Hattiesburg, Mississippi – In mid-November, The National League of Cities (NLC) launched a 2024 Presidential Election Task Force at its annual City Summit Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The new effort is spearheaded by 17 city leaders from throughout the country, including Hattiesburg, Mississippi’s Mayor, Toby Barker.

The nonpartisan task force will advocate on behalf of cities, towns and villages to the presidential candidates and their teams throughout the election, the 2025 inauguration and the early months of the next administration. Members were invited to join the task force because of their commitment to advocating for local governments at the federal level and to ensure representation from a wide range of viewpoints, locations and community sizes.

“I am honored to serve on NLC’s Presidential Election Task Force. Cities and towns stand as the government closest to the people, and the issues faced by local communities need to be front and center during next year’s presidential election,” said Barker. “I hope this task force works to empower municipalities to grow voter participation, promote civility and elevate local concerns to a national audience.”

The 2024 Presidental Election Task Force has three key goals:

Ensure local government has a seat at the federal decision-making table;
Promote good governance and direct support to localities; and
Celebrate civil discourse and strong engagement in the democratic process.

The names of all appointed to the task force include:

CO-CHAIRS

Mayor-Elect David Sander, Rancho Cordova, CA President, National League of Cities
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge, LA First Vice President, National League of Cities

MEMBERS

Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, Anaheim, CA
Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities
Mayor Toby Barker, Hattiesburg, MS
Tom Belshe, Executive Director, League of Arizona Cities and Towns
Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo, Port St. Lucie, FL
Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, Houston, TX
Larry Hanson, Executive Director, Georgia Municipal Association
Councilmember Debbie Kring, Mission, KS
Mayor Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio, TX
Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Nashville, TN
Mayor Matt Pacifico, Altoona, PA
Mayor Aftab Pureval, Cincinnati, OH
Commissioner Christopher Shaw, Dayton, OH
Mayor Vince Williams, Union City, GA
Mayor Victoria Woodards, Tacoma, WA

Earlier this year, Barker was also appointed to the NLC’s Transportation and Infrastructure Services (TIS) federal advocacy committee, which helps develop federal policy positions on issues involving transportation, including planning, funding, safety and security of public transit, streets and highways, aviation, railroads and ports.