County delegate heading to Livable Communities celebration
Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on September 11, 2015
Eleven years after being named one of “America’s Most Livable Communities,” Marquette County is taking part in the Partners for Livable Communities’ 40th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., next week.
Former Mayor and retired U.S. Air Force Col. Stu Bradley will represent Marquette County at the event, to be held Tuesday at the Evermay Estate in the Georgetown suburb.
A nonprofit with a mission to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of low-to-moderate income communities, PLC has worked with more than 400 communities around the globe since its inception.
Bradley will be saluted as one of the dynamic leaders PLC has worked with throughout its journey, along with several representatives from places including San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Queensland, Australia.
“It makes me feel very good,” Bradley said. “Leadership really isn’t that difficult – it’s really grunt work.”
About 40 communities in total are slated to be at the event, which is aimed at recognizing select communities – both in the U.S. and abroad – where the organization has played a particularly important role in their upward mobility and economic success.
Bradley was an integral player in bringing PLC President Robert McNulty to Marquette County for a visit prior to receiving the original award in 2004. In 1999, he had seen McNulty speak of the importance of marketing, regional planning and arts and culture at a conference downstate, and thought Marquette would be a good fit for a potential partnership.
“I think we really impressed him,” Bradley said. “They get you believing in yourself, and that’s half the battle.”
After receiving the long sought after award, Bradley said he and his team created a marketing campaign that made a lasting impact on the community.
“We got the award, but then we used that and made ourselves even better,” Bradley said, using the recognition to further develop a place people want to live in.
A committee developed advertisements, public service announcements, promotional videos, banners, a website and distributed placemats to local restaurants highlighting different areas and activities within the county, he said.
Home to Northern Michigan University, top quality medical facilities, a picturesque downtown area and within close proximity to natural resources, Bradley said Marquette County – a place that often flies under the radar in terms of recognition – was a natural fit for the award.
“I think the award just really gave us a mindset that maybe we were better than a lot of other places,” he said.
Also scheduled to attend Tuesday’s event are U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing; U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls; and William K. Riley, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H. W. Bush.
