The success of the conference is due to many people: the Conference Planning Committee co-chaired by Carbondale Mayor Neil Dillard and Wheeling Village President Sheila Shultz; outgoing IML President Greg Sparrow; the presiding officers; Sergeant-at-Arms David McDowell and his assistants; IML staff; and, of course, all of you who attended and participated in the conference.

Best wishes to our new leadership team. Frank Clinton, Mayor of Paris, is the new President of the League. Neil Dillard, Mayor of Carbondale, was elected First Vice President of the League. David McDowell, Mayor of Murphysboro, will again serve as Sergeant-at-Arms. The Illinois Municipal League is in very capable hands with these people at the helm. Conference highlights are found beginning on page 7.

I hope you enjoyed this year's conference and found it informative and entertaining. I also hope you learned a few things you could take back and use in your community. If you were not able to attend, I hope you can in 1997. For those of you who plan way ahead, next year's conference will be held September 11-14.

Unfunded mandates are still a top, though not the only, priority of the League. If you have not yet used any of the suggested ideas in the "State House Election 1996" guide - I urge you to do so as soon as possible. The general election is just around the corner. We need as many candidates as possible to be aware that unfunded mandates are one of the most onerous problems facing local government. Understanding and pledges by the candidates will provide a bedrock for changes in the next General Assembly with those candidates who are elected!

October 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5