Henderson is one of 20 municipalities nationwide vying for the All-American City Award, a competition that features both large cities and small towns taking place June 7-9 in Denver.
The award, “typically given to 10 communities each year, celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and regions that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges,” according to the website for the National Civic League, which organizes and hosts the event.
The National Civic League said the 2024 award will go to communities that are “finding innovative ways to equitably engage community members in activities that strengthen local democracy, like making it easier to vote, engage in community affairs, and serve in leadership roles.”
City Attorney Dawn Kelsey said the National Civic League wants a city to apply based on the merits of a specific project or initiative it put in place. The city’s entry involved the Inner City Improvement Plan, a 4-year plan with a dedicated $300,000 each year for East End projects.
Kelsey said she first learned of the possibility of entering after looking at the Kentucky League of Cities’ online publication, KLCDirectLine, in November. She read the parameters of the 2024 award and alerted the city commission and other officials, she said.
The application was due Feb. 13, and for that, Mayor Brad Staton wrote the in-depth application, which he said ran 8,000 words.
Now the city is busy gathering officials and community members to represent Henderson in Denver. The group will make a presentation and answer questions in front of a National Civic League panel.
Each of the 20 groups representing the cities will be allotted 20 minutes to make their pitches. For each, there will be two minutes for a video, 10 minutes for a live presentation and eight minutes to field questions from the panel, Staton said.
Kelsey said late last week that the city is deciding on which specific parts of the Inner City Improvement Plan that Henderson’s group will focus on.
Eighteen different projects were initially given approval for funding at the culmination of the plan’s initial year, so city officials have a bit of work to determine which specifically will be highlighted in their presentation. (See a companion story in today’s e-newsletter about where those projects currently stand.).
Community involvement is imperative if the Inner City Improvement Plan is to work. Last year, five different groups met throughout the year to discuss, decide on projects and plan implementation. Each of the five groups were tasked with coming up with projects based on a category assigned to them.
The categories were:
- Blight and affordable housing
- Beautification and special projects
- Economic development
- Infrastructure
- Public safety
In October, group members gave presentations to an audience at Jefferson Elementary School and after speeches, the audience voted on which projects it liked best. In December, Staton revealed the funding that would go to each of the vote-receiving projects.
The chance to be named an All-American City is a big deal for Henderson, something Staton said he never thought about for the city.
Only a handful of Kentucky cities have ever won the award, according to Theresa Richey, the senior legal secretary in the city attorney’s office.
“Only five Kentucky cities have ever won that award,” Richey said.
Louisville has won the award four times—1963, 1995, 2012 and 2022. Owensboro has won it twice, in 1952 and 2013. Additionally, Hopkinsville (1964), Danville (1968) and Pikeville (1965) have all been awarded.
This year, Henderson and Lexington will both be representing the Bluegrass State in Denver.
According to a release from the National Civic League, “This year’s 20 finalists were selected after a competitive review process based on the criteria of shared vision, civic engagement, inclusiveness and equity, collaboration, innovation, and impact. Each finalist submitted a robust application discussing the strengths of their civic capital and providing examples of three community-driven efforts that have adapted and transformed the community. A primary focus was placed on efforts to strengthen democracy through local action and innovation.”
In addition to Henderson and Lexington, other municipalities vying to be an All-American City include:
Boulder, Colo.
Danville, Va.
Edinburg, Tex.
High Point, N.C.
Jacksonville, N.C.
La Marque, Tex.
Lakewood, Colo.
Monroe County, Ind.
Monrovia, Calif.
New Orleans, La.
Newport News, Va.
Oakland, Calif.
Punta Gorda, Fla.
Roanoke, Va.
Saginaw, Tex.
Seattle, Wash.
Watkinsville, Ga.
Wilton Manors, Fla.