Councilmember Luna named President of National League of Cities’ Hispanic Elected Local Officials

December 17, 2019 at 9:23 am

District 5 Councilmember David Luna has been named as Chair of the National League of Cities' (NLC) Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) constituency group for 2020. Luna, who has been a member of HELO since 2014, served as First Vice President of the committee in 2019. Luna officially took over as President during NLC's City Summit conference in San Antonio in November.

HELO is a network and caucus within NLC that represents the interests of Hispanic and Latino local elected officials. Created in 1976, the caucus is a space for members to make meaningful connections with fellow Latino local officials, share best practices and advocate for policies that benefit their communities.

"It is an honor to be elected as the President of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials and represent the City of Mesa on this national platform," Councilmember Luna said. "I pledge to work hard to bring together Hispanics from across the country to support efforts that benefit cities, towns and villages."

HELO also serves as a tool for education and learning. Members meet three times annually to develop policy positions, hold discussion panels on hot topics and to dive into issues that affect the Latino community and affect them as local leaders.

Councilmember Luna has been very active in NLC since taking office in 2013. At City Summit, he was re-appointed for a second two-year term on the NLC Board of Directors and previously served as the Chair of the Information Technology and Communications Committee.

The National League of Cities is the nation's largest and most prestigious organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, town and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. The City of Mesa joined NLC in 1966.