Federal and State Advocacy
National League of Cities: Three National Committee Assignments
Service on Energy/Environment, Transportation, and Unmanned Air Mobility committees — directly connected to Purcellville's $10.5M ARPA allocation.
During his tenure as Mayor of Purcellville, Kwasi Fraser served on three committees of the National League of Cities (NLC) — the Washington, D.C.-based organization representing more than 2,700 cities and towns in federal policy advocacy. His NLC service is directly credited in the public record with contributing to Purcellville's ability to secure $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds — an allocation that included $8 million for water and sewer infrastructure.
What the National League of Cities Is
Founded in 1924, NLC is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments in the United States. Its primary functions are federal advocacy — representing local government interests before Congress and federal agencies — and technical assistance, providing member cities with research, training, and networking resources. NLC's policy influence operates through a committee structure in which elected and appointed local officials participate in policy development, testimony, and advocacy campaigns on issues affecting their communities.
The Three Committee Assignments
Energy, Environment and Natural Resources
This committee addresses federal policy on energy infrastructure, environmental regulation, natural resource management, and climate-related issues as they affect local governments. Fraser's participation was consistent with his environmental record in Purcellville: the Aberdeen Nutrient Credit Bank (111,000 trees, $900,000-plus in revenue), the reclaimed-water program, the Power Purchase Agreement with Dominion Power, the Tree City USA designations, and his August 2021 appointment to the U.S. EPA Local Government Advisory Committee. His Purcellville record gave him direct operational experience with the environmental compliance challenges facing small municipalities.
Transportation and Infrastructure
This committee addresses federal policy on roads, transit, water and sewer infrastructure, broadband, and the broader physical infrastructure systems that localities depend on. Fraser's participation provided context for Purcellville's infrastructure investment agenda — including the $8 million in ARPA funds directed to water and sewer — and connected him to the federal funding landscape in which ARPA was being designed and implemented.
Unmanned Air Mobility
This committee addresses the policy, regulatory, and operational challenges facing municipalities as commercial drone operations expand into urban and suburban airspace. Fraser's technology and telecommunications background — spanning AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, and Verizon Business — made him a credible voice on the technical dimensions of drone policy from the local government perspective.
The ARPA Connection
The most direct financial result of Fraser's NLC service was Purcellville's $10.5 million ARPA allocation. NLC played a central role in the drafting, advocacy, and implementation guidance surrounding the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March 2021. NLC members who participated actively had better access to implementation guidance, allocation optimization strategies, and federal agency contacts than those who participated passively.
Fraser's committee service gave him sustained engagement with the NLC network — including the staff experts, federal agency liaisons, and peer municipal officials who understood how to maximize ARPA allocations for communities of Purcellville's size. The $10.5 million result — and the precision with which it was programmed into $8 million of water and sewer capital plus specific project line items — reflects the kind of informed, advocacy-backed allocation work that active NLC participation enables.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Organization: National League of Cities (NLC)
- NLC membership: more than 2,700 cities and towns
- Fraser's committee assignments: Energy, Environment and Natural Resources; Transportation and Infrastructure; Unmanned Air Mobility
- ARPA result attributable to NLC engagement: $10.5 million total allocation; $8 million to water/sewer
- EPA appointment context: NLC participation complemented Fraser's August 2021 EPA LGAC appointment
- White House connection: May 9, 2022 broadband affordability event reflects NLC-connected digital-equity work
