As the new chair of the MHI National Communities Council, I would first like to thank the members of the NCC for giving me the tremendous honor of representing their interests, and I can promise I will continue to work on behalf of all community owners, who provide an important source of quality homes and communities to millions of Americans. I am very excited about working on your behalf, and encourage all NCC members to share their thoughts and ideas with me over the coming year.

As we know, 2008 gave us a huge boost with the passage of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Since the NCC made finance issues its top legislative priority for the past few years, this legislation represented countless hours of work and dedication by the NCC and its members to ensure we obtained the key provisions specific to the industry that will help us not only through these challenging economic times, but will help shape and grow the industry into the future.

And while we celebrate this huge success, we also know that moving forward in 2009 there will certainly be no shortage of issues challenging community owners while also facing a new political environment with a new Congress and new Administration in Washington, DC. One of my goals over the coming year will be to see that the NCC continues to aggressively pursue its legislative and regulatory initiatives by fostering relationships with key members of Congress, and enhances communication with decision makers in the new Administration. The MHI NCC will look to build upon its successes with sub-metering legislation and Section 8 voucher reform, and will continue to challenge any efforts with regards to carried interest, weather radio requirements, and anti-predatory legislation which may unfairly affect our industry. Also in 2009 we can expect the lawsuit we have enjoined against the FCC in their prohibition of exclusivity contracts to continue, and the NCC will work in collaboration with its industry partners towards a favorable decision. The NCC has also been active in the implementation of the new federal swimming pool requirements, and will continue to push for reasonable implementation expectations and fair enforcement mechanisms.

Indeed 2009 will be another active year for the MHI NCC, and we cannot do it without your guidance, support, membership, and participation in the MHI-PAC. I’m pleased that NCC members are among the leading contributors, but we need to do more! The MHI-PAC is one of the most effective ways we are able to demonstrate our influence and reach key decision makers that can help positively shape the industry. I encourage you all to be regular contributors, and I plan to work to increase the level of NCC participation in the MHI-PAC over the coming year.

Finally, the NCC will also continue its efforts to improve the image of communities - a key to the long-term success of our industry. We are in the planning stages of the NCC’s 2009 Forum to take place in April in Las Vegas. You can be sure that Forum will also provide a wealth of information and networking opportunities. The NCC is also currently holding its Fall Webinar series to help the many professionals in our industry obtain valuable information without having to leave their office. The next webinar is scheduled for November 19, and I hope you will all join this event.

As an NCC member, if you have any thoughts or issues you would like to raise, please feel free to contact me. You can email me at chris@parrishmanor.com I look forward to working with you over the coming year.

Chris Parrish
Chair, National Communities Council
Vice-President, Parrish Manor