The conference allows municipal leaders to compare challenges and solutions and meet with representatives and federal agencies.
And, as Councilman Luke Waddell said, it’s a chance to get to know their fellow city officials.
“You know, we see each other once every other week, we get in and we do the business of the city. But this is actually the first opportunity we kind of all had to be together, and I think get to know each other a little bit more, which is, which is certainly a plus," Waddell said.
A top issue for Wilmington’s council member is funding for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement project. The project’s estimated cost has recently more than doubled, now ballparked at over a billion dollars — at the same time a previously awarded $242 million federal grant has been frozen. Waddell said he was optimistic about funding.
“I think that everyone understands that that's a really critical piece of infrastructure, not only to the City of Wilmington, but our entire region … advocating for that funding, that $242 million is one of my highest priorities. I think that one of the highest priorities for everyone on council here to advocate for," he said.
The conference also gives council members a chance to think and talk about upcoming, as councilwoman Salette Andrews explained.
“You're just engaging policy experts in that field who can give you heads up on a lot of different policy issues that are coming down the pike in the future — what we need to know about them and talk about what we have going on in Wilmington that we can advocate for at the national level," Andrews said.
It’s no secret that many federal agencies are currently in turmoil, as Elon Musk’s quasi-governmental DOGE has frozen grants, cancelled contracts, and tried to pressure large swaths of the federal workforce to resign.
Councilman Clifford Barnett said that made face-to-face meetings essential, to drive home the importance of federal assistance.
“Well, I'm very optimistic. I think that one of the things that's really important is being here, you know, where people can see our face, hear our struggles, hear our challenges. And I think that that's just so critical, especially in times where a lot of things are being rerouted or cut," he said.
Lobbying for support from Congress or federal agencies often means reaching across the aisle. Right now, that means local Democratic officials find themselves sitting down with Republican Trump appointee, or conservative officials like Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, and Congressman David Rouzer — and for that, they sometimes face some harsh criticism from supporters at home.
But, as Waddell noted, that shoe was on the other foot just recently.
“President Biden was here when he came to Wilmington last year; I was happy to be and honored to go see the President of the United States. We're all Americans, as cliche as that sounds…. You're always going to have some folks that, you know, they don't want to see any work across the aisle. But I think people find it refreshing in this political climate … to see folks that are solution oriented and and don't look at R or D as a inhibitor to get things done," he said.
Councilwoman Andrews agreed.
“A lot of the criticism comes from people who just really don't understand the nature of the job and if Democrats and Republicans did never talk to each other, we'd have no hope for getting anything done," she said.
While local politicians often promise to come back from delegation trips to DC with federal funding in hand, Wilmington’s council members, including Barnett, acknowledged it’s not so simple.
"It's a process, and it's not like the NCAA Tournament, where you participate, you come home with the trophy. It's not that. It's a long process, and you build relationships, and you work, you know, step by step by step, and so some things may be delayed, some things may be denied, but you're still hanging in there," he said.
Or, as Andrews said, “it's not like we're going to come home with the big check.”
They don’t plan to come home, empty handed, though. Waddell said he hopes the city can put together a one-pager that helps explain what city council members advocated for — and how they helped move the ball on policy issues while in DC.
