Commissioner Lynum was elected 2009 president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) during the group's annual membership meeting at the National League of Cities' (NLC) Congress of Cities in Orlando on November 14, 2008. The Congress of Cities is the National League of Cities' annual conference for city leaders. It encourages city leaders to exchange best practices and new program ideas that provide economic opportunities, make available more affordable housing, ensure public safety, and allow more effective interaction with state and federal agencies.

Among the goals that Commissioner Lynum had last year as president was to expand NBC-LEO's membership and attract as many individuals and municipalities as possible in the NBC-LEO tent. Commissioner Lynum  increased membership power with more voting members who can, in turn, had an impact on the goals of the National League of Cities.

NBC-LEO's priorities for 2009 focused on issues related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in addition to issues related to the Pipeline from the Cradle to the Prison, infrastructure and workforce development, workforce development, second-chance opportunities, youth development and alternative energy programs.

NBC-LEO was created in 1970 to represent the interests of African American elected officials within NLC. NBC-LEO strives to increase African American participation on NLC steering and policy committees to ensure policy and program recommendations reflect African American concerns and benefit their communities.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more then 218 million Americans. To learn more about the National League of Cities, go to www.nlc.org.