Story Created:
Jun 18, 2010 at 8:29 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Jul 2, 2010 at 2:21 PM PDT
LYNWOOD — The National Civic League honored the city of Lynwood as one of 10 All-America cities last Friday at its convention in Kansas City.
Three council members, including Mayor Maria Santillan, Mayor Pro Tem Aide Castro, and Councilman Jim Morton, led a delegation of 24 — which included City Manager Roger Haley, Administrative Analyst Daniel Baker, sheriff’s Capt. James Hellmold, and others — where delegations from 25 cities from across the country gathered to hear the league name its Top 10 winners.
Lynwood is one of two California cities to receive the honor; the second is Rancho Cordova. The two California cities join Chandler, Ariz.; North Miami, Fla.; Acworth, Ga.; Des Moines, Iowa; Salisbury, Md.; Gastonia, N.C.; Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and El Paso, Texas.
The oldest and most prestigious community recognition program in the nation, the 61-year-old All-America City Award program recognizes communities that come together to identify and take on challenges and accomplish results through dedication, inclusiveness and innovation. To win, communities have to demonstrate an ability to address serious challenges with innovative, grassroots strategies that promote civic engagement and cooperation between the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
City officials submitted an application for the competition in February to showcase the city’s advanced surveillance camera program, its brush with kindness program — in which it partners with Habitat for Humanity — and its Lynwood Youth Sports Association program.
Lynwood was the seventh city to be announced at the ceremony.
While most of the cities were being announced with praise for their youth programs, upon announcing the seventh winner, in which the word innovative was used by one of the judges, Santillan said she knew right away Lynwood was next.
“This is a very big deal,” said Santillan in a quick telephone call to The Wave Friday. “We won! This is going to bring a lot of good things to our city.”
Later, Santillan said that the judges recognized Lynwood moving the city forward, but that the city’s efforts in making public safety its number one priority stood out above everything else.
The city, which covers 4.9 square miles with approximately 90,000 residents, has had no homicides in 2010, compared to 24 homicides in 2005.
Santillan said the city has come a long way and that the surveillance camera program has a lot to do with the improvements, along with an aggressive plan to attack violent crime between the Sheriff’s Department, the city and residents.
Those efforts have resulted in the lowest number of homicides in the city since 1985.
“This highly coveted accolade initiates a renewed civic spirit and pride plus a significant local, state and national attention that is a proven boost for recruitment of industry, jobs and investments to communities,” Haley said. “I challenged my team to bring this national recognition to our community and they met the challenge.”
Lynwood last received the designation in 1961. In 1991, Lynwood was one of 27 finalists, but didn’t make the final cut.
“This city has gone through challenging, difficult times,” Santillan said. “This recognition isn’t just for the City Council or the delegation that came out here. … This recognition is for the residents, for the Sheriff’s Department, for the city’s staff, for the children, for the teachers, the credit goes to everyone in the city for uniting, because one person cannot change the image of a community. It really does take a village.”
Residents can look forward to an All-America City celebration at a special City Council meeting on July 1.
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