Laurel’s run in the “Strongest Town” contest has come to an end after the city failed to advance beyond the first round of public voting.
Laurel was one of 16 cities and towns across North America selected for this year’s competition, which is organized by the Strongest Towns nonprofit, a movement-based nonprofit that advocates for financially resilient and community-focused development.
“A ‘strong town’ is any town, big or small, that is taking tangible steps to overcome its transportation, housing or financial challenges,” according to a Strong Towns press release.
Laurel was the only municipality in Maryland and the Washington region in the contest that included cities and towns like Chicago; Madison, Wisconsin; and Whitby, Ontario. Ultimately, Laurel failed to muster enough votes to advance in the competition and was eliminated after the first voting round ended on March 13.
“I really thought we were gonna make it past the first round. I think that the City of Laurel has so much going for it that I did not see in some of these other cities,” said Calvin Burns, 26, who spearheaded the application process for the competition.
Burns applied for the contest, believing the city’s planning policies, civic engagement and sense of community made it a strong contender. Pretty soon, city officials and residents joined him and contributed to the application.
“A nomination like this reflects the pride, collaboration and commitment that define our community,” Mayor Keith Sydnor said in an earlier press release. “Laurel residents consistently show up to support their neighborhoods, our local businesses and the initiatives that make our city stronger.”
Burns said Laurel’s relatively low profile may have hurt it in a contest driven heavily by public voting.
“I will also acknowledge that this whole voting process is just by popularity, and the City of Laurel is one of the least well-known cities on the stage that was in the running,” he said.
Carlee Alm-LaBar, chief of staff for Strong Towns, said the competition is designed to celebrate communities of all sizes, from towns with fewer than 1,000 residents to major cities such as Chicago.
“We want cities to think in Strong Towns principles, whether they are 500 or 5 million,” Alm-LaBar said.
Although Laurel did not advance, Alm-LaBar said communities that fall short often still benefit from participating.
“We have seen lots of ‘losers’ who inspire us as communities,” she said. “The fact that Laurel is in the top 16 and that a group of citizens thought enough of your community to put your name in the hat, that means there’s something going right in Laurel.”
Burns said he remains proud of the city’s showing and that he expects Laurel to apply again next year and believes the city could mount a stronger campaign with more preparation and broader support.
“It fills me with hope and pride that the city is willing and able to come together on short notice to show how awesome we are,” he said.