County Leaders Confer On Issues Facing America's Communities

Nashville - Hunterdon County Freeholder John King, representing Hunterdon County and New Jersey, joined more than 3,000 county leaders July 13-16, at the 83rd National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition in Nashville/Davidson County, Tenn. Attendees adopted positions on pressing federal policies affecting counties and exchanged innovative solutions to challenges facing American communities.

“NACo’s annual conference is the unique opportunity to engage with peers from around the country to focus solely on issues facing county government; to note the similarities, to explain and understand the differences and then develop ideas for how to make our government more productive and efficient,” Freeholder King said. “With more than 3,000 counties in the US, the perspective’s value is to know that others face similar challenges, and some may have workable solutions.”

Freeholder King, serving in his second term as a County Freeholder, is a former Director of the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, a past President of the New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC), and a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors.

In addition to attending sessions on Legislative Updates where current federal policy issues are examined for their effect on local governments, Freeholder King participated in several sessions as a committee member for both Justice and Public Safety, the Membership Committee, the Northeast Regional Caucus and as a sitting member of the NACo Board of Directors.

Conference delegates discussed federal policy and legislation on a wide range of key topics like transportation and infrastructure; rural and urban development; energy; federal public lands and active forest management; public safety; emergency preparedness and response; housing and community development; health and other topics.

“The NACo team of analysts are well informed, not only of the effect current policy shifts will have on county governments, but also of the nuances that surround how those policies may play out. And the sessions that involve Board responsibilities will shape NACo initiatives for years to come,” King added.

More than three dozen educational workshops and meetings explored topics including affordable housing, technology, reducing the number of mentally ill individuals in jails, the opioid epidemic, disaster preparedness and recovery and other topics important to counties across the country.

NACo Immediate Past President Roy Charles Brooks unveiled NACo’s annual report recapping the year’s accomplishments, including several significant federal policy victories and his presidential initiative Serving the Underserved.

“Serving the Underserved has showcased counties’ critical role in breaking multi-generational cycles of poverty, especially by focusing on early childhood development and understanding the long-lasting impacts of adverse childhood experiences and trauma,” said Brooks. “We are creating new opportunities for our most vulnerable residents and advancing comprehensive solutions at the state and local levels.”

Notable speakers included U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund Marian Wright Edelman, representatives from the Trump Administration and National Football League (NFL) famed athlete and entrepreneur Eddie George.

At the conference’s conclusion, county leaders adopted the American County Platform, which sets NACo’s federal policy agenda for the coming year.

More information about the conference is available here.

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The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas and build new leadership skills, pursue transformational county solutions, enrich the public’s understanding of county government, and exercise exemplary leadership in public service. More information at: http://www.naco.org.