SOUTHSIDE— Southside City Councilmember Joseph Hutchins has been appointed to serve on the National League of Cities (NLC) 2026 Public Safety and Crime Prevention (PSCP) Federal Advocacy Committee, a national panel that helps shape federal policy priorities impacting communities across the country.

Hutchins was elected to a one-year term on the committee, where he will help provide strategic guidance for NLC’s federal advocacy agenda on public safety issues affecting local governments. The committee focuses on a range of policy areas, including disaster preparedness and recovery, community-oriented policing, violence prevention, emergency communications, and federal grant programs supporting first responders.

The appointment was announced by National League of Cities President Kevin Kramer, a councilmember from Louisville, Kentucky.

Hutchins said he is honored to represent both the City of Southside and the State of Alabama at the national level, noting that he will serve as one of only two representatives from Alabama on the committee.

With nearly two decades of experience in public safety through various roles, Hutchins said the opportunity will help ensure smaller communities like Southside have a voice in national conversations surrounding emergency preparedness and public safety initiatives.

He also emphasized the importance of collaborating with leaders from across the country to bring back ideas and strategies that can strengthen Southside’s ability to respond to both everyday public safety needs and critical incidents.

As a member of the PSCP Committee, Hutchins will play a role in shaping the National League of Cities’ federal policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s approximately 19,000 cities, towns, and villages before Congress, the Presidential Administration, and through local leadership efforts in Southside.

NLC President Kevin Kramer said the organization’s federal advocacy committees serve as the voice of municipalities in Washington and expressed enthusiasm about working with Hutchins as the committee develops policies aimed at strengthening partnerships between local and federal leaders.

The National League of Cities is a nonpartisan organization representing municipal governments across the United States and works to advocate for local priorities at the federal level.

For more information about the National League of Cities Federal Advocacy Committees, visit nlc.org/advocacy/federal-advocacy-committees.