The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Please RSVP & Register for Delta Conference, May 5-6, 2011 at Clinton Center

Posted on January 06, 2011 at 03:05 PM

Please RSVP and register for the May 5-6, 2011 Delta Grassroots Caucus conference at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. We plan to have participation from Members of Congress, President Clinton, Gov. Mike Beebe, grassroots leaders from all eight states of the Greater Delta Region, Dean James “Skip” Rutherford of the Clinton School of Public Service, the leaders of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and other experts on Delta regional issues.

The opening session is Thursday evening, May 5, 2011, at the Clinton School of Public Service from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dean Rutherford of the Clinton School always does a great job as host of that session. Then we meet on Friday, May 6, 2011 at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library from 8:30 a.m. until about 3:45 p.m.

The deadlines for registration fees and to get the lower group hotel rate are April 27, 2011, Wednesday. Registration and group hotel information are below in this message.

Our goal is to urge national, regional and state officials to do much more for our economically distressed region from the Louisiana coast to southern Illinois and Missouri, and furthermore to disseminate information about best practices and good models for economic development in our region.

Among the key issues will be included support for the Delta Regional Authority with their excellent new leadership of Federal Cochairman Chris Masingill of Arkansas and Alternate Federal Cochairman Mike Marshall of Missouri; job creation and economic recovery for the recession; aid for small business as a major engine for job growth; the New Markets Tax Credit and other incentives for economic growth; expanded access to broadband, improved health care for the underserved Delta–including the Community Health House Network, improved educational opportunity, support for renewable energy, transportation improvements including I-69 and the entire Delta Development Highway System plan, Delta-related tourism efforts in blues, jazz, Civil War and civil rights movement history, natural resoucres tourism, opposition to FEMA’s ill-advised plan to redraw the flood plain maps in such a way as to inflict unfair increases in flood insurance costs across the Delta, and a range of rural development initiatives including rural housing, rural small business, rural utilities and infrastructure.

REGISTRATION: You register by sending in the registration fee. For the early registration fee, please make out the $100 check to “Delta Grassroots Caucus” and send it in by close of business by Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Please send the $100 early registration fee to:

Delta Grassroots Caucus

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

For registrations that are sent in late and miss the deadline of April 27, the early registration fee of $100 goes up to the late registration fee of $150. We have to create a major incentive for people to send in registration fees early, because it has caused us serious problems in the past, and the tendency for people to wait to the last minute to register has gotten worse instead of better.

The late registration causes us problems in many ways. First of all we have to know how much food and beverages to buy for the opening session reception at the Clinton School and then the luncheon at the Clinton Library the next day. The rental fees for the Clinton Library’s Great Hall on Friday, May 6, is determined by how many people are there. In the past we have had many people tell us that they plan to come but not show up, causing us to buy food and a larger rental fee for people who are not there.

Some of our other costs, such as for the technicians who handle the equipment and logistics needed, are increasing.

We are giving four months notice about the late registration fee of $150 and the early registration fee deadline of April 27, 2011. Please help us with our planning and avoid unnecessary expenditure for both you and the Delta Caucus by registering on time. The early registration period goes up to a week before the conference.

The main exception to the registration fees are people who work in the central Arkansas area and can get off work to come for a couple of hours, but cannot come for the entire two days. In that case we will pro-rate it based on how long you will be there and based on whether you will be having lunch or the reception with us. It would not be fair to ask for the entire $100 if someone can only come for a couple of hours due to their schedule–for example, state legislators would fall into this category.

The only other exceptions are the main speakers, who are Members of Congress, Gov. Beebe, President Clinton, former Members of the Cabinet like former US Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, the DRA Federal Cochair and Alternate Federal Cochair, and other officials at that level. All other speakers on panels and elsewhere on the program need to pay the registration fees.

REDUCED GROUP RATE FOR THE GROUP HOTEL: We will use the Comfort Inn & Suites in downtown Little Rock, which is close to the Clinton Presidential Center. Please call the hotel at (501) 687-7700 and say you are with the Delta Caucus to get the discount rate of $79 for the night of Thursday, May 5.

The deadline to get the Comfort Inn group discount rate is Wednesday, April 27, 2011. This is the same deadline as the early registration fee.

You will only need to stay for one hotel night, because you can check in Thursday for the opening session, and then check out Friday morning and store your luggage at the hotel and then come back and pick up the luggage when the conference is over on Friday afternoon.

For anyone who wants to stay for both Thursday and Friday night as well, the group rate is available for Friday night as well.

This is by invitation only and usually the Clinton Library session is crowded, but there will definitely be enough room for anyone who registers on time.

Please RSVP and register as soon as you can, and we look forward to advocating for the Delta’s economic development on May 5-6, 2011. Thanks very much. Lee Powell, executive director, MDGC (202) 360-6347