WATERLOO -- Tim Hurley has been tapped to lead the Iowa League of Cities.

The three-term Waterloo mayor was elected president of the organization Friday during a meeting in Council Bluffs. Hurley served as president-elect over the past year and now replaces Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett in the top position.

"I'm very honored to have the position," Hurley said. "It's a reflection on the city of Waterloo more than it's a reflection on Tim Hurley, whoever he is."

The Iowa League is an association of more than 870 cities in Iowa that advocates for municipalities on a state and national level, serves as a resource for cities to share information and helps cities with technical information about issues related to local government.

Hurley has served as a board member and on committees for the organization in the past.

"I have tremendous respect for the League," he said. "When I became a brand new city councilman, the morning after the election, the League is where I turned to find out what you do."

Hurley now will juggle his mayoral duties with six to eight League board meetings in the coming year and will write a column for the organization's Cityscape magazine.

"The heart of it will probably be in legislative advocacy, and that will mean spending more time on the hill" in Des Moines, Hurley said. "Even more than I've spent in the past."

During the annual business meeting, during which Hurley was elected president, he also chaired the legislative policy committee, which developed priorities for the coalition of cities to push in the next general assembly.

Those include efforts to develop progressive flood and storm recovery policies and programs to help cities rebuild, increasing road funding to reach the $200 million minimum required annually to maintain Iowa's roads and bridges, diversify funding for cities to help lessen dependence on property taxes, encouraging economic development programs and addressing city drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs.

Hurley is not the first metropolitan area mayor to lead the League of Cities. Former Evansdale Mayor John Mardis was president in 2005-06. Former Waterloo Mayor John Rooff was slated to be the president in 2003 before losing re-election to Hurley.

Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com.