A gracious nominating speech by his former opponent set the stage for Umatilla County (Ore.) Commission Chair Bill Hansell to win election as the newest member of NACo’s executive team. Hansell’s strong rival for the second vice president’s slot, Plumas County (Calif.) Supervisor Bill Dennison, withdrew from the race at the Annual Conference, and in a determined show of unity, nominated Hansell at NACo’s Annual Business Meeting, July 16.
The election of officers at the closing session of the Annual Conference capped the four-day event, held this year in New Orleans, La. The conference attracted more than 4,000 attendees.
In addition to Hansell, other officers elected by delegates to serve on the NACo Executive Committee were: President, Dallas County (Texas) Commissioner Ken Mayfield; President-elect, Boone County (Mo.) Commissioner Karen Miller; and First Vice President, Lake County (Ill.) Board Member Angelo Kyle. Santa Fe County (N.M.) Commissioner Javier Gonzales will serve as immediate past president.
Delegates to the conference also adopted more than 40 new policy positions, which ranged from support for the creation of a Cabinet-level Homeland Security Department to detailed expectations for election reform legislation.
Winners
There are two presidential scholarships awarded each year at NACo’s Annual Conference to students selected by the outgoing NACo president.
David Davenport initiated the older of the two scholarships — the Presidential Scholarship — nearly 17 years ago. The four-year scholarship program awards $2,500 per year. This year’s winner, from Santa Fe County, N.M., was Joaquin Cordova. The $4,000 CH2M Hill Scholarship was presented to Dustin Borrego-Sowell, also of Santa Fe County, N.M.
New this year on the conference awards circuit was the presentation of the first Caucus Courthouse awards, sponsored by Siemens. These awards go to a rural and an urban county leader who have, in the opinion of the award judges, improved the lives of their citizens through outstanding governance and strong leadership. Winners receive a $5,000 scholarship to present to a high school senior of their choosing.
Umatilla County (Ore) Commissioner Bill Hansell was this year’s rural county Caucus Courthouse Award winner. Hansell was recognized for his leadership in developing and seeing through to passage a county smoke management ordinance, which is now used as a model in farm counties across the country.
Two San Diego County, Calif. supervisors, Ron Roberts and Greg Cox, shared the large urban county Caucus Courthouse Award. The two men successfully spearheaded an effort to increase the number of foster care homes in their county. As a result, San Diego County was the only county in the state to post an increase in the number of foster homes.
Conference speakers
The Opening General Session of the conference on Sunday, July 14 featured a presentation by former Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, George Mitchell of Maine. He spoke about resolving conflicts in the world, including his experience in Northern Ireland and his development of a plan for bringing peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Mitchell said that removing Chairman Yassar Arafat is no guarantee of peace or stability in the Middle East. “It’s a dangerous illusion. If he goes or not, everything’s not going to be fine,” Mitchell said in response to a question about the Palestinian leader’s future.
On Monday, July 15, U.S. Air Force Commander-in-Chief, North American Air Force Defense Command General Ralph E. Eberhart, the newly confirmed head of homeland security for the U.S. Military addressed a general session. Eberhart told county officials, “We must not let down our guard. Sometimes we’re not very patient. And if you become impatient, I suggest you close your eyes and remember those images of 9-11.”
Attendees also watched a special videotaped message from Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. Ridge gave a detailed explanation of the new proposed homeland security department. He cited NACo’s early call for a unified homeland security department, and promised to have an open line of communication with county officials in the implementation of new programs.
Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton also spoke at the conference and signed a memorandum of understanding with NACo President Javier Gonzales pledging federal, state and local cooperation in the stewardship of public lands.
“We share mutual goals in the stewardship of America’s public lands,” Norton said. “NACo and its member counties are our neighbors, and by working together as partners, we can improve the management of our lands.”
Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and humorist Dave Barry, whose column appears in several hundred newspapers across the country, addressed the Closing General Session on Tuesday and had the delegates laughing in the aisles.
(Tom Goodman, public affairs director, Mindy Moretti, senior staff writer, and Paul Mackie, staff writer, contributed to this article.For a complete report on the conference see the special second section, 2002 Annual Conference and Exposition Report, included with this issue.)
