The National League of Cities recently appointed two of Avondale’s councilmembers to their National Committees.
Councilmembers Veronica Malone and Gloria Solorio will serve one-year terms in various committees in the NLC.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” Malone said. “With the growth of Avondale and being able to be on a national level and being able to do policy at a federal level and bringing our issues to the table, as well as listening to similar challenges other cities are. So, I’m extremely blessed to be on the committee. I’m excited to be at the table.”
Malone and Solorio will serve on multiple committees for the 2023 NLC Council. They both will be serving on the Youth, Education and Families Committee, where Solorio is a co-chair of the council. Malone will be a member of the Community and Economic Development Federal Advocacy Committee.
Solorio will also be a part of the Transportation and Infrastructure Services Federal Advocacy Committee.
“I feel privileged to serve in these roles and look forward to working together with local leaders from around the country,” Solorio said.
Both serving on the Youth, Education and Families Committee, they will be able to inspire change in local leaders across the nation to work on beneficial policies to collaboration, networking and development of resources.
A contributing factor to both Malone and Solorio being appointed is the rapid growth of Avondale. With a population over 90,000 people, the council’s contribution has been a key factor throughout this period.
“With the growth that Avondale has had, projects that we have had come through the last six years that I’ve served on the city council, it’s been tremendous,” Malone said. “So, I think that I bring a lot of knowledge of how we’re growing and what we’re doing. And I want to be able to share those types of things of what we’ve done, to grow our city, and to have projects come and be a part of the city, but also want to share what other cities do so that we can make shows there.
“So, we’re ensuring that we’re speaking for the people and building a solid community for Avondale.”
This opportunity to show off what Avondale has been doing to be successful has Malone excited, as she has been spending nearly two decades advocating for the community of Avondale. This dedication to her hometown will now be on display for the nation to see, as some of the policies that she has been instrumental in implementing could be used across the country.
“It’s kind of exciting to know that all the advocacy and all the speaking for my city that I’ve been able to do all these years has got me all the way to the NLC,” Malone said. “You’re just gung-ho about getting stuff done in my community. I guess that experience will be fun and exciting.”
The feeling is mutual from the NLC to have Malone and Solorio supporting the cause to inspire positive change across the country.
“I am excited to have Councilmember Solorio and Councilmember Malone serve on these committees and look forward to working with them to ensure every city, town and village in this nation has the resources they need to thrive,” NLC President Victoria Woodards said.