After an extensive application process and three-day competition in Anaheim, California, on Friday June 8, 2007 the National Civic League (NCL) has chosen the City of Hollywood, Florida as a 2007 All-America City .
"Receiving this award is especially meaningful because it cannot be won by city government action alone; it is earned by achieving a close, productive relationship among citizens and their government to build the best community possible," says Mara Giulianti, Mayor of Hollywood.
The NCL announced the award winners at a ceremony Friday night at the Anaheim Marriott. Hollywood City Commissioners Beam Furr (District 2) and Richard Blattner (District 4) along with Housing and Community Redevelopment Director Neal Herst accepted the award. "Everybody is used to that big sign in the hills from the other Hollywood, now Hollywood, Florida has an even better sign--the All America City sign," Commissioner Furr told the California crowd.
The City of Hollywood is one of 10 award-winning cities selected by a jury of business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders from across the country. The award came after three days of presentations in which Hollywood city leaders detailed how the city is addressing a wide range of social and economic issues, including early childhood education, affordable housing and community involvement.
Hollywood City Manager Cameron Benson says the award is a testament to the commitment to excellence of the City's 1,700 full and part-time employees. "It's exciting. This is the culmination of a city-wide master planning initiative we adopted in 2000 and shows the City is setting the standard when it comes to our economic development programs and housing initiatives," says Benson.
This kind of national recognition has earned previous winning cities significant economic gains. The award can help attract and retain businesses, strengthen grant applications and increase tourism. For instance:
- New Haven , Connecticut used the All-America City Award to help pull in about $100 million worth of new grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Tallahassee , Florida used the award to help keep SunBank from moving its headquarters out of the city.
- Lindsay , California added 1,475 jobs to its economy in the first five years following its All-America Award.
Now in its 58th year, the All-America City Awards recognizes exemplary community vision, collaborative problem solving and inclusiveness to meet local challenges. It is the nation's most prestigious and oldest civic recognition program.
