Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole was unanimously elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the National League of Cities, an organization of 19,000 cities towns and villages.

In a release, Cole said a spot on the NLC board allows him "an even greater role in shaping some of our national policy issues."

"At the same time, it is a great honor for Carbondale to have a seat at the table with such an impressive group of elected officials from across the country," he said.

Cole also serves on the executive steering committee for the University Communities Caucus and as a member of the Small Cities Council for the NLC.

NLC is governed by a Board of Directors, made up of the president, first vice president, second vice president, all past presidents still in government service, and 40 other members. Twenty members of the Board of Directors are elected each year during the annual business meeting; they serve two-year terms.